Amazon has just released two new Kindle devices – the Kindle Fire for $199 (Link), and the new Kindle Touch 3G priced at $149 (Link). Amazon also offers a version of the Kindle Touch without 3G for $99 (Link), and a Kindle tablet without a touch screen or 3G for $79 (Link).
Kindle Fire
Specs
The most impressive and feature rich of Amazon’s new offerings is the Kindle Fire. At just $199, Amazon has offered an amazing and affordable price on their new tablet, and has included a fairly impressive set of features that may well dissuade some people from purchasing an iPad.
The new tablet will feature a 7-inch screen with an IPS display with 16-million colors, an excellent range of viewing angles, and a pixel density of 169 pixels per inch. In comparison, the iPad 2 has a 132 pixel per inch screen density. The Kindle Fire’s screen is protected by Gorilla Glass.
Kindle Fire features a dual-core CPU and built in Wi-Fi, and all content syncing is sone wirelessly in the background, with users never having to perform an update of any kind. The new tablet will also automatically save your spot if you are watching a movie or reading a book.
The Kindle Fire lacks a camera, doesn’t include a microphone, and has no 3G connectivity, so users are restricted to using the device in areas that have strong Wi-Fi connections, and contains 8GB of available storage, although since all of Amazon’s content is based in the cloud, less storage is necessary.
Features & Interface
Although the Kindle Fire runs a custom version of Android, the new Kindle’s interface is said to be extremely simple, and lacks much of the complexity that other Android tablets have. Additionally, Kindle’s new Silk browser appears to offer fast performance, and pre-processes image and web content and optimizes web pages in the cloud before they are delivered to the Kindle.
Many are noting that Amazon has put a great deal of care into the user interface, with the Kindle greeting you by name as soon as you open it – Amazon personalizes the devices at the factory, so it’s ready to use with no setup at all.
Amazon’s strong points are content and cloud services – the Kindle Fire will be able to access Amazon’s vast library of books, music and movies, which meets or exceeds Apple’s own content library in many areas. It will also be able to run certain Android apps through the Amazon Appstore, which will have key apps like Angry Birds, newsreaders, and other essentials.
The Amazon Fire is available now, and can be pre-ordered for $199. The device offers a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, the company’s $79/year service that offers streaming video and free two-day shipping on most items purchased through Amazon. The Fire will begin shipping on November 15th.
Kindle Touch 3G
The Kindle Touch 3G was also announced, and is be available for $149. The Kindle Touch 3G will have a 6″ black and white screen, and a battery life of up to a month. Instead of relying on a capacitative touch screen, the Kindle Touch uses infrared sensors to detect touch.
The new device will also have a new X-Ray feature that pre-caches information from Wikipedia and dictionaries, which will make it easier to look up relevant information while browsing a book.
Like the Kindle Fire, the Kindle Touch 3G will also have 8GB of built-in storage, with most content accessed through the cloud. A Wi-Fi only version will also be available for $99, and a version that replaces the touchscreen with control buttons will be available for just $79.
You can find more information on all of Amazon’s new devices by visiting their new Kindle page on the web.
