Amazon's Kindle Fire vs. Apple's iPad: A choice between price and functionality

If you altered your holiday?wish list after Amazon announced the Kindle Fire, we don't blame you. At $199 per unit, it's easily one of the most enticing devices slated to be on offer before the year ends. Unlike the other Kindle devices announced last week, the Fire is a full-fledged tablet with features that go beyond those of an e-reader. With the tablet market dominated by the Apple iPad, you might be inclined to ask: How does the Kindle Fire compare?

Display size and portability
With an 11.4mm depth, the Amazon Kindle Fire is just a tad thicker than Apple iPad 2's 8.8mm. However, when it comes to tablet size, the screen's dimensions are what really matters. If portability is of utmost importance to you, then the 7" Kindle Fire obviously has an advantage. If you think you need more screen real estate, though, the iPad with its 9.7" display is the better choice. Not to say a 10" tablet isn't portable ? it is. But if you're looking for something that fits in small purses or even large pockets, it's clear you need a smaller tablet.

Both the iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire have multi-touch displays, but the latter is limited to input from two fingers at a time. In comparison, the Apple iPad's true multi-touch capability can recognize input from all 10 fingers simultaneously.

Books, magazines, movies, music, and third-party apps
You can access millions of songs, movies, TV shows, and ebooks on iTunes using the iPad. But Amazon is also known for the content it offers, and you can rent, buy, or preview pretty much any digital product Amazon sells from the Kindle Fire. In fact, content is front and center on the Kindle Fire. On top of the original Android operating system is a user interface that looks nothing like any Android device's software to date.

The Kindle Fire's home screen is designed to look like a bookshelf with a search function for content and direct links to Newsstand (magazines), Books, Music, Video, Docs, Apps, and Web at the menu on the top. And happily, a free one-month trial of?Amazon Prime?comes with a new Kindle tablet. Amazon Prime gives you free two day shipping for?$79 per year, as well as access to Prime Instant Videos, which you can use to instantly stream any of the 10,000 movies and TV shows in its archive.

When it comes to third-party apps, though, the iPad is the landslide winner. Apple has always had an immense archive of third-party apps for its devices. And while the 140,000 apps customized for the iPad is but a fraction of the more than 500,000 overall items on the iTunes App Store, it's still a sizable number compared to what's available on Amazon. The Amazon Appstore first launched as an app for Android devices with 3,800 items on offer. It sells Android apps, but unlike the official Android Market, it's a lot more curated and more comparable to the Apple App Store when it comes quality checking.

Storage capacity and cloud reliance
At 16GB, the iPad's lowest storage capacity is twice that of Kindle Fire's 8GB, restricting Amazon's device to storing approximately 80 apps, 10 movies, 800 songs, or 6,000 ebooks on the device. But if you think you need more storage than that, it's not really an issue ? the Kindle Fire is designed to rely heavily on the cloud. The Amazon Cloud Drive stores your music and video on the web, and Kindle Fire owners get free storage for all Amazon-bought content.

Nevertheless, iPad also has its own cloud storage in the form of iCloud, although it works differently from Amazon's Cloud Drive. Whereas the Amazon Cloud Drive streams music and videos directly to your device on the internet, iCloud stores your files and lets you download them using any of your Apple devices.

Connectivity and Silk browser
Apple offers both wifi with 3G and wifi-only iPad units ? the latter, of course, considerably cheaper than the former. If you need constant connection on the go, it's the iPad that can deliver ? Kindle Fire only has wifi, limiting your mobility unless you have a 3G-enabled device that can act as a mobile hotspot.

But when Amazon's tablet is connected, the proprietary browser called Amazon Silk enables fast loading of websites.?Silk remembers your previous browsing habits and searches. Whenever you go to a particular website, it uses predictive technology to pre-fetch content you usually access for faster navigation. For Silk to be able to do so, it has to log URLs and other details on the Amazon cloud. Understandably, that has prompted some privacy concerns, but Amazon claims that any data it logs remains anonymous.

Mic, camera, and battery life
If you're looking forward to using your tablet to take pictures or do video calls, the Kindle Fire is not for you. Amazon has not included a camera or a microphone in its tablet. The iPad 2, on the other hand, comes replete with a microphone, a 0.3-megapixel, front-facing camera for video calls, and a 0.7-megapixel rear camera for photography and video recording.

Planning to bring your tablet everywhere with you? In terms of battery life, the iPad 2 comes out on top. It can last up to nine hours connected to a 3G network, up to 10 hours on wifi, or up to 10 hours streaming video and music. The Kindle Fire, on the other hand, promises eight hours of continuous reading or seven and a half hours of video playback.

Pricing and availability
Now that you know the important features to consider when choosing between the iPad and the Kindle Fire, all that remains to compare is the impact on your wallet. If you're going for maximum affordability, the Kindle Fire (priced at $199) is poised to make the smallest dent on your budget in terms of a tablet purchase.

