As it was expected, Amazon.com on Thursday showed off new
Kindle Fires with larger and higher-resolution screens, for
as much as $499.
At a press conference near Los Angeles, Amazon.com Chief
Executive Jeff Bezos, unveiled an 8.9-inch version called
the Kindle Fire HD. The company will offer a 4G version for
$499 and a cheaper $299 Wi-Fi version. The 7-inch version
of the Fire, which launched in November, will go for $159.
The new Kindle Fire HD tablets run Google's Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" OS.
Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch weighs 20 ounces and
is 8.8 mm thin. Kindle Fire HD 7-inch is small enough to
take everywhere and light enough to hold easily and
comfortably in one hand.
The 8.9-inch display on Kindle Fire HD features an 254
pixels per inch with a resolution of 1920x1200. The 7-inch
Kindle Fire HD features an HD display with 1280x800
resolution. Kindle Fire HD also uses Gorilla Glass to
provide strength and reliability. Amazon also added custom
features that reduce glare and improve color saturation at
any viewing angle. Amazon claims that the Fire HD is
laminating the touch sensor and the LCD together into a
single layer of glass, creating a display that is easy to
view even in overhead light, and reducing glare by 25%
relative to the latest generation iPad.
Like many tablets, Kindle Fire HD uses in-plane switching
(IPS) to improve color reproduction. But displays that only
use IPS still appear washed out at various angles, such as
laid sideways in bed, flat on a table, or propped up in a
case. Fire HD features an Advanced True Wide polarizing
filter that is applied directly to the LCD panel. Amazon
says that this results in a display that shows the same
deep contrast and rich, detailed color from any angle.
Kindle Fire HD takes advantage of dual-band Wi-Fi. It can
automatically switch between the 2.4 GHz network and the
newer, less crowded 5 GHz network, resulting in better
range and less interference. In addition, dual antennas and
Multiple In/Multiple Out (MIMO) allow for higher bandwidth
and longer range. Amazon claims that the new tablets offer
40% faster throughput compared to the latest generation
iPad.
Buyers of the 4G Kindle Fire HD will have access to a
12-month data plan with 250MB per month, 20GB of Amazon
Cloud storage, and a $10 credit in the Amazon Appstore for
a one-time cost of $49.99. They can also choose to upgrade
to 3 GB or 5 GB data plans from AT&T directly from the
device.
The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is available with 16 GB or 32 GB
of on-device storage, and the large screen Kindle Fire is
available with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of on-device storage.
This on-device storage capacity is in addition to the free
storage Amazon provides for Amazon digital content in the
Amazon Cloud.
The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is powered by the latest
generation OMAP4 4470 processor and Imagination SGX544
graphics engine capable of over 12 billion floating point
operations per second - 50 percent more than Nvidia's Tegra
3, and both Kindle Fire HD 7-inch and 8.9-inch come with
higher memory bandwidth than Tegra 3, according to Amazon.
| Amazon Tablet Specification |
|
Kindle Fire |
Kindle Fire (2012) |
Kindle Fire HD 7" |
Kindle Fire HD 8.9" |
| Dimensions |
190 x 120 x 11.4mm |
189 x 120 x 11.5mm |
193 x 137 x 10.3mm |
240 x 164 x 8.8mm |
| Display |
7-inch 1024 x 600 IPS |
7-inch 1024 x 600 IPS |
7-inch 1280 x 800 IPS |
8.9-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS |
| Weight |
413g |
400g |
395g |
567g |
| Processor |
1GHZ TI OMAP 4430 (2 x Cortex A9) |
1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 (2 x Cortex A9) |
1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 (2 x Cortex A9) |
1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 (2 x Cortex A9) |
| Memory |
512MB |
1GB |
1GB |
1GB |
| Wireless |
Single-band Wi-Fi |
Single-band Wi-Fi |
Dual-band, dual antenna (2.4GHz, 5GHz, MIMO) |
Dual-band, dual antenna (2.4GHz, 5GHz, MIMO) |
| Storage |
8GB (6.5GB usable) |
8GB (5.5 usable) |
16GB/32GB (12.6GB/26.9GB usable) |
16GB/32GB Wi-Fi, 32GB/64GB LTE |
| Battery |
16Whr |
Uknown |
> 11hrs |
Uknown |
| Price |
$199 |
$159 |
$199/$249 |
$299/$369 - Wi-Fi
$499/$599 - LTE |
Kindle Fire HD also combines dual stereo speakers with the
next generation Dolby Digital Plus audio platform. Kindle
Fire HD automatically optimizes the audio profile based on
what a user is doing, such as watching a movie, listening
to music, using third party apps like Pandora and Netflix,
and also optimizes for headphones versus speakers.
