Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Interview with the Vice-Chancellor
    • Country Highlight: The Netherlands
    • If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …
    • Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever
    • All About … Period Poverty
    • My Veggie Journey: How not being strictly Vegetarian is OK
    • Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month
    • Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr
    Seren
    • News & Politics
      1. Local News
      2. UK News
      3. Uni News
      4. World News
      5. Politics
      6. Comment
      7. Business
      Featured

      SABB Election: The Full Result Breakdown

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Interview with the Vice-Chancellor

      May 23, 2022

      Retro? Chip shortage may bring vintage tech to your car.

      May 6, 2021

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021
    • Arts & Culture
      1. Books
      2. Games
      3. Film
      4. Music
      5. TV
      6. Creative Corner
      Featured

      Bangor alumni podcast earns Hollywood cameo & BBC features

      By Amelia SmithMarch 7, 20210
      Recent

      Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever

      July 7, 2021

      Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month

      May 17, 2021

      Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021

      May 16, 2021
    • Lifestyle
      1. Fashion
      2. Food and Drink
      3. Social
      4. Health and Beauty
      5. Travel
      Featured

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      By Emily ShoultsMay 6, 20220
      Recent

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      May 6, 2022

      If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …

      August 3, 2021

      All About … Period Poverty

      May 17, 2021
    • Discovery
      1. Science
      2. Environment
      3. History
      4. International
      Featured

      Brewing up a Storm: The History of Guinness

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021

      Japan plan to release radioactive water into the ocean

      May 6, 2021

      The link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots

      April 29, 2021
    • Sport
      1. Varsity 2019
      2. Varsity 2018
      3. Varsity 2017
      4. Varsity 2016
      5. Varsity 2015
      6. Varsity 2014
      7. Varsity 2013
        • Varsity 2013 Results
        • Varsity 2013 – In tweets
      Featured

      Bangor Muddogs’ American Football: a young woman finding her place

      By Jade HillMarch 23, 20210
      Recent

      The 48-hour rise and fall of the European Super League

      April 27, 2021

      The European Super League is announced

      April 19, 2021

      Formula 1’s ‘Drive to Survive S3’ is released

      April 7, 2021
    • Students’ Union
      1. Union News
      2. Societies
      3. Volunteering
      4. Clubs
      Featured

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      By Caroline CartmillMarch 17, 20210
      Recent

      Bangor University Feminist Society

      March 30, 2021

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      March 17, 2021

      LGBT History Month in Bangor

      March 4, 2021
    • Issues
      • Current Issue
      • This year’s issues
      • Last year’s issues
      • Seren Archive
      • Seren Teams
    Seren
    Home»Arts & Culture»Games»Tech On A Budget- Amazon Fire 7″
    Games

    Tech On A Budget- Amazon Fire 7″

    Christian James-WatkinsBy Christian James-WatkinsNovember 3, 2015No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Amazon Fire 7"Tablets have become one of the main media consumption devices. Unfortunately a decent tablet can set you back well over £100 which is why the new Amazon Fire, now under £50,  may be of interest to you. The device itself is worth more than this so you may be asking why they are willing to sell below, or close, to cost of production? The answer is in the lock screen which will show a carousel of advertisements every time you turn the screen on. This can not be disabled but honestly, how often do you sit there staring at a lock screen?

    Don’t be fooled. You will not get the android app store or the latest stock OS as you are locked into Amazon’s ecosystem with Fire OS 5.1 “Bellini” and the Amazon Underground app store, where you can find many of your favourite premium apps for free and without in-app purchases (although there are tutorials to put Google Play on the device). Due to being tied into Amazon you also have free cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Don’t get too excited, though, as the rear facing camera is only 2 MP at 720p and the front is VGA (640×480) which is pretty poor for most things. It will, however, get you through a quick Skype with the family back home, although you may look a little washed out.

    The screen is not HD but it does provide bright and vivid colours on its 1024×600 IPS display. Unlike cheaper tablets, the display allows for wide viewing angles so you do not have to be directly in front, making it perfect for showing your friends the latest Yaks or sharing downloaded Amazon Prime movies and series. The tablet only has 8GB of inbuilt storage, which for the price is nothing to complain about, but it also offers the ability to upgrade to an additional 128GB with its microSD slot.

    From some of the ‘scratch test’ videos on YouTube it looks like a tough little tablet having survived the likes of a light bulb being smashed on it, keys being drawn across the screen, pennies dropped, and a knife hitting the screen with little to no damage. Speaking of YouTube, the sound quality is pretty decent although if you lay the device on its back the speaker will be blocked so you will need to hold it or get a nice stand.

    With the tablets 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and GB of RAM it is a little slow to respond at times but it is still much faster than a tablet of a similar price and is able to play ‘Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft’ which is quite a processor heavy game, although it does take a while to get through the initial load screen. With gaming you will also need a good WiFi signal which may be a problem in crowded areas as it only has single band 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n. That could kill the fun in halls or on a public connection, although on device gaming should be smooth especially with the ability to pair a bluetooth controller or headset.

    The tablet itself claims to be twice as durable as the iPad Air 2 which may be due to its plastic construction which makes it more flexible. This does have the issue that if you press the back too hard it can also trigger menus and other actions which can be a problem if you have a tight grip. The durability is a good incentive but it also has a kid safe mode which makes it an ideal present for children (along with special covers) as you can create a profile for each child and choose what books, apps, games they have access too. If they like to avoid homework you can also set daily limits for tablet use, or restrict certain categories (such as games and video) while leaving unlimited time for reading.Amazon Fire 7" Spec

    One more thing to consider before purchasing this device  is that it can reach around 7 hours battery life whilst taking 6 to charge from being completely dead. If this sounds like a device which would interest you and some friends you may also want to band together and make an order of a six pack. For some reason Amazon are offering 6 for the price of 5 so you could end up paying only £33.33 for your very own tablet.

    games gaming tablet YouTube
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Christian James-Watkins
    • Website
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Gadgets Editor 2015/16

    Related Posts

    REVIEW: Donut County – A Hole Lot of Fun

    February 28, 2021

    Games to look out for in 2021

    February 7, 2021

    REVIEW: A Short Hike – A Relaxing Getaway

    December 27, 2020

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    MORE INFORMATION
    • ABOUT
    • ADVERTISE
    • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED
    • MEMBERS
    Links
    • Bangor University Bangor University
    • Google+ Google+
    • Undeb Bangor Undeb Bangor
    About

    Seren is Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

    We have editorial independence from both Bangor University and Bangor Students’ Union. Seren is written by students for students and we’d love you to get involved!

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.