Kindle Fire HD first look from Consumer Reports

We're here with the new Kindle Fire HD, Amazon's top of the line tablet.
This is s smaller 7-inch version.
The biggest claim for this 2nd generation Kindle Fire is a better display.
In our tests we found the screen does better in bright light, has better color fidelity, and is more responsive.
But the screen is a little short of the quality of the third generation iPad and of the Google Nexus 7.
At more than eight hours in our tests, battery life was among the best we measured for a seven-inch tablet.
There's a customized Android user interface that offers ready access to key functions and content.
Especially Amazon content like the free movies that comes with the $80 year Amazon Prime membership.
And you can now easily access and download photos that you've stored in Amazon's Cloud service.
And photos from Facebook can also be imported
Other welcome improvements on the old Kindle Fire, there's a physical volume button and a front-facing camera so you can Skype.
With it's Dolby audio enhancement the sound from the speakers is the best we've heard from any 7-inch tablet.
Though not quite as good as the iPads'.
Amazon has added a calendar app and parental controls to this Kindle Fire.
Movies have also been enhanced with a so-called X-Ray feature that's much like the one for Kindle books.
Tap the screen and you get bios for the actors in the scene you're watching.
The Kindle Fire HD has its limitations.
There are not as many apps as other tablets offer.
And while storage has been upgraded to 16 or 32-gigabytes, there still isn't a memory card to expand it further.
Still, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD promises fine performance at an attractive price.
And it's a definite step up on its predecessor.
It's an especially good choice if you have an Amazon Prime membership.
I'm Paul Reynolds for Consumer Reports.