The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is optimized to deliver high
performance without sacrificing battery life, delivering
over 11 hours of battery life.
Kindle Fire HD also supports Bluetooth, has HDMI out, a
front-facing HD camera and a Skype app.
New features
Some new features for Amazon's new gadgets include "X-Ray for books" and textbooks, where Kindle books can be synchronized with Audible audiobooks. It lets users read and listen at the same time.
"X-Ray for Movies" is also a new feature that brings the
power of IMDb directly to movies on Kindle Fire HD,
accessible with a simple tap.
"Whispersync for Voice" allows users to synchronize their
Kindle books with professionally-narrated audiobooks -
users can start reading a book on Kindle Fire and switch
to listening to the companion audiobook, picking up exactly
where they left off.
"Immersion Reading," where Kindle books can be synchronized with Audible audiobooks. It lets users read and listen at the same time.
"Time to Read" uses users' reading speed to tell them when they will finish a chapter in a book on the Paperwhite.
"Kindle FreeTime" lets parents create profiles for their children and choose what books, games, apps or videos they can access. They will also be able to set time limits.
Amazon has also worked with developers to offer new Android
games exclusively on Kindle Fire HD, including Activision's
popular Skylanders Cloud Patrol franchise and Crytek's
Fibble. Users will be able to purchase a unique Skylanders
character with a single click, and Amazon.com will deliver
it to their doorstep. In addition, the Kindle Fire HD
family also offers HD Games, gyroscope and accelerometer
for full tilt and turn controls, as well as social gaming
features including group leaderboards and achievements.
Amazon also extended its Whispersync technology to gaming
with Whispersync for Games. Whispersync for Games syncs a
user's place in the game and saves unlocked levels, so
even if they get a new device, the progress is backed up in
the cloud.
The new Kindle Fire family uses a new version of Amazon
Silk with the "split browser" architecture that leverages
the computing speed and power of Amazon Web Services to
deliver content faster. The new Amazon Silk browser
features an updated core rendering engine and a
reengineered transport layer that contribute to faster page
loads.
The Kindle Fire family also features Microsoft Exchange
integration, with fine-tuned performance on many of the
most critical e-mail functions. Kindle Fire also features a
new calendar app. The new e-mail client also offers support
for Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Hotmail and more.
Amazon also showcased Kindle Paperwhite e-reader with a
much sharper screen and longer battery life.
The device is a third of an inch thin and weighing 7.5
ounces. The 3G wireless version will sell for $179
starting in October. A Wi-Fi-only version will go for $119,
and the cheapest will carry a $69 price tag - undercutting
the cheapest Barnes and Noble Nook.
Kindle Paperwhite is featuring a 212 ppi display and it has
62% more pixels. It's patented front-lit display guides
light underneath an anti-glare layer and down toward the
display, away from the reader's eyes. This means a reader
can read for hours without eye fatigue or strain. The
screen brightness is adjusted for reading in any light.
| Amazon e-reader Specifications |
| |
Kindle Touch (2011) |
Kindle |
Kindle Paperwhite |
Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight |
| Dimensions |
172 x 120 x 10.1mm |
165.75 x 114.5 x 8.7mm |
169 x 117 x 9.1mm |
240 X 164 X 8.8mm |
| Display |
6-inch 600 x 800 16-level grayscale |
6-inch 600 x 800 16-level grayscale |
6-inch 1024 x 768, 16-level grayscale |
6-inch 600 x 800 16-level grayscale |
| Weight |
213g |
170g |
213g |
197g |
| Storage |
4GB (3GB usable) |
2GB (1.25GB usable) |
2GB (1.25GB usable) |
2GB (1GB usable) |
| Battery |
2-months |
1-month |
8-weeks |
1-month |
| Price |
$109 |
$69 |
$119/$179 (3G) |
$139 |
Amazon's light guide technology diffuses the light across
the screen and only requires four LEDs to light the entire
screen (unlike LCD screens which can use up to 50 LEDs).
The light guide is so efficient that Kindle Paperwhite has
an 8 weeks of battery life, even with the light on at all
times.
Amazon is competing with Apple, Google and Barnes & Noble
for a foothold in the mobile-device market. The company
makes little money selling cheap tablets and e-readers
because it wants to get the devices into as many hands as
possible, then sell digital content.