Ever since Amazon unveiled its 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet in September, a lingering phrase has been attached to the low-cost, high-profile device: ”the iPad’s first true Android competitor.”

Unlike all the Android tablets that offer 10-inch screens, roomier storage capacities, built-in cameras and 3G support, the Fire will ship with modest hardware specs. In fact, the Amazon tablet would seem ill-prepared to take on the iPad, if not for a trio of would-be Apple-slaying features. The Fire will be insanely inexpensive at $200. It will hook into Amazon Prime, the company’s two-day package shipping ...