Adding Fuel to the Fire
The Kindle Fire has been on the market since November 2011, and I have enjoyed mine since the first week they were shipped. While there are plenty of apps that I prefer on my wife's iPad 2, I have become a big fan of the Kindle Fire tablet and the many excellent apps that developers are introducing at a steady rate. Ready to beef up your Kindle Fire to make it more entertaining, and yes, even more productive? You've come to the right place. Here are the top five best apps available on the Fire.
1. Splashtop
Splashtop can instantly silence the criticisms that the Kindle Fire offers no productivity or creating ability on your tablet. This app enables you to stream your laptop or pc direct to your tablet and do everything that you would do on the laptop! I still can't believe how many features this brings to my tablet. I was really pleased with the ironic capability of playing iTunes on my Kindle :) Splashtop has allowed me to work on documents and presentations from my tablet. It also adds a useful remote feature to my tablet, enabling me to control presentations on my laptop from the Kindle Fire. This is a great app, and would have been the first one I added if I had known about it earlier. Highly recommended. Now you know, go check it out.
 | Amazon Price: $4.99 |
2. Comixology
I'm a comic book creator, reader, and collector. So Comixology's app is perfect for me. Admittedly, I wasn't sure about reading comics on the smaller screen of a tablet. I still like the stapled, printed versions. But this app surprised me. The artwork looks great and slick, with light and effects showing up crystal clear on the screen. I imagine there are a lot of happy artists out there thrilled with how their work is being presented in this format. The app allows you to read the comic full-page, or by using panel-to-panel transition which zooms in on smaller text and also gives a nice close-up of artwork details. I have purchased several issues from multiple publishers and can recommend this app to comic book fans. If you have kids who might want to venture into comics for the first time, there are also plenty of free all-ages, kid-friendly comic books available from different publishers.
3. Evernote
Most iPod and iPad users, and many smartphone workers, will already know about Evernote. I didn't really start using it until Amazon offered it for Kindle Fires. And now I use it all the time. Kudos to Evernote's development team for working to update and add more features on a regular basis. The ability to email tagged notes to specific folders in my Evernote app has come in really handy. I also use this app for saving quotes and articles as I'm reading, or browsing online. You probably already know about it, so I won't say more. If you don't know about it, get the app. You will find multiple uses for it.
 | Amazon Price: $0.00 |
4. Pac-Man
I know I don't need to explain the appeal of having the perfection of Pac-Man on the slick Kindle screen. Suffice it to say, it almost brings the complete arcade experience with it, and it's one of the best apps I've enjoyed so far. I use the touch-screen joystick; but a suction cup joystick that adheres to the screen would be an awesome accessory, and I'm sure would make someone a nice amount of pocket change. The only other way to improve on this experience is for Kindle Fire to offer Ms. Pac-Man. Hear that, Amazon? The masses are waiting.
 | Amazon Price: $2.99 |
5. Sketchbook Pro
This app is the reason I was excited about the original iPad, and when it appeared in the Amazon App market, I made my decision to buy the Kindle Fire. It's a full-featured drawing and painting app. It's fun to do finger sketches and paintings, but add a stylus and you've got real control to do impressive work. I've colored and painted artwork through this app, and I've enjoyed going digital on some of my art process. Highly recommended. Professional artist or doodlers alike will find features they will appreciate.
 | Amazon Price: $0.00 |
Missing Apps from This List Got You Fired Up?
Already, Amazon's app store has been populated in large numbers. Expect more apps as developers see the growing numbers of Fire owners. With those kind of options, it's tough to pare the list down to five apps.
These are mine...for now. I'm sure you've got your favorites, too. If there's any glaring omission here, feel free to comment. I really appreciate when someone directs me toward an app that turns out to be fun or useful or both. Happy hunting.
These are mine...for now. I'm sure you've got your favorites, too. If there's any glaring omission here, feel free to comment. I really appreciate when someone directs me toward an app that turns out to be fun or useful or both. Happy hunting.
0 comments:
Post a Comment