DC Comics brings entire weekly line-up to iBooks, Kindle Store

Superman flies onto the Kindle store

Batman and Superman publisher DC Comics has launched its entire portfolio of weekly titles on the major digital book stores.

Brand new weekly editions are now available to download and keep through Amazon's Kindle Store, Apple's iBooks Store and the Barnes & Noble Nook Store.

All DC and Vertigo comics, including the likes of Justice League, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Detective Comics and Action Comics will be available on the same day the paper editions go on sale.

The titles were available to purchase digitally through the dedicated DC and Vertico apps for iPhone, Android and from the readdcentertainment.com site.

Take that, Spider-Man!

By launching weekly titles on the three major digital book stores, DC has beaten rival Marvel to the punch. The publisher says its all about convenience for users.

"As e-readers and tablets continue to explode in popularity it's important for us to offer consumers convenience and choice in how they download digital comics," said Jim Lee, co-publisher, DC Entertainment.

"We're very excited to work with Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble to bring bestselling DC Comics and Vertigo periodicals to their e-bookstores."

The titles, which join the existing trade issue collections, are all available to download now from the respective ebook stores.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/dc-comics-brings-entire-weekly-line-up-to-ibooks-kindle-store-1110897

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Hands On: Amazon wants you to trust it with your photos

Amazon's cloud storage service for photos isn't just for Kindle HD users anymore. The company made its Cloud Drive Photos app available for most Android devices today. Signing in with your Amazon account will net you 5GB of free space for your pictures.

Android phone and tablet users have yet another option for cloud-based storage, though this time it’s specifically for photos. Amazon has made its Cloud Drive Photos app, which is already integrated into the Kindle Fire HD, available on most Android devices. This app looks like a service that will serve constant photo-snappers quite well.

The app initially asks for users to sign in using an Amazon account. You’re going to want to sign up for an account if you don’t already have one, because this app is completely useless if you don’t. The point of a cloud drive service is to save space, not take it up. Once you’re signed in, you’ll be greeted with the app’s home screen, or the “Cloud” tab. This simply explains to you how to access your drive online and add content from your computer that can then be viewed on your phone or tablet.

There is a second tab atop the display in this app called “Photos.” This is where you will actually be able to see the photo content that is currently saved on your device. Your camera roll, screen captures, Draw Something drawings, Instagram images, and all other photographic data is displayed. These are displayed by category, which can then be explored to see what each album holds. Pressing and holding on an album or an individual picture will allow you to manage the selection, prompting you to either remove it from the device or upload it to the cloud. These are very contrary choices, so make sure you select the one you want. The app also doesn’t appear to automatically sync and there is no option to do so in the settings, so you’ll have to manually update your sync after every snapshot, making this app annoyingly out of date compared to options from Google+ and others. 

All users of Amazon’s Cloud Drive Photos get 5GB of free storage. That can be upgraded to 20GB of space for $10 a year. Everything you upload is accessible right from your Amazon account, making it easy to manage from your phone or your computer. The app isn’t exactly feature rich, but it does the job it claims. An auto-sync feature would be nice, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until the next update to see if it’s there.

you can download the Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app on the Google Play store or Amazon’s Appstore.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/hands-on-amazon-wants-you-to-trust-it-with-your-photos/

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iPad mini vs Kindle Fire HD vs Nexus 7: Spec Showdown

The iPad mini has been announced, but how does it stack up against its rivals? We compare it to the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 to find out which tablet might be the best bang for your buck.

It’s rare that Apple is late to the game. The 7-inch tablet market has been able to offer a smaller portable platform without having to take the direct comparisons to Apple’s offerings. That is no longer the case thanks to the announcement of the iPad Mini. Apple has done its best to make a big splash into the smaller size market to make up for lost ground. The Cupertino company has managed to get a bigger screen and lighter weight than its major competitors. Its storage starts at where most max out, and it features 4G LTE capabilities. Of course, all of those selling points come at a price. The iPad Mini starts at $330, easily making it the most costly option in the 7-inch market. Does its features justify its price tag? Take a look at the specs and draw your conclusions. 

