Jonathan Takiff: Favorite Kindle Fire apps, most free or costing less than $5

LOOKING for something fun to do with your new Kindle Fire, other than read books and play casual games? Have we some entertaining apps for you!

A new survey found that owners of the Kindle Fire - now more than 5.5 million - are by and large happy with the tablet product when it comes to the cost, color screen, ease of use and e-book selection. But a "lack of apps" (applications) loomed large on customers' dislike list in the Changewave Research findings.

Truth is, a user often has to dig deep to find the hidden gems, past the top-100 free and paid offerings that pop up first in the on-screen app store. Adding insult to injury, the Fire sale engine doesn't always classify apps properly or spotlight the best of the litter.

Mind if this early adopter lends a hand? Herewith are my favorite Kindle Fire apps, most free or under $5.

NEWS GATHERING 101: To me, the most magical thing about a tablet computer is its ability to bring the world to your hands through so-called "content aggregators." These are focused, customizable search engines that show what's popping on websites, magazines and newspapers.

On the Kindle Fire, the best news aggregator is Pulse. It presents horizontal strips of story headlines, updated daily, from individual sites you've preselected as favorites. Just slide with a finger to browse and tap to open. I use Pulse to keep up with music (Filter), tech (Popular Science, Engadget) and culture (The New Yorker).

More interested in what people are wearing than saying? ChannelCaster Pro mashes light, gossipy content with a social twist and lotsa glossy pictures.

For a fresh news approach, load the multilingual World Newspapers aggregator or the one dedicated just to UK (United Kingdom) Newspapers. Fewer translations needed with the latter.

And while not quite the funny pages, the Comics app turns a Fire into a pretty sweet playing field for comic books and anime. Most titles sell for 99 cents to $7.99, though there's usually a few for free.

NO POSTAGE REQUIRED: While not much to look at, reading email is efficient with Enhanced Email. This full-featured, lightweight client offers support for multiple accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.) in a single app. And with a little fussing in settings, Enhanced Email pulls down Exchange mail without a password.