Amazon brought out their own take on the iPad a few years back called the Amazon Fire Tablet, and five versions later, it's still going strong. It's probably the most affordable option on the market when it comes to tablets, but is it a good alternative to the great iPad? I've kindly been sent one to try out and these are my thoughts!

I've never personally owned an iPad, I've always fancied getting one but can't justify the purchase as it isn't something I need. However, when you settle for an alternative, you lose the ability to be able to access the Apple store and everything that comes with it. If you already own an iPhone, Macbook, etc, like I do, and regularly purchase things on the App store then it is a bit annoying that you can't download them onto other non-apple devices. The Apple store also has such a wide range of apps and being able to sync everything between devices is fab. This is what puts me off products like this, HOWEVER. The Amazon Fire is probably going to be pretty great if you're already signed up to Amazon Prime like a lot of people are. I have access to Amazon Prime because my mum has it and I use her account all of the time, which means I have access to a lot more goodies on the fire.

I've been debating buying a tablet for Reuben for a while now, as he's obsessed with phones (not allowed them though!) and I thought it would be really useful for popping Peppa Pig or Fireman Sam on when he's in bed with me. It's also a good way to keep him entertained on car journeys or when we go out and about. I know there's plenty of app options for young children on the Apple store but I didn't know about Amazon. Surprisingly there's lots of good options and I've found all sorts of baby friendly games for him to play! He's already done his first painting on a Peppa Pig colouring app! Another fab thing I found was that when I was first setting up the tablet, it asked me if I wanted to create a children's profile. After selecting yes, it came up with 'Fire for Kids' which is a monthly subscription service that offers loads of kids content like cartoons etc. It let me have a free months trial and afterwards it only costs £4.99 a month which I don't think is bad at all! Ru's already been using it watching all sorts of cartoons and things.

For me, a tablet can offer me a bigger screen to browse Instagram, watch YouTube videos in bed, see more when I fancy doing some late night online shopping (it's quite difficult on a phone) or catch up with a bit of blog reading. These are all things that can be done on any electronic device with web browsing so why waste hundreds on an iPad when you can get one of these for £50? I've been loving being able to browse social media on a larger screen when I'm all tucked up in bed, so it's definitely a winner with me. The Amazon store has a decent range of apps too but to be honest, the main ones I use are just social media apps, nothing special. I do think it would be good if Apple made their store available on non-apple devices, just like how you can get iTunes on a Windows PC, then I would have access to a lot more. But for what I use it for, it's perfect!

So obviously if you have Prime then there are a lot more benefits to getting the Amazon Fire, but for something to just browse the web with, catch up on social media, and maybe watch a few films now and again, this is ideal. And you can't go wrong for £50 really can you? If you're looking for an affordable tablet that will offer you all of the essentials, it's perfect. I also think it's great if you have a child, there is an Amazon Fire out specifically for kids but it's more expensive and this is a much better option as you can share it with them. If you want to get your hands on one, you can buy it here.

Any of you guys have an Amazon Fire Tablet?