I have been using Amazon's new Kindle Fire device for some time now and I just can't get around to what the hype is, other that the price of course.

The Kindle Fire, which launched last month, is Amazon's first venture into the tablet market while also keeping its famously known Kindle e-reader name. The Fire is no doubt set at a bargain price which is most likely a loss for Amazon. For $199 you got the device, a power source for charging and one-month free service on Amazon Prime. With the low price this is one of the cheapest ways to get yourself into in a new tablet.

The hardware on the device is something that critics aren't liking, such as missing cameras and expandable memory. I most criticize the lack of an expandable memory slot because the tablet only comes with 8 GB of internal memory, 6 GB of which the user can actually use. If your only reading books then this won’t be a problem but with other media it will. Amazon hopes to counter this with its cloud offerings from Amazon Prime and Amazon Cloud Drive. One thing I love on tablets is the stereo speakers, both at the top on the Fire, provide decent sounds output that'll leave most users satisfied. The wake/power button is awkwardly located at the bottom of the device, which happens to be the only user input part besides the touch screen. This means that the device lacks volume buttons, a big disadvantage since you have to change volume through touch screen menus. The touch screen is small but looks great and plenty bright. I admire the small bezel around the device as makes the screen look larger and better. What I like most about the Kindle Fire is the soft black rubbery feel of the back. It's a flat back that feels great to hold in the hands.

The Kindle Fire runs a heavily skinned version of Android. Amazon's own skin completely changes the user interface of the device and you won't recognize almost anything from Android. The user interface is probably my biggest complain about the device. The home features a new carousel type look with most recently used items including books, websites, applications and more. Across the top is a search feature and tabs for Newsstand, Books, Music, Video, Docs, Apps and Web (Silk web browser). On the bottom their is a favorites sections that you can easily put any items in. At the very top of the screen is your device statuses and access to the settings application. You do not have access to the Android Market on the Fire, instead the Amazon Appstore, which is still lacks in the number of applications.

One of the biggest complaints I have about the Fire is the user interface, it's a whole new interface that owners will have to get used to. The carousel type look of your recently used items are too busy and hard to select. You cannot remove items from this so it easily gets cluttered. The sections separate everything nicely but still a pain to switch to and switching isn't always fast. Without a hard "home" button you get a home icon on the screen to return home. Another pain comes up when you need to go home quick or be truly immersed in a full screen experience, such as watching a movie or playing a game. There is a small bar at the bottom of screens that will bring up the home button and other options menu. Volume must be changed through another menu when tapping the top of the screen, something that isn’t easy.

Of course the Kindle Fire is a Kindle at heart, and something Amazon has always got right and still does is the e-reader. If your reading books alone and surfing the web then the Fire will satisfy you. If you want to do more like using your own music and videos that’s where it’ll get frustrating. With the small internal memory you will be forced to reply on Amazon’s cloud services. You’ll even find it hard to store a lot of applications with the small amount of internal storage.

Even with the incredibly low price of the Kindle Fire I would tell those looking for a tablet to consider something else because of the storage issue. Want an e-reader with a browser and the occasional simple application? This your device. Just remember, for $199, you’re never going to get an amazing tablet.