Looking at the numbers, Apple doesn’t fare well here. It has half the RAM, less processing power, and a much higher price than the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD. The key to iPad’s value is its content. Neither Google nor Amazon can match the number of apps available on the iPad by a long shot. The new iPad also has a Lightning connector, a la the iPhone 5, which puts it on a somewhat level playing field with the Fire HD and Nexus 7 when it comes to accessories, though you can use any Micro USB charger on Nexus and Fire. Google is expected to announce a 4G version of the Nexus 7, but for now the iPad mini takes a lead in that category as well. Will people pay more for a less spec intensive piece of hardware? We’ll soon find out.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ipad-mini-vs-kindle-fire-vs-nexus-7-spec-showdown/

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Amazon kills the Kindle DX, but may revive Texas Instrument’s abandoned chip division

Amazon looks to have discontinued its long-ignored Kindle DX e-reader, and is also rumored to be bidding for Texas Instruments’ processor division, which could give it leverage over competitors Barnes & Noble and Kobo.

Amazon is making headlines today for announcing the death of a product that never quite caught on, the Kindle DX, and for potentially breathing new life into Texas Instruments’ recently abandoned processor division.

Kindle DX dies

First, the Kindle DX. Released in 2009, the combination of an E Ink screen, 9.7-inch screen, free 3G, long battery life, and access to Amazon’s extensive library certainly sounded like a recipe for success. But apart from the big screen, the DX offered little over the smaller, cheaper, and considerably more portable standard Kindle. Couple that with the release of the Apple iPad a year later, and the Kindle DX became another casualty of the tablet revolution. 

Any popularity the DX did have has clearly waned enough for Amazon to admit defeat, as the Kindle DX is no longer directly available on its website, with only third-party companies continuing to gamely advertise the man-sized e-reader. Will it be missed? Like all niche devices, it will always have a hardcore fan base, but it’s difficult to imagine anyone choosing a DX over a Kindle Fire and a standard Kindle e-reader these days.

This is particularly applicable internationally, as Amazon never released the DX outside the United States, preferring to offer an import service instead. Have a guess at how much you’d have to shell out for a DX in the UK back in 2010? A mere $600 or £375. Bargain.

Amazon ponders TI processor purchase

But, the circle of life continues at Amazon, and a rumor has linked the company with the potential purchase Texas Instruments’ processor division, at least according to a reporter for calcalist.com. TheNextWeb.com shows the author of the piece has form too, having scooped Apple’s $500 million acquisition of flash memory company Anobit in 2011.

Texas Instruments announced it would cease investing in mobile processor development during an investor meeting in September, preferring to concentrate on the “embedded chip” market instead. Amazon uses Texas Instruments OMAP processors in its Kindle Fire tablets, so bringing the whole show in-house could be quite the money-saver.

It could also pave the way for the often rumored Amazon smartphone, as it would be one less component to outsource, plus TI chips are used by other companies — including arch rivals Barnes & Noble and Kobo; potentially opening up another revenue stream for Amazon. 

The article says the deal could be worth “billions of dollars,” and that Amazon is currently holding “advanced negotiations.” If it’s all true, its shows just how serious Amazon is about becoming a hardware company with which to be reckoned.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazon-kills-kindle-dx-may-buy-texas-instruments-chip-division/

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Amazon to buy Texas Instruments, make Kindle Fire HD processors in-house?

Kindle Fire HD - a chip off the old block

Amazon is reportedly in the last stages of snapping up Texas Instruments' mobile processor business.

Israeli newspaper Calcalist cites a source who reckons that Amazon is in "advanced negotiations" with the chip-maker.

TI's hardware is currently found in the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and it sounds as though Amazon wants to bring the processors in-house in order to save a bit of cash.

