The Kindle Fire entered the market with projections by experts that it would be a direct competitor to the Apple iPad. There are even rumors that Apple plans to answer with a smaller iPad with a similar price. The Amazon Kindle Fire as a tablet does offer rivalry to higher priced Android tablets in particular. As the cost of the Amazon Kindle Fire is hard to beat, there's one area in which the Amazon Kindle Fire falls horribly short.

So, what are the weak points? Connectivity! When the first generation Kindles hit the scene as an e-readers, one of the main selling points was totally free 3G service by AT&T. You purchased the Ereader and had the ability to browse Amazon's e-book market place from anywhere you were able to pick-up AT&T service which happens to be most areas within the United States. Early Kindles provided a cable that connected the unit to your computer, so you could download ebooks and transfer them manually.

The service ceased as soon as the Amazon Kindle Fire came out. Providing 3G to the Kindle Fire would mean data overload for AT&T. Not to mention, 3G speeds wouldn't be able to support the ability of the Kindle Fire's dual core processor. Therefore, users are limited to wi-fi service only on the Kindle Fire. This implies in order to use the web with the device , you must have access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.

The Kindle Fire on Lockdown. It seems that Amazon is so worried that users might gain access to an app market other than their own, that they've omitted all other sources of connectivity from the Fire. The Kindle has two ports. One is a regular headphone jack and the other is a micro USB to charge the device. Amazon doesn't even include the USB cable in order to connect the Fire to your personal computer . In order to connect the Fire to your computer, you will need to purchase the cable separately. Only a standard charging cable is included.

Just why the Kindle Fire may well not stand up to competition. Even cheaper budget tablets ship with a lot more connectivity than the Kindle Fire. These units usually are loaded with options including an SD card slot, USB port and an HDMI interface. Adding this connectivity would make the Kindle Fire unstoppable. Having a USB port, users could have the option of using a mobile broadband plan to increase connectivity. A USB port additionally allows expansion of the 8 gb memory space available on the Kindle as would an SD card interface.

Solutions to the connectivity issue are limited. The only way to gain full access to the Kindle Fire's whole potential is to root the unit. A task that is not for the newbie and is somewhat of a gamble that will void your warranty. Nonetheless, once the device is rooted, you then have the choice of installing more app markets and broadening the ways the Fire can be used. Other than that, there's no way currently to expand the ability to connect the device to the Net. Many apps are worthless without online connectivity except for downloaded games and standalone productivity apps and tools.

If rooting is out of the question, then users can get the connector cable and sideload software onto the device. It is not too hard to acquire app files, download them to your computer, and then drag and drop the file onto your Kindle Fire. The Fire is going to do the rest.

With new tablets hitting the market all the time targeting the cheaper prices, the Amazon Kindle Fire will quickly lose its edge. Currently you can find tablets available which are $30 or so more than the Kindle with all the current features together with the connectivity options mentioned above. Do keep in mind Bluetooth. Bluetooth adds a new dimension of connectivity to your device. Imagine a Kindle Fire which has a real keyboard, not the virtual onscreen type. It's really a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step up with a tablet that actually has the user in mind as opposed to their pocket book.