So I did a little shopping for myself during the holiday rush. Even at regular price, it was tough to pass up checking out the Amazon Fire 7" tablet when my Nexus 7 died six or so months ago. But I held off. Until now. The gist of the review is: you get what you pay for. It's really a step down from my Nexus (or the Samsung Galaxy tab I got my parents a year ago), but as an entry level tablet for someone who's not too picky? Perfect. Even without the holiday sale, you can't beat the price for what you get. What you don't get--decent built-in speakers (the Fire on-board speaker isn't all that great, use headphones) and, most notably, the lack of all the standard Android Google Apps like Gmail, Calendar, and Maps--is what really kills it for me. Sure, I could side-load the things in... but I really don't care that much. I've got my phone and … Continue reading →