Kindle Fire is getting some attention as an Internet radio.
Matthew Lasar of the blog Radio Survivor writes that the new device is attractive for listening because of small size, WiFi interface, attractive display and speaker outlet. He calls it a “great dedicated broadband radio device.”
“When most writers review general-purpose broadband gadgets, they don’t say much about radio,” he blogged. “This is understandable. What we look for in a computer or tablet are office tools, social networking apps, and live and prerecorded video. Because the iPad is so good at providing those features, it’s hard to imagine just setting it aside as an Internet radio machine. But the Kindle’s smaller dimensions and comparatively smaller capabilities and cheaper price ($199) make it something a consumer can reserve for particular uses. And the most popular radio apps display well on a Kindle Fire.”
He says Pandora looks “much classier” on the device than on his Droid X or desktop screen.
“Leaning the Kindle horizontally against a paper book (oh the irony) just above my keyboard gives me easy access to the standard Pandora choices: like, dislike, skip, pause and next. There’s plenty of blank space across the screen — no visual crowding, even with the ads. And I can easily switch to Pulse or the web if I want to check the news, which makes my desktop computer experience less complicated and cluttered.”
He likes it for using TuneIn Radio as well, though not so much for Turntable.fm.