Amazon is upping its game in the color tablet market. Last year, it launched the 7-inch Kindle Fire, a pretty good, but limited, devicemostlydistinguished by its low price of $199 and its seamless access to Amazon's massive ecosystem of e-books, music, videos and periodicals.
亚马逊(Amazon)一直在不断加强自己在彩色平板电脑市场的竞争力。去年，亚马逊推出了七英寸的平板电脑Kindle Fire。这款平板非常不错，但仍有一些不足之处。它的主要特色是价格便宜，只要199美元，此外它还可以畅通无阻地访问亚马逊庞大的电子书、音乐、视频和期刊系统。
现在，它又推出了其最新款的平板电脑──Kindle Fire HD，共有七英寸和8.9英寸两个版本（iPad的屏幕为9.7英寸）。这一次，我依旧认为这款新平板的主要优势是起价低以及方便访问亚马逊提供的内容。七英寸的机型虽然有所升级，但起价依然只要199美元，而屏幕更大的8.9英寸机型的起价为299美元。相比之下，最新款iPad的起价是499美元，当然也可以花399美元买到iPad 2。
Now, Amazon has come up with a successor, the Kindle Fire HD, which comes in two screen sizes, 7 inches and 8.9 inches (the iPad's screen is 9.7 inches, by comparison). Again, I see the key advantages of these new Fires as low base prices and easy access to Amazon's content offerings. The 7-inch model, while beefed up, still starts at $199 and the larger version at $299. By contrast, the latest iPad starts at $499, though the older iPad 2 is still available at $399.
不过，这一次Fire HD面临的是一个大受欢迎、同为七英寸屏幕、售价也只要199美元的竞争对手──谷歌(Google) Nexus 7，而且它也主要定位为在线内容商店的前端设备。因此，虽然亚马逊仍在强调Fire HD主要是通往其在线商店的大门，如今它也开始宣称它们也是"同一价位上最好的平板电脑"。
七英寸版的Fire HD不久前已经出货，它相较之前的Kindle Fire大有改进，并且增加了一些新功能。首先，它的基本机型有16G内存，是Kindle Fire和Nexus 7基本版内存的两倍，与iPad的基本版相当。其次，它比原来的Kindle Fire更薄、更轻，外形也更加时尚。此外，它还配备了高清屏幕、双扬声器和速度更快的处理器，电池续航时间也比以往长得多。
But this time, Amazon is facing a well-received, 7-inch, $199 competitor: Google's Nexus 7, which also is positioned as primarily a front end to an online content store. So, while Amazon is still stressing that these new Fires are best seen as front doors to its online stores, it is now claiming the Fire HD is also 'the best tablet at any price.'
尽管如此，在对七英寸的Fire HD进行测试之后，我恐怕不能认同它是"同一价位上最好的平板电脑"的这一笼统的说法。
Fire HD不如iPad精致、流畅，功能也不如iPad齐全。比如说，iPad和Nexus 7（以及其他标准的安卓(Android)平板电脑）都有的一些第三方应用，Fire HD只有一小部分。我还发现，在使用一段时间之后，Fire HD出现了反应缓慢的迹象，应用程序和内容在启动时会出现延迟。这种延迟现象在重启设备之后就消失了。
The new 7-inch Kindle, which ships on Friday, is much improved from the original Fire and has new features. For starters, its base model has 16 gigabytes of storage, double that of the original Fire or the base Nexus 7, and equal to the base iPad. It is slimmer, lighter and more stylish than its predecessor. It now boasts a high-definition screen, dual speakers, a faster processor and far better battery life.
此外，每次一开机或重新开始使用机子时，占满整个屏幕的广告就会干扰用户。若要取消这些广告，你得再付给亚马逊15美元，使用网页上的模糊设置，而且其他很多情况下屏幕上还会出现吸引用户购买更多内容的宣传，其中一些宣传甚至还会显示你已经购买了的内容。
此次我并未测试8.9英寸的机型，它要在11月20日才上市。该机型带快速的蜂窝数据联网功能且内存最高的版本售价达599美元。与Nexus一样，七英寸的机型不能通过蜂窝数据网络运行，只能借助无线网络，但是iPad具备这种功能。
However, after testing the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, I can't agree with the sweeping claim that it is 'the best tablet at any price.'
