I have to disagree with this. The overall concensus on the Kindle Fire is that it is a great idea with some great features, but at the moment it completely lacks focus and polish, it was essentially rushed out of the factory without being completed. Wait a few more generations and it will be amazing (just look at how great the Kindle is!). But at the moment it is a no go.

Actually your comment was very illuminating, I now think he should get a tablet. He wants it for schoolwork and surfing the web aswell as gaming. Although the touch is great and polished it is not an ideal platform for schoolwork, and personally I think it is too small for more than trivial web surfing. A cheap tablet may just be the way to go, it won't feel as polished and smooth as the touch but it may just be able to get the job done better overall.