This Is What Happened When I Tried To Use Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX Tablet For Work
The easiest part of using this tablet for work was setting up email. I Just put in my email and password. Worked perfectly.
Enterprise users can also easily add Microsoft Exchange email accounts, though they might need some info from their IT department to do that.
Downloading documents as email attachments worked well. It even recognized when I had already downloaded the attachment and "restored" it.
Multitasking between open apps was easy. Just swipe up on the bottom of the screen.
The Kindle Fire has a bunch of corporate security features to protect work documents.
You can also encrypt your files so no one without your password could see them if you lost your device.
With the Kindle you can log on to a protected corporate network, called a VPN.
By default, you can view files on the Fire HDX, but not create or edit them, particularly spreadsheets. Not even with Google Docs in the browser. Silk, the Fire's browser, is a mobile browser. Google restricts features for mobile browsers. For instance, it won't let you add more columns to a spreadsheet.
I had to buy an app, OfficeSuite Pro 7 by Mobile Systems, to create spreadsheets or edit documents. It costs $15.
OfficeSuite Pro 7 worked as advertised. I could create and edit documents, even spreadsheets.
Sharing documents created on the Kindle with other devices, like my work PC, was another story. This is supposed to be easy using Amazon's cloud drive.
First, I had to install Cloud Drive on my Mac by downloading the app.
It successfully installed but ...
... required that I also install an app called Java. So I did that, too.
After the cloud was set up on my Mac, I tried to share a document from my Kindle. But the Kindle wouldn't let me put the document I created on it into the cloud. It offered no option for that.
So I used the Mayday button. Very cool. Stephanie appeared in a Skype-like window. She couldn't figure out how to share my file to the cloud, either.
She connected me to the cloud help experts. This kind of tech support was audio-only through the Kindle. That person was stumped, too.
In the end, the answer was: "No, you can't put documents you create on the Kindle into Amazon's cloud." You can email them if you need to share them or access them from another device.
In the end, I liked the tablet, the Mayday button and the price ...
My conclusion: This is a great tablet for people who want to mostly play and do some email and occasional work.
Or don't plan on creating many documents on this device.
Or are fine with sharing documents through email instead of the cloud.
It's especially good for those who want a high-definition tablet at an affordable price.
Now check out the Kindle Fire HDX's other features ...
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