Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Some feel that having security on a Kindle Fire HD or HDX isn't necessary, or that it can slow down your device. These are misconceptions, as any device that connects to the Internet can and will eventually be hit, and should it happen, the results can be disastrous. Though a fairly new app, Lookout Mobile Security (Kindle Tablet Edition) has quickly proven to be an excellent security product for the Kindle Fire HD or the newer HDX. At less than 7MB in size, it's a speedy download that takes less than 60 seconds, and once installed it will protect this device from malware, viruses, and spyware. To protect your device, you need to take a couple of minutes to open Lookout on your tablet itself, select the Security module, and then run a full scan... just like you would do with your computer. I spent about fifteen minutes following the prompts and setting up Lookout Mobile Security on my Kindle Fire HD 8.9" and more recently on my new Kindle Fire HDX 7" device, and everything ran smoothly. It asked for my email address and a private password (no problem as this app carries the TRUSTe seal). It did a full security scan, and luckily found no dangerous files. Should note that antivirus scans offer daily or weekly options. That out of the way, I confirmed that the 'locator' was functioning. This is what you would use if your Kindle Fire HD or HDX was lost or stolen, and you can make it sound a loud alarm or even make it scream and flash red on the screen, even if it's on silent mode. Tested that and it works. The app offered to back up my email contacts, so I let it fly. It did this effortlessly. It should be noted that you really should go to the Lookout Mobile Security site using your computer, log in with your email address and password, then confirm that all worked as expected. Did that, then confirmed the physical location of my device, and it found it using Google Maps in less than 60 seconds. It sent me an email message stating "Lookout Mobile Security located your missing device." That's the good news; now the bad: if you have an original first generation Kindle Fire, this app (version 8.4.2 at the time of this review) won't work on it, as noted in the upper right corner of the product page here. Hopefully the developer will eventually add the original Kindle Fire at some point in the future. For users of other Android smartphones and devices, Lookout Mobile Security is well worth considering as good security protection. Just follow the on-screen prompts that Lookout Mobile Security (Kindle Tablet Edition) offers, then confirm it with your PC or your Mac. And kudos to Lookout Mobile Security for offering this as a freebie, truly a 5-star app for this device. JW 12/28/2012; HDX updates 12/30/2013