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Kindle Fire update 6.2.1 hands-on pictures and video

Kindle Fire update 6.2.1 hands-on pictures and video

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We test out the new Kindle Fire update, which improves stability and scrolling speeds.

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Kindle Fire update
Kindle Fire update

Last night was a big night. Not only did Josh fly a remote control helicopter at Jimmy Fallon, but Amazon confirmed that its biggest update yet to the Kindle Fire was starting to roll out. Oddly, our review unit still hadn't received the over-the-air update as of early this morning, but luckily Amazon makes manually installing it very easy.

So how are those promised bug fixes and performance improvements? In many areas there's a noticeable improvement. As you will see in the video, it now seems more responsive to taps and long presses. Scrolling, however, still seems to be a mixed bag; this very site still putters along, but other less-image-heavy sites are more fluid when it comes to long swipes up and down the page. Page turns within magazines also seem slightly smoother.

There aren't any major UI changes, but yes, you can now remove things from the carousel. Tap, hold, and select "remove from carousel" and you can erase any trace of ever reading about the Kardashians. I still wish there was a way to reorder those carousel items, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. It's also now easier to stop on an app or book in the carousel. Overall, it's nice to see some of these improvements from Amazon, but there certainly seems like there is still some more work to be done.


Kindle Fire update 6.2.1 hands-on pictures

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