Kindle Fire android tablet launched by Amazon on November 2011 has soon become one of most popular gadget and the sales figure of more than 4 million units sold in Q4 2011 speaks for itself. This equates to around 14.3 percent of the tablet market share for Amazon thereby securing its place on the second spot behind Apple's iPad which owes the lion's share of around 57% in the market selling almost 15.4 million units. The 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire remained the closest competitor to the iPad and priced at just $199 it took all the excitement of the tablet admirers to the fever pitch. It's not just about the low cost of this Kindle Fire but it also leaps high on features and build quality at the given price.


While Apple's iPad priced at around $500 and above still continues to roar, Kindle Fire has made it's way in satisfying all those people who couldn't afford the expensive luxury in the likes of iPad by offering itself not only in a surprisingly affordable price range but also having all the features and capabilities that a $199 priced tablet should boast. If we are to talk about its technical specification, this best selling product from Amazon comes along with a 7-inch display, 8GB of built-in storage space, Wi-Fi connectivity, longer battery life, USB 2.0 & 3.5 mm stereo audio jack support and Free cloud storage to list out a few of the important technical details of the device. Be it for reading your favorite books & magazines or watching a blockbuster movie, playing games or listening to music - the Kindle Fire is all capable of to stun you with its capabilities and strong features.

It comes on board with a customized Android Honeycomb operating system which gets rid of the native software that Amazon product generally comes along. The aesthetics looks good and strongly built and it was often compared with the Blackberry Playbook which looks alike to some extent. You won't find any unnecessary keys or buttons and this tablet just reflects a very minimalist appearance with only a USB port, headphone jack and the power button in place. There are downsides too with this setup as some important usability aspects are compromised such as absence of screen locking switch and dedicated volume keys. In addition, you will also be missing out other communication functionality like microphone, GPS and Bluetooth support. There is also no camera on both front and rear side and it also lacks the Android Market and external memory support.

Well, the absence of some of the important features can be taken for granted as it will be a bit illogical to expect all the high-end features to be included for a price as low as this. Moreover, Amazon simply wanted to put Kindle Fire as a Multimedia device rather than for any communication purpose. On the better side, it does feature some good hardware build and includes a 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP processor & 512MB RAM.


The best experience while using this device was that of the vibrant and colorful touch display which is built with IPA offering a screen resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. The visual output is vivid, detailed & crisp and can be said to be even better than that of the iPad but ofcourse nowhere equal to the retina display. The Gorilla Glass screen provides multi-touch support and has a very good touch response. The user interface is neat and the customized Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system is fast and straight-forward. Occasional lagging do occur while playing big videos or launching an app but overall it runs just fine and nothing bad to report here. However, the speakers are not very impressive and didn't work out great as we had expected. The battery life is good and can give you active usage time of around 6hours only eventhough the standard backup time is mentioned to be 8hours.

Kindle Fire Apps and Games Download

There is no Google Android Market support with Kindle Fire and you have to rely on the Amazons own app store for android which too covers some branded apps and games. Popular titles like Angry Birds, Dead Space, Fruit Ninja, Plant vs Zombie etc can be found and downloaded. Various social apps also exists which can be used to access the Facebook or Twitter services but we didn't find any dedicated official app for the same. The built-in Silk browser is fast on loading webpages and it optimizes the content to fit the screen perfectly. Since it is a flashed based browser, it worked well for even heavy graphic websites which relies on flash media a lot. You can buy songs and movies, books, magazines and all other stuffs to your device or otherwise chose to store them on the cloud. The Kindle Fire Cloud Reader helps you read all the archived books from the cloud without locally storing them which is also same for the Kindle Fire Cloud Player for music.

Kindle Fire Accessories and Enhancements

There are a few accessories that are available for the Kindle Fire and needs to be purchased separately. These includes Kindle Fire Case that are available in leather and Zip Sleeve, Screen Protectors, Skin, headphones and power adapters. However, external Kindle Fire Keyboards may not be available and there is no way to connect them. There may be other third-party accessories available too for using with the Amazon Kindle Fire.

Kindle Fire 2 Features and Release Date

The above title might have surprised you and you may be wondering whether it is just a typo or something else. It surprised us too when we heard about Kindle Fire 2 and that it is in production to be rolled out somewhere near May 2012. This is not what we claim to inform but is rather a widely spread rumour that most of the high-profile authors have been featuring on their websites and blogs. However, it's just a rumour and nothing more can be expected until any details are unveiled regarding the claim. They did reveal few facts about it but all seemed just a story which can be deemed as just rumour and nothing else. So, for now there is no Kindle Fire 2 on the pipeline for release and even if it gets ready in the coming days, you probably will get to know about it even before the item hits the store. So, just enjoy the Amazon Kindle Fire which offers a great value for the money but don't expect to have all the premium features to be available at such low cost.

