Amazon this week released a software update for its Kindle Fire tablet that addressed a number of user complaints: Fire owners were unhappy with several aspects of the tablet computer, including its touch responsiveness, the way the carousel operated, and the lack of security and privacy features, among other things.

We tried various features of the update to see what's changed:

• The Kindle Fire's touch response improved. It now registers quick taps, for example, something it didn't do well prior to the update. As a result, the Kindle Fire's touch-response score in our Ratings changed from Very Good to Excellent.
• You can customize the carousel of recently used apps by holding down an icon and selecting Remove from Carousel. The carousel is also easier to control, since the update seems to have slowed down the rate at which it moves.
• Wi-Fi is now password-protected, if you want it to be, which prevents your kids from downloading unwanted apps and adds a degree of privacy. Make sure you empty the cache and delete your browsing history. Otherwise the last page you visited will still be accessible, as will a list containing the rest of your browsing history.
• After evaluating the update, we did another test run of the Kindle Fire's Silk browser, which we'd earlier found to be slow with the accelerator on. In our latest tests, it ran 12 percent faster than before on less popular sites and 25 percent faster on more commonly used sites. Although Silk is still faster, for now, with the accelerator turned off, these results could indicate that Silk will eventually become the speedy browser Amazon has promised.

To get the update, tap the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of the device and select Sync. To make sure you received the update, tap the Settings icon again and choose More, then Device. The System Version should be 6.2.1.

Of course, some complaints are based in the hardware design, such as the lack of hardware-based volume controls and an On/Off key that users have said results in unintended shutdowns. If those issues are deal-breakers for you, you'll have to wait for the Kindle Fire 2.0—or take a look at the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet in our Ratings.