The Amazon Fire, formerly called the Kindle Fire, is a line of tablet computers developed by Amazon. Built with Quanta Computer, the Kindle Fire was first released in November 2011, featuring a color 7-inch multi-touch display with IPS technology and running on Fire OS, an Android-based operating system. The Kindle Fire HD followed in September 2012, and the Kindle Fire HDX in September 2013. In September 2014, when the fourth generation was introduced, the name "Kindle" was dropped. In later generations, the Fire tablet is also able to convert into a Smart speaker turning on the "Show Mode" options, which the primary interaction will be by voice command through Alexa.
Kindle Fire (7", 1st gen, 2011) showing Wikimedia Commons main page
Kindle Fire showing components, back cover removed
The Kindle Fire in horizontal position displaying web page
The iPad (left) compared with the Kindle Fire (right)
A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers, have similar capabilities, but lack some input/output (I/O) abilities that others have. Modern tablets largely resemble modern smartphones, the only differences being that tablets are relatively larger than smartphones, with screens 7 inches (18 cm) or larger, measured diagonally, and may not support access to a cellular network. Unlike laptops, tablets usually run mobile operating systems, alongside smartphones.
Apple's iPad (left) and Amazon's Fire, two popular tablet computers, displaying the Wikipedia website
Apple Newton MessagePad, Apple's first produced tablet, released in 1993
A Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook tablet running Windows XP, released in 2003
The Nokia N800, the second tablet manufactured by Nokia