Pinterest has turned out to be one of the most addictive social media platform recently and its user-base is far increasing day by day. It is like a Virtual Pinboard where you can pin and share all the useful stuff that you have discovered on the web and organize them accordingly. It provides a very fun way to share your interest with other people and offers many other useful features. For instance, you can pin all the latest electronic gadgets that you have come across while browsing the web and share your interest with all your followers out there who can browse your pinboards and take inspiration from it. What is more interesting in this social media service is that people who follow you can repin, like or comment on the item pinned by you and also share them on Facebook or Twitter.

There is already a dedicated app to access this service on iPhone but an official Pinterest App for Android is still awaited. Lot of Android users are seen to be waiting for this app with great agog and there is an ever increasing demand in the Android Community for a dedicated app to access the service. So far, Pinterest has kept mum about any such app on the pipeline and even if they are working on it, nothing is announced as of now. However, they have provided a HTML5 website with invite-only access as an alternative to use the service from all kind of devices and it works great when used in the web browser.

How does Pinterest work and how to proceed?

It is very straight-forward and easy to use and you may get addicted as you keep using the service. It follows a simple pin-and-share method and help you build a follower list just like other popular social media platform like Twitter. To start with, you will need to have an account with them which can be obtained by requesting an invite. Once you have your account, you can login and simply get started with pining content to your board from across the web. For example, if you are planning to visit a place for a holiday then you can go on surfing the web and pin down all the places of interest that you will be visiting and thereby plan your journey. Images can also added from the desktop using 'Pin It Button' or directly from a website while accessed from a Pinterest integrated browser. You can group your pins by using tags according to the categories on the board or wall which will be visible to your followers who can in turn access it and Like the item or consider to Repin it or drop a comment. A 'More' option further extend its capability to share those Pins on other social platforms. There is a Camera feature which can help you take snaps from within Pinterest and Pin them too. So its simple, interactive and a fun experience and all that you have to keep doing is Pin & Repin the contents that really interests you.

Is there a Free Pinterest App on Android Market

Well yes, this app was available on the android market for free but it soon disappeared and was nowhere to be found. It was taken down after receiving complaints from the early users of this app who found it to be a fake one and not an official app from Pinterest. People using it experienced unusual popup and unsolicited ads while accessing it and the app was barely functional which crashed and infected the devices it was used on.


With lot of curious mind who have been waiting for this app for long, the single fact that it was bearing 'Official' tag was enough for the people to get fooled and many users did try it without actually doing a research beforehand. It not only malfunctioned after installing, but also spammed the notification bar with lot of adverts and free offers. It posed a significant threat to the user as giving away login credential to such third-party app full of spam ads can really do a lot of harm before you can realize what is going on. It was removed from the Android market recently and people did wonder 'What happened to the pinterest app for android' as they kept raising this query in various forums and websites. Its gone for now and for good but you can always use the other alternatives as mentioned below until an official app is released by the developer team.

Making use of Alternate Pinterest Android App

As we said earlier, there is no official app released for the Android platform and the only way they allow you to access it through this platform is to use the HTML5 website from your mobile web browser. However, third-party apps exist and they can help you serve the purpose that you are looking for to use the service. There are many of them out of which some are free while others are paid version costing you a few cents in return. Some of these unofficial apps can be mentioned as Pinterest For All, Photo To Pinterest and Pinscape to mention a few. So if you can't wait for the official release of Pinterest Android App, then you may consider using the above alternatives which might help you access the service.

We hope the android version of this social platform will be released soon so that users can avail their service through a dedicated app. It has been quite interesting to use Pinterest as it not only allows one to share their tastes but also helps to discover great ideas from other people thereby connecting each other with a shared interest. It will definitely keep you busy collecting photos with fun and creating pinboards for whatever you like using it for.

One of the very popular android smartphone namely Samsung Galaxy S which was launched last year has ultimately got its Gingerbread update as per the reports on XDA forums. This is one of those handset introduced by Samsung that has managed to sell out more than a dozen millions of units but unfortunately it came off with some known issues which spoiled the user experience of the otherwise perfect mobile phone. The bugs in the functioning of the GPS as well as update issues has really been annoying factor for most of the users and some even reported performance lag while using many of the available features.

Many users of the said XDA forums has reported that they have been able to download the new official version of the Android v2.3 a.k.a Gingerbread mobile operating system today and accordingly flash their existing edition to the upgraded version of the same. According to the reports which are so far revealed by users who got it downloaded suggests that the baseband version of the new update reads as I9000XXJVK whereas the Build Number of the Samsung Galaxy S Gingerbread update is GINGERBREAD.XWJVB which is dated at April 8. These details are found while using the KIES software which is the same tool that enables Galaxy S users to find system updates and download it to their phone.

So far the update is being noticed in several international countries like Germany, Australia and Nordic countries etc. and hence it will also be available to all other countries as they eventually roll out the highly expected Gingerbread to be available for all the Galaxy S users worldwide. You can launch your KIES software and thereby find out whether or not it is made available in the region. Some people who downloaded and installed it in their device has reviewed that it is relatively faster and the annoying lag does not exist any more. But the backlight problem seems to be there again and the stock android launcher icons remained blurry as ever.