Fire HD的主用户界面也发生了变化。界面上不再是一排排显示近期使用过的应用和内容的虚拟书架，而是一条"传送带"，从水平方向滚动显示一系列应用和内容。界面顶端是一个水平的分类菜单，包括游戏、应用、图书、音乐以及视频等内容。
与所有七英寸的平板电脑一样，Fire HD的屏幕面积还不到iPad的一半那么大，不过它方便用一只手拿着，或者是塞进手包或大点的口袋中。
The Fire HD isn't as polished, fluid or versatile as the iPad. It offers only a fraction of the third-party apps available on either the iPad or the Nexus 7 (and other standard Android tablets). I found that after prolonged use, the Fire HD showed signs of latency -- apps and content displayed delays in launching. This latency disappeared after a reboot.
我发现Fire HD的屏幕清晰明亮，而且图像逼真，虽然不如当前最新款iPad超一流的Retina显示屏，但是它的分辨率与Nexus 7旗鼓相当。它和Nexus差不多厚，但是要稍微重一些。它的重量要比体型更大的iPad轻不少，但是却要厚10%左右。不过，它的扬声器要比iPad和Nexus的好不少。
与之前的Kindle Fire相同，严格地说Fire HD是一部安卓平板电脑。它采用的是谷歌安卓移动操作系统去年的版本，而Nexus则采用了更新、更完善的版本。与Kindle Fire一样，Fire HD也对安卓进行了改头换面。它并未采用谷歌的用户界面或是标准的谷歌应用，例如谷歌地图或是可在其他安卓设备上见到的专门的Gmail应用。它有自己的在线商店，并不使用标准的谷歌应用和内容网店Google Play。大多数安卓应用都不能在它的网店买到。
The Fire HD also assaults users with ads occupying the entire screen every time they start or resume using it. You have to pay Amazon another $15, using an obscure setting on a Web page, to escape these ads. And there are pitches to buy more content on many other screens, even those displaying your already-purchased content.
不过，Fire HD确实是获得亚马逊庞大的无与伦比的图书和其他内容的硬件切入点。亚马逊首席执行长杰夫•贝佐斯(Jeff Bezos)在推介Fire HD的时候就说道不应把它当作一个小设备。他说，"Kindle Fire是一种服务。"
这听上去或许有些奇怪，因为亚马逊也为其竞争对手开发能够访问其提供的内容的应用。比如说，iPad用户可以获得亚马逊提供的可访问Kindle的电子书、亚马逊的视频及音乐的免费应用。不过，这些内容，尤其是迅速购买这些内容的功能，还是在Fire HD上集成得更好。
I didn't test the 8.9-inch version, costing up to $599 with fast cellular-data connectivity and maximum memory. It won't be available until Nov. 20. Like the Nexus, but unlike the iPad, the 7-inch model can't operate on a cellular-data network and relies on Wi-Fi only.
Fire HD也有一些内容方面的功能是亚马逊的iPad应用所不具备的。比如说，它具备出借某些书的功能，其"浸入式阅读"(Immersion Reading)功能可让你边看书边收听该书的专业语音朗读（需另外加价），它的"X光"(X-Ray)功能可以迅速显示某本书中的所有人物或是某部影片的所有演员。
亚马逊称，新Fire HD配备先进的无线网络技术，比iPad上的无线速度更快。但是，在我的测试中，我却无法复制这一情况。在我尝试打开网页时，大部分时候iPad的载入速度都要略快一些。此外，在我利用两种不同的测速工具在两种不同的网络上进行测试时，我发现iPad几乎每一次都要更快一些，偶尔还会快很多。
The main user interface has changed. Instead of a series of faux shelves displaying recently used apps and content, there is now a carousel, a scrolling horizontal array of these items. Across the top is a horizontal menu of categories, like Games, Apps, Books, Music, Videos and so forth.
