Amazon's Kindle Fire: The Android tablet developers love most
Amazon's tablet has surpassed Samsung's Galaxy Tab as the Android tablet developers are most excited about, according to an Appcelerator study.
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Amazon's Kindle Fire has managed to do what many other Android tablets have failed to do: drum up interest from developers in North America.
Among developers surveyed by Appcelerator and IDC, 49 percent said they considered the Kindle Fire their primary target. It narrowly beat Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab, which garnered 48 percent of the vote. Pocketgamer reported on the survey results. The rival Nook Color from Barnes & Noble only garnered 24 percent of the vote.
The Kindle Fire has managed to captivate the consumer electronics industry with its $200 price point, significantly undercutting other tablets. The lower price point coupled with Amazon's well-known brand and large media library are poised to turn the Fire into the second hit tablet after the iPad. Consumers are already buzzing about the product.
As a result, developers are excited too. The level of developer interest is roughly equal to that of the iPad before it launched, according to the Appcelerator study, which found interest at 53 percent in April 2010.
Globally, Samsung remains the top dog among Android tablets, surpassing interesting in the Kindle Fire. While other companies have slowly rolled out one or even two tablets, Samsung has rapidly released one tablet after another, offering the Galaxy Tab in multiple sizes. The company was the first to follow the iPad with a tablet, the original Galaxy Tab, and kept its momentum going.
Relative to other troubled tablets, including the Xoom, PlayBook and Flyer, Samsung's line has seen modest success.
The Kindle Fire, however, could be poised for an even bigger bang.