My fresh taste of Kindle Fire

I would say it is a great little tablet with excellent value considering its sweet price ( I got it in an even lower price).

• It is not as great as a kindle keyboard or the new 4th generation family as a book ereader without e-ink technology.
• I notice there are many complains about its no physical volume buttons, no cameras, no expansion slots etc.   
• Without the physical buttons is indeed a drawback. What I really want is one button (as the "U" button on Nook Color) which allows you quickly return to the home screen. If it had hdmi port, that would be great.
• Though there are not many  apps available, the number of the apps will continue growing as more and more people grab their Fires. I feel confident about Amazon's growth, its products as well. You just need those apps you really need. Do NOT forget Amazon offers one new paid app for free each day. Check it out here. 
• You CAN install some of the third party android apps on it without rooting.
• You will lose video streaming if you root it.
• It is portable and easy to carryout.
• If you really want to compare IPAD to FIRE, compare them by their Value=Performance/Cost. But sometimes, value seems less important than fashion, coolness, and following majority. AMAZON smartly chose not to confront its monster competitor face to face, but develop markets it can handle very well and armed with its own powerful "weapon"--rich contents.  I believe in the long run, Kindle fire (with its future series models ) will gain more and more market share.   

    Personally I like the review given by Zach Epstei.  Again, think in your own way.

How to install non-Amazon Kindle Fire apps on your Kindle Fire without rooting

Think again before rooting your Fire since you will lose the privilege of streaming video from Amazon. But you do not have to root in order to install third-party non Amazon Kindle Fire apps.

It is very similar to those steps to install non-Market android apps on HP TouchPad. First you need to change the settings (allow installation of third-party apps) on your kindle fire to "ON" , then install a free document viewing app such as   ES File Explorer.

Step 1:  Go to the settings of your Kindle Fire by tapping the top part of the screen. Click “More…” then select “Device.” Where it says “Allow Installation of Application,” change your Kindle Fire settings from “Off” to “On.”
Step 2:  Download and install the Amazon kindle fire free app such as "ES File Explorer".
Step 3:  Use  "ES File Explorer" to get access to the app file (*.apk) you'v already copied to your kindle fire and install.
You are done.