The cheapest iPad 2 with 16GB storage and wifi-only connectivity costs $499 ? that's a full $300 more. Granted, the $199 Kindle Fire comes with ads that Amazon calls Special Offers; the ads-free version costs only $40 more. If you're in a very immediate need of a tablet, though, you'll have to settle with Apple; the Amazon Kindle Fire isn't shipping until November 15.

Choosing between the iPad and the Kindle Fire
While Amazon's first tablet is obviously tons cheaper than any iPad, it's also light on features. If you think you need a tablet only for surfing the web, listening to music, watching videos, and reading books or periodicals, then the Kindle Fire can do the job. But if you need anything more than that, then perhaps investing in the more expensive Apple iPad is the better option. Everyone has different needs ? assess yours when choosing between the iPad and the Kindle Fire, and get the one that gives you more bang for your buck.

Source: http://www.tecca.com/columns/kindle-fire-vs-ipad/

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FAQ - Auto Insurance

For those who must commute to school or work, vehicle related expenses are a necessary expense. Everyone wants to find a cheap auto insurance quote and save money! Besides the initial cost of the vehicle, drivers must continually pay for car maintenance, gasoline, and perhaps the highest expense, auto insurance. Compare auto insurance by entering your ZIP code into our FREE comparison tool!

Most states require drivers to carry some level of liability insurance, and if your vehicle is financed it is likely the financing company requires collision and comprehensive insurance that will pay for repair costs should the car become damaged in an accident.

Handing over hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars each year for car insurance might be hard to swallow; but the expense is really one that will protect you financially in the event of an accident. There are some strategies, however, to help keep the cost of insurance down. Comparing quotes from several different auto insurance companies has the potential to save you hundreds of dollars per year depending on your unique situation.

How Often Should You Compare?

Calling your auto insurance company, visiting their website or utilizing our online auto insurance comparison tool to compare auto insurance quotes and check to see if you are getting the best possible price is generally a very quick and easy process. It is a good idea to review your auto insurance policy and comparison shop yearly.

1. Each year just prior to renewal, take the time to gather some cheap auto insurance quotes and decide whether you will renew with your current company or switch to a new, cheaper provider.
2. Keep in mind, however, that it is not necessary to wait until renewal time to switch insurance. If you find a better rate you can switch over immediately and cancel with your current company. Your current insurance company will charge you just for the time you have been insured that policy period and will refund you any amount you have already paid for in that period that you will not be using.

There is no reason to wait if you can get a better rate immediately, and no reason to stay with a more expensive company if you can get the same coverage elsewhere for lees money.

What to Pay Attention to While Comparing Rates

Regularly comparing auto insurance rates to get the best possible price is important; but there are some important points to keep in mind while shopping around.

1. Be sure to include your current company in your search. The company might have come out with new discounts, or recent changes in your life might qualify you for new discounts your current company already offers. Inquiring with your current insurer about any additional discounts available to you could yield significant savings without even needing to switch insurance companies.
2. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. In other words, be sure all quotes include the same coverage levels, deductibles and special features to give you a fair comparison. Utilizing an insurance comparison website can help here since users typically choose which coverage levels and features they want and the website does the leg work in obtaining several comparable quotes.

Comparing several companies in one step is an efficient way to make sure you end up with the least expensive appropriate option.

Why Take the Time and Effort to Shop Around

Even with tools out there to make comparing auto insurance rates a pretty quick and easy process; you might still be questioning whether taking time out to regularly compare auto insurance quotes and possibly switch auto insurance companies is really worth it.

Consider the many factors that go into determining an individual?s auto insurance rate and the potential savings you can realize by comparing auto insurance quotes.

Auto insurance rates and typically known to drop when a driver turns twenty five. Other factors like the state you live in and your driving record will also come into play; but if you have recently turned 25 it is a good idea to do an auto insurance rate comparison.

Large families with several drivers must pay more to insure several vehicles, but are also afforded the opportunity to save even bigger by comparing cheap auto insurance rates. Provided all of the drivers have a good driving record, switching to a cheaper auto insurance company can save a family like this hundreds of dollars per year.

Other factors that determine the auto insurance rates you receive like your credit rating can change. If you have made changes recently like paying off high credit card balances or taking other steps to improve your credit rating, it might be time to compare auto insurance rates since you might now have access to significantly lower rates.

Auto insurance rates and auto insurance discounts are always changing. This is another reason it is important to regularly compare auto insurance quotes. A change in your state?s laws or additional discounts added by a company can mean a significant amount of savings for those who take the time to shop around.

Transportation costs are an important and often large area of a family or individual?s budget. Just like you probably shopped around and compared prices and quality when shopping for a vehicle; you must comparison shop for auto insurance.

Taking the time to regularly review your insurance needs and personal situation, and to compare rates from several companies will help ensure that you are always getting the best auto insurance rates and the most appropriate coverage. Enter your ZIP code below and allow us to do handle the auto insurance comparison process for FREE!

Source: http://www.autoinsurance.org/how-much-money-can-a-cheap-auto-insurance-quote-search-save-me/

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