相较价格更贵的iPad，Fire HD也缺乏某些功能，比如说它没有后置摄像头、内置的听写功能、即时消息系统、地图以及利用苹果电视之类的设备将视频或音乐传送到电视上的功能。此外，它也没有像苹果的Siri或是Nexus 7的Google Now这样的人工智能功能。
亚马逊的应用商店大约有30,000种应用，而iPad和Nexus有500,000多种。
Like all 7-inch tablets, the new Fire has less than half the screen real estate of an iPad, but is easier to hold in one hand, or to tuck into a purse or large pocket.
在我极其严格的电池续航能力测试中，我把屏幕的亮度调为75%，同时一直连着无线网络在后台接收邮件，并且连续播放视频。Fire HD的电池续航时间虽然还没达到其声称的11个小时或是像其竞争对手那么长，但也还算得上不错，达到了九小时28分钟，而最初的Kindle Fire的续航时间只有五小时47分钟。与iPad相比，它的续航时间短了半个小时左右，但比Nexus要短一个多小时。
总的来说，我认为，对于那些对方便获得亚马逊大量内容感兴趣的消费者来说，七英寸版的Fire HD算得上物有所值。
I found the screen to be crisp, clear and vivid, though inferior to the superb Retina display on the current iPad. Its resolution is the same as that of the Nexus 7. It also is about the same thickness as the Nexus, though a bit heavier. It is much lighter than the larger iPad, but about 10% thicker.
Walter S. Mossberg
I found its speakers far better than those on the iPad and Nexus.
Like the original Fire, the Fire HD is technically an Android tablet. It uses last year's version of Android, Google's mobile operating system, while the Nexus uses a newer, more polished version. But, like its predecessor, the new Fire buries Android, demoting it to mere plumbing. It doesn't use Google's user interface, or the standard Google apps, like Google Maps or a special Gmail app, found on other Android devices. Instead of the standard Google Play store for apps and content, it has its own. Most Android apps aren't available there.
The Fire is really a hardware entry point to Amazon's massive, unmatched selection of books and other content. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced the Fire HD saying it shouldn't be thought of as a gadget. 'The Kindle Fire is a service,' he said.
That may sound strange because Amazon makes apps for its competitors that can access the content it offers. For instance, iPad owners can get free apps from Amazon for Kindle books, Amazon video and music. But this content, and especially the ability to quickly buy it, is much better integrated into the Fire.
The Fire has some content capabilities that aren't present in Amazon's iPad apps. Among these are the ability to lend certain books; a feature called 'Immersion Reading,' which lets you listen to a professional audio narration of a book (for an added price) as you read along; and a feature called 'X-Ray,' which quickly displays all the characters in a book or all the actors in a movie.
Amazon claims the new Fire has advanced Wi-Fi technology that is faster than the Wi-Fi on the iPad. But in my tests, I couldn't replicate that. Most Web pages I tried loaded slightly faster on the iPad. And, using two different speed test utilities on two different networks, I found the iPad was a bit faster in almost every instance, occasionally much faster.
The Fire HD lacks some features the costlier iPad offers. Among these are a rear camera, and built-in dictation, instant messaging and maps, and the ability to beam video or music to a TV using a device like the Apple TV. It lacks artificial-intelligence features like Apple's Siri, or Google Now, a feature of the Nexus 7.
Amazon's app store has about 30,000 apps, versus more than 500,000 for the iPad or Nexus.
In my harsh battery test, where I set the screen at 75% brightness, leave on the Wi-Fi to collect email in the background, and play videos back to back, the Fire HD was respectable, if not up to its claim of 11 hours, or as good as its competitors. It lasted nine hours and 28 minutes, compared with just five hours and 47 minutes for the original Fire. That was about half an hour less than the iPad, but over an hour less than the Nexus.
Overall, I see the 7-inch Fire HD as a good value for those primarily interested in easily tapping Amazon's large collection of content.
Walter S. Mossberg
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