Review: Fire essential
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2012
Kindle Fire or not, this is a great charger even as a stand-alone with some great features:- solidly build- elegant and super-compact design, looks are so good I wouldn't be surprised if it wins some industrial design awards- charges Kindle tablets faster than anything I've tried so far- folding prongs make it great to take it along on a trip- operates outside the US (240V) for as long as you can provide a plug adapter- works with all Kindles, either tablets or dedicated readers and just about anything that charges through USBOn the negative side, I do not like or appreciate Amazon's not including one with the Kindle Fire.Prices fluctuate but at the time I wrote my review Amazon's charger is competitively priced as a 'quality' USB charger, especially if you get it through the half-price deal if you order it together with your new Kindle Fire. If you must pay full price... shop around and do read the reviews. because not all 1.8A or 2A chargers are going to work well with the Kindle Fire.Amazon's charger may cost more than a generic but it comes with Amazon's logo and some peace of mind. Here are the specs:Power consumption: 9WINPUT (AC): 100-240V, 0.3 A, 50/60HzOUTPUT (DC): 5V, 1.8AThis unit can be used with all new and previous generation Kindles and should work with most gadgets that get charged through an USB port for as long as you have the proper USB cable - regular, micro or mini. So far, I tested it with a Blackberry, a couple of feature phones, an Android tablet and the kids used it with their MP3 players. Most USB chargers will work with your Kindles as well but they may not be as quick as the Amazon-branded device unless the makers claim so and the reviews confirm it.If I rated it on its own merits, as a universal charger, it would be a five-star but, since it was meant to work with the Fire HD and it's NOT included in the HD box, I am deducting 1 star (see note below)._________________________________________NOTE:My initial rating was a 3 stars with 2 stars deducted for the high price and for the charger not being included with the Fire. I am upgrading my rating to 4 stars because Amazon lowered the price to what it should have been in the first place.-->> Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<