No… No Camera, Microphone, Bluetooth…

Most of the reviews I read focus on what the Kindle Fire has, not on what it doesn’t. Considering that tablets are like tiny computers with touch-screens, we expect to see certain commonly used features that our computers have. Unfortunately, the Amazon Kindle Fire doesn’t have a few of these.

1. No Microphone

Tablets are often used for varied social sites and applications. Namely, to chat with your friends via Skype and other VoIP services. Unfortunately, the Fire has no microphone, which can be very disappointing for those who were planning to use it for Skype talks.

2. No Camera

A lot of people like video calls, but the Fire doesn’t have a camera. Or maybe you were looking forward to taking pictures and videos with your new tablet? Nope, not with the Fire. Remember though, there’s a $300 difference between the Fire and the cheapest iPad. Besides, your phone probably has a decent camera to take pictures and videos.

5. No 3G Option

No 3G means that you will need to use WiFi connection to browse the web and stream Amazon Prime. However, these days there’s a workaround for WiFi-only devices – you can create a personal hotspot on your phone and use it to access the Fire when you are out of a WiFi zone.

4. No SD Card Slot

There’s no SD card expansion slot, so you can’t store more than about 6.5GB of content on the device for offline playback. These days Amazon is all about their online cloud storage. You will be given 5 GB of free online cloud storage for anything, not just your Amazon purchases. You can also upgrade – it’s around $1 per extra GB per year.

5. No Bluetooth

No Bluetooth means that you won’t be able to use your Bluetooth headset, speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc.

6. No USB Cable

The device ships without a USB cable, which would be used to connect it to a computer. However, if you have an eInk Kindle, its USB cable should work just fine. Some other USB cables may work too. The Fire does come with a USB AC adapter to charge it.

7. No HDMI Output

No HDMI output means that you will not be able to connect your Fire to your big screen TV in order to watch your Amazon video purchases.

8. No Volume Button

This means that you won’t be able to quickly silence the device if you need to. Although, this can be advantageous in terms that you will never have issues with a physical volume button accidentally changing the sound on your device.

9. No GPS

It’s true, but you can work around this by using a free Mapquest app that will show you your location if there are any WiFi signals in your area.

Conclusion: Extra features always cost extra money. If you can live without them, you can save a bunch. If you can’t, consider an iPad. If you are considering an Android alternative, remember that the Fire is one of the cheapest and the best. It has an excellent display, outstanding content ecosystem, and unsurpassed Amazon customer support.