Process that

It emerged last week that the online mega-retailer-turned-tablet-maker doesn't make any money on its hardware, including the Fire tablet range, instead bringing in cash from sales of apps, ebooks, films, music and more from its store.

For its part, TI has been looking to offload the mobile processor side of its business for a while now.

It could mean a healthy cash injection for TI as the deal is predicted to be worth "billions of dollars" – the company can put all that lovely cash towards its new focus of embedded chips for cars and that, where it sees dollar-signs in its future.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/amazon-to-buy-texas-instruments-make-kindle-fire-hd-processors-in-house-1104441

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Texas Instruments backing away from mobile business

Future Kindle Fires likely to be impacted by TI change of direction

Despite the explosive growth of wireless mobile devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, at least one longtime chipmaker looks to be shying away from that market.

Reuters reported that Dallas-based chipmaker Texas Instruments has started to expand its business beyond investments in mobile wireless, which currently includes powering Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet.

Amazon's latest Kindle Fire, the Kindle Fire HD, sports a TI OMAP 4470 processor.

In a webcast meeting with investors, Greg Delagi, TI's senior vice president for embedded processing, painted mobile as "less attractive" for the company moving forward, which analysts view as the beginning of the end of the company's smartphone and tablet ambitions.

Investor reaction

"TI made it very clear they no longer want to be in the business of proving application processors for smartphones or tablets," remarked Longbow Research analyst JoAnne Feeney to Reuters. "What remains uncertain is for how long they'll support customers."

For the time being, TI promises to continue supporting mobile application chip customers, but won't invest as heavily into its future roadmaps where tablets and smartphones are concerned.

Texas Instruments plans to instead focus its efforts on industrial clients, such as auto makers, where the company sees future growth for its embedded chip business.

Judging from the company's stock, the announcement on Tuesday made investors nervous, with a three percent decline over worries that TI's new direction would adversely affect their bottom line.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/texas-instruments-backing-away-from-mobile-business-1099999

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Trouble ahead? 4G LTE Kindle Fire doesn’t yet have FCC approval for sale

Amazon is marketing its new 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD tablet despite the fact that it hasn't yet received approval from the Federal Communications Commission. The situation has been described as unusual by attorneys and analysts familiar with the FCC's procedures.

You’d hope Amazon knows exactly what it’s doing, but the fact that it announced its new high-end 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD tablet before receiving approval for sale from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) will strike some as a little odd, and has been described as unusual by attorneys and analysts with knowledge of the FCC’s procedures .

The FCC tests all new wireless communication devices to discover if they interfere with other signals. Once cleared, the product is allowed to go on sale. According to a Reuters report on Thursday, Amazon has yet to get the green light, despite promising to ship the product on November 20.

The report said that a confirmation email from the e-commerce giant in response to a pre-order for the 8.9-inch 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD said: “We will send you an email asking you to confirm your pre-order of Kindle Fire when it is approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission.”

Speaking to Reuters about the situation, John Jackson, a wireless analyst at CCS Insight, said, “I can’t think of an instance where a device has been offered by a US carrier or an independent retailer that has not had FCC approval yet.”

Charles Golvin, a wireless analyst at Forrester Research, suggests that failure to get FCC approval prior putting the device on the market can probably be put down to Amazon’s lack of experience with wireless products.

It’s not just the selling of the device which is prohibited prior to FCC approval – marketing is also banned, unless a disclaimer is included in the promotional material.

Amazon is, however, clear about the situation with its new high-end tablet, stating on its website, “The 4G device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.”

Mitchell Lazarus of law firm Fletcher told Reuters that in most cases companies with new wireless communication products go through the procedures with the FCC “so they don’t have to make these awkward disclaimers.”

It’s being suggested that approval may be taking a little longer than usual as the 4G wireless modem being used in Amazon’s tablet is of a new type, whereas many gadgets sent to the FCC for approval contain modems used in products previously passed by the FCC, and so go through the process more quickly.

