Firestarter: The First Things to Do With Your New Kindle Fire HDX Tablet - Wired

The Amazon yule drone just delivered a shiny new Kindle Fire HDX tablet to your doorstep. Maybe it’s the 7-inch. Maybe it’s the 8.9-incher. Either way, you’re minutes away from a festival of streaming entertainment on one of the best-looking screens in the tablet universe. But first, you’ll need to set up your new device and stock it full of delightful apps. And maybe that’s why you’re reading this.

The basics to getting started

The first thing you’ll need to do is register your tablet. If you have an existing Amazon account, just enter the same email address and password. If not, click the “Create Account” button below the email / login fields.

If you’ve used a Kindle Fire tablet before, using the same email and password gives you quicker access to the apps you’ve installed on a previous device. Once you’ve completed the registration process, tap the “Apps” text in the top navigation bar. It should list those apps as stored in the cloud, and you can then tap the icons to download instead of searching for them.

In order to download any apps, you need to set up a “1-Click Payment ‘account for your Kindle. If you already have an Amazon account and use the same login information in the registration process, it will automatically link your “1-Click Payment” information from your Amazon account. But if you’re creating an entirely new account, you will have to input your credit card information, which is annoying. It doesn’t matter if you’re only interested in free apps; the Kindle won’t let you download anything without setting up your payment information first.

After registering the tablet, you’ll get a prompt for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, which normally costs $ 79 a year. Again, you’ll need to enter your card information to get the free trial. If you don’t want to get charged after 30 days, remember to cancel the free trial before those 30 days are up. This involves going to your Amazon account page, selecting “Manage Your Prime Membership,” and selecting “Do not continue.”

Taking advantage of that free Amazon Prime trial is worth doing – particularly with this tablet. You’ll be able to download videos from Amazon Instant Video and watch them offline, which is unique to the HDX series. The other Prime treats are nice too: Free two-day shipping and a free e-book each month. So try it out, but don’t get hooked if you want to avoid paying $ 79 a year.

After signing up for (or skipping) the Amazon Prime trial, you can connect your device to some social-networking services – Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. You don’t have to do this step right away. After the initial setup and tutorial, swiping down from the top of the HDX brings up a device menu. Tap the “Settings” gear icon on the far right and then tap “My Account” if you want to set up your social-networking accounts at a later time.

First apps to download

A few popular apps are already loaded on the Kindle Fire HDX right out of the box: The Kindle e-reader app, Yelp, Internet Movie Database (IMDB), and Goodreads. Beyond that, most of big-name social-networking services, entertainment apps, and productivity tools are available via the Kindle Appstore.

While the HDX tablets run Android, it’s an Amazon-specific blend of it that doesn’t provide a native tie-in to the Google Play store. To get to the Kindle version of the app store, tap “Apps” on the top menu bar of the home screen. On the following screen, tap “Store” at the far right of the top menu bar. Here are the first apps you may want to seek out.

The social basics: There are free apps for most of the big social-networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Vine. There’s no native Instagram app for the Kindle Fire HDX, but Padgram (free) is a pretty good third-party substitute that lets you browse your feed and post your own shots. You can apply effects and exposure adjustments to your shots before posting, but they’re not the “official” Instagram filters and effects.

Expand your entertainment options: Video looks great on this device, so you should probably go ahead and download the Netflix app first (the app is free to download, but you’ll need to use your paid Netflix account to watch anything). HBO Go is also in the mix, and if you’re an HBO subscriber, it’s a must-download. There’s no official YouTube app for the Kindle Fire HDX, but YouTube videos will play in the Silk browser. Streaming-music services are abundant, with apps available for Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, Slacker Radio, and iHeartRadio. If you’d rather upload your own music or figure out who sings that one song with the tuba solo, seek out SoundCloud and Shazam.

Get productive: You’ll need to eventually get some work done (just as soon as you’re done watching the Police Academy heptalogy, of course). For creating and reading Word, Excel, and PowerPoint docs, nab Kingsoft Office. Evernote will keep your scattered thoughts and to-do lists organized and synced to all your devices. Download Skype for all your video-call needs. Ain’t no party like a PDF party, so go on and get that Adobe Reader! And if your work consists of looking for a new job, there’s a LinkedIn app too.

Get some games: You won’t get the full smorgasbord of games you’ll find in the Google Play store, but the Amazon Appstore has a lot of notable games. All of the following are free. If it’s infinite running-and-dodging games you want, start with Temple Run 2, Subway Surfers, and Despicable Me 2: Minion Rush. Need a side-scrolling action game? Jetpack Joyride has you covered. Are driving games your thing? You’ll want EA Real Racing 3 pronto, and you should also check out Hill Climb Racing. Parlour games, anyone? Words With Friends Free is out there waiting for you. And you didn’t hear it from me, but there’s also this thing called Candy Crush Saga.

Cases, keyboards, and other accessories

There aren’t nearly as many hardware accessories built for the Kindle Fire HDX as there are for the iPad, but the following add-ons will help you protect your new tablet and possibly even squeeze a little work out of it.

Kindle Fire HDX Origami Case ($ 45 to $ 70): This sturdy little cover has a foldable design that lets you prop up the tablet when you want to go hands-free. It’s great for those long plane rides. It’s available in polyurethane and leather variations for both the 7-inch and 8.9-inch HDX tablets.

IVSO KeyBook Bluetooth Tablet Case ($ 36 to $ 40): There are times when you might need your tablet to work more like a laptop, and that’s where this case comes in handy. You can use it clamshell-laptop style, but you can also detach the keyboard from the case to use it untethered.

Belkin Chambray Cover ($ 30): If you’d rather make your e-book look more like an actual book, there’s this Belkin case. It also doubles as a stand, and it’s available for both size tablets.

OtterBox Defender Standing Case ($ 70): This is a lot more rugged than those two other tablet protectors, so it’s a good choice if you’re going to be sharing your tablet with the kids .

Ultimate Ears UE Boom ($ 200): The built-in speakers on the HDX tablets are meh. If you want to pump up its audio capabilities, we’d recommend this excellent can-shaped Bluetooth speaker.