All the Samsung sites has also uploaded a manual which instructs and lays down useful and essential facts about using Gingerbread and the same bears an upload date of April 15. So it is not far away that the update will be made available to all other places which are not yet listed in KIES software. We don't have much information about the change-log and the performance of the said new update and we will come back with more details as soon as we get hold of it. For the time being, check your KIES and look out whether you have it listed or not. Do share your experience with us if you got it installed in your device.

Spice has just launched an Android powered smartphone in the Indian market which bears the model number and name Mi-310. It is placed at an affordable and mid-level price range which also offers some good and standard technical specifications. This new mobile phone uses the Google Android 2.2 mobile operating system which is also known as Froyo and thereby registers itself as the second Android based mobile phone to be available from Spice Mobiles.

It sports a large 3.15-inch HVGA capacitive full touchscreen that supports an effective screen resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. There is a primary camera of 2 megapixels which can capture images at 1600 x 1200 Pixels and also supports video recording with digital zoom. The multimedia features includes an MP4 player for video playback while there exists an MP3 player for music and also has an FM radio built-in.


The Spice Mi-310 is a 3G enabled phone which provides data speed up to 7.2 Mbps using the HSDPA network. The connectivity features of this Spice android phone includes Bluetooth v2.1, WiFi, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack and also extends its support for making use of A-GPS feature for map navigations.

The dimension of the Mi-310 Spice mobile phone measures around 116 x 60 x 11.95mm and the standard weight of the device is recorded as 120g. It facilitates an internal memory support of 85MB while also providing the option to further extend the storage capacity with the use of T-Flash Card up to a maximum of 16GB. Some other features includes a trackpad, proximity sensors and a large number of useful apps along with it. The battery life being powered by a 1200 mAh battery while on the standby mode is said to be around 150-200 hours and the talktime can last for 2.5 hours approximately.

The price of Spice Mi-310 Android phone in India is around Rs.7,500/- approximately and can be availed from the authorized dealers and mobile stores and retailers across the country. One can also purchase the said mobile phone online from some of the various stores like Flipkart etc. at a reasonable price. So, if you are looking for an Android mobile phone in India at a price range below Rs.10,000/- or even below Rs.8,000/-, then you may consider having a look at this particular smartphone which is being introduced by Spice in India.

Motorola Atrix 4G is one of the upcoming Android smartphone which is said to have some of the highly configured specs and is also known to be the first ever smartphone to be featuring a dual core processor. It was first spotted in the CES 2011 event and has since then remained on the spotlight due to its uncommon features and capabilities. It boasts an impressive and quite large touch capacitive display screen which measures 4-inch and accordingly has a display resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. It also comes power packed with 1GHz Dual Core Tegra 2 Cortex A9 processor and 1GB RAM while the same runs on Android 2.2 a.k.a Froyo operating system.

Motorola Atrix 4G supports an operating frequency of 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz in case of GSM and 850, 1900, 2100 MHz under the UMTS network. It sports a 5 megapixels camera which facilitates Auto-focus, Dual LED Flash, Geo-tagging and many effects and capture modes. It is also compatible with HD video recording at 720p and 30 fps while the phone also carries a secondary VGA camera of 0.3 MP on the front side.
The connectivity features available within this android phone includes WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, microUSB, USB 2.0, HDMI, DLNA and a 3.5mm audio jack. The storage capacity is one of the notable aspects built-in to this smartphone as the same includes a 16GB internal memory which can even be further expanded up to a maximum of 32GB using microSD or microSDHC removable memory cards. It has also good multimedia playback features which supports many popular audio and video file formats and the same also includes an YouTube player. The overall dimension of the device is around 117.75 x 63.5 x 10.95mm and has a weight of 135 Grams. It is powered with a monstrous battery of 1930 mAh which can deliver a talktime of 8.80 hours and standby time of 264 hours and is thereby a relief to all those folks who would be assuming that the battery life would be very poor due to the heavy built and configurations.

Motorola has launched a couple of promo videos in support of the Atrix 4G mobile phone and the latest one among those can be viewed below. It demonstrates the various capabilities and the key features such as the high-end processors and memory capacity, finger-print recognition system, docking support and many other useful utilities of this powerful android handset.



After watching the video above, I am sure you might have liked the demonstration and the extended capabilities that this Android handset has to offer. This smartphone which represents the webtop concept that transforms a smartphone into a laptop when used with the Motorola Dock is indeed likely to be a conspicuous success when rolled out in the market and hopefully it would be widely acclaimed worldwide.

The Motorola Atrix 4G would be available on the stores from 14th February 2011 onwards and the price of the same is reported to be within 150USD range via AT&T carrier. However, there is no official announcement available in this regard and the price and release date of Motorola Atrix 4G is only an indicative value as has been circulated on the web recently.