The other Kindle Fires announced by Amazon on Thursday are Wi-Fi only devices and are fit for sale.

If the FCC does find some serious issues with Amazon’s priciest Kindle Fire, the company will have limited time to sort it out before the holiday season kicks off. Failure to have it on the shelves by then would be hugely damaging for the Seatlle-based company as it attempts to increase its share of a market still dominated by Apple with its popular iPad tablet. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/4g-kindle-fire-doesnt-yet-have-fcc-approval-for-sale/

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Selected Amazon Kindle Fire tablets go on sale in Europe, but are they enough to fight off the competition?

Amazon has launched a selection of its new Kindle Fire range of tablets in Europe, but it may not be enough to beat the competition.

Amazon has done a great job with its new Kindle Fire HD tablets, and an even better job of capturing the headlines, as the launch prompted everything from comparisons between the new tablet and its competitors, to much talk of how the aggressive pricing will hurt everyone from Apple to Microsoft.

At first glance, Amazon has announced a series of winning products, neatly avoided the thorny issue of advertising — sorry “special offers” — and is undoubtedly listening to the sound of virtual cash registers ringing right now.

However, that old Amazon problem — international distribution of its hardware — is still exactly that: A problem.

This stretches back to the original Kindle e-reader, which took a couple of generations to make it elsewhere in the world, and now continues with the Kindle Fire and most importantly, the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD.

Here’s the good news. Amazon has done the decent thing and launched the updated Kindle Fire in five international stores — the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. All these countries will also get the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD.

Pricing looks like this: The Kindle Fire will be sold for £129/159 Euros, the 16GB 7-inch Kindle Fire HD for £159/199 Euros, and the 32GB for £199/249 Euros. They’re all up for pre-order now, with a release date of October 25.

Limited international availability.

Notice anything about those lists? Right, there’s no 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, nor is there a new Kindle Paperwhite. Also missing is Canada, as it appears it won’t get any new devices at all, and Asia too.

While the Kindle Fire is cheap — and with a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution screen, it wants to be — it’s the Fire HD that will be most desired. Except, the 7-inch model isn’t really that desirable. It has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and a dual-core processor, plus features regular folk won’t care about, such as dual-band, twin antenna Wi-Fi and Dolby Digital Plus.

Without the exciting 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD at the top of the list, will anyone be rushing to buy a 7-inch Fire over the Google Nexus 7? After all, the Nexus 7 is the same price and has the same screen size and resolution, a quad-core processor, the much-improved and completely un-abused Android 4.1 OS, no forced advertising, movie rentals, plus at the tap of a button, a free Kindle and Amazon app store app too. The Kindle Fire HD has twice the memory for the same price, but that’s all.

What’s more, the Nexus 7 is on sale in Canada and some European countries, and has been for a while, plus it has recently gone up for pre-order in parts of Asia.

Regarding the Kindle Paperwhite, which is exclusive to the US Amazon store at the moment, Kobo’s Glo will become even more tempting to international buyers now.

This will inevitably all change in the future, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has made it clear that he wants to “get into as many places as we possibly can over time.” But for now, while Amazon is welcoming its US customers with open arms, it’s nudging its international customers into the equally welcoming arms of its competitors.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazon-kindle-fire-europe-uk-release/

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Ad supported: All of Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablets come with Special Offers

All of Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablets will feature ads on the lock screen, with no option to opt out. If you were interested in one of the new devices from the e-commerce giant, does this put you off?

So there we have it. Jeff Bezos has spoken. Amazon is coming at you with four new Kindle Fire tablets, with a refreshed version of its original 7-inch model selling for $159 and, at the other end of the price scale, an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE, with a $499 price tag.

Prior to the event in Santa Monica on Thursday, there had been talk of Amazon launching two 7-inch Kindle Fires – a lower-priced one with ads and one without.

During his spiel, Bezos made no mention of the situation regarding ads – or as Amazon likes to call them, ‘Special Offers’ – though a look at information on its website about its new products reveals that in fact all of these new tablets will be coming with ads, with no option to opt out – for now at least.

The ads will appear on the lock screen of the tablets and will include “special offers and screensavers from brands like AT&T, Discover and Intel, such as a special offer of a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card when a customer uses their Discover card to purchase a digital product on Amazon,” the e-commerce giant explained on its website.

Of course, ads on the lock screen are hardly obtrusive, but there will be those who would rather not be confronted by a special offer or promotion every time they switch on their tablet, preferring instead to have the ability to customize all parts of their device. For Amazon, it’s a way to keep costs down, and let’s face it, for the specifications of these new tablets, they really are going for a song. In fact, if the new products are anything like the original Fire, they’re being sold at below cost price, with Amazon banking on making money from users buying content for their Fires from its well-stocked online store.

“People don’t want gadgets anymore, they want services,” Bezos told those gathered before him in Santa Monica on Thursday. They probably don’t particularly want ads on their lock screen either, but if it means they can get their hands on a Kindle Fire for a dirt cheap price, then plenty of them will quite happily live with this minor inconvenience.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazons-new-kindle-fire-tablets-come-with-special-offers/

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Hands-on with Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire HD

We go hands on with the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire HD to see how Amazon's latest armada of mobile devices really perform.

Amazon announced big upgrades to its Kindle family today in Santa Monica, and we were there to try these devices first-hand before they ship later this fall. While improvements to older models and dropped prices were great news to those looking to pinch a few pennies, the real superstar today were the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader and Kindle Fire HD — the latter of which is now complete with a 4G LTE wireless upgrade.

Kindle Paperwhite

With the Kindle Paperwhite, the latest from Amazon’s budget e-book is tiny but powerful. The added feature tools are available by tapping the top of the page, bringing down a menu with options like Home, Search, X-Ray, and Backlight. The graphics are soft, and with a 212 pixels per inch spec, the total visual experience is crisper and easier on the eyes. All this, for eight weeks of battery life per full charge. E-ink has honestly never looked better.

The most buzzed-about feature here is the X-Ray function, which allows you to search through the book for recurring terms or characters, highlighting in a timeline where in the book they appear. Clicking on the names of each character brings up blurbs of where they are mentioned, the pages that accompany that storyline, and tapping takes you to that specific paragraph. You can search either through the entire book, page, or just chapters if you need a reminder of what’s happening in the book.

The illuminated display, sharp text, high contrast and white background take legibility to another level here. You also have the option of several font faces and sizes to fit your reading preference. Like former versions of the Kindle, highlighting a word brings up the definition from the Oxford American Dictionary to help those who may be unfamiliar with particular vernaculars.

If you are wondering how long until a chapter or the book is over, a “Time To Read” feature also estimates how many minutes are left in the chapter or book, so you can decide whether to continue reading to the end of the chapter or take a rest for the moment. Like previous Kindles, it will also display a percentage of where you are in the book to track progress.

At 7.5 ounces, the Kindle Paperwhite is no paperweight; the device is tiny and lightweight, comparable to heaviness of a wallet or cardholder. You can also store books on the Amazon Cloud for backup purposes when switching devices and retrieving books from your library.

The Kindle Paperwhite is available for order today and ships October 1, starting at $120 for Wi-Fi and $180 for Wi-Fi and 3G. 

Kindle Fire HD

The biggest waves from today’s announcement undoubtedly came from the new Kindle Fire HD, thanks to its amazing price structure. With the Fire reportedly accounting for 22 percent of tablet sales in the United States, the Fire HD is slated to be a huge competitor to the Google Nexus 7 and the rumored iPad Mini.

Compared to the original Kindle Fire, the Fire HD is slightly bigger — with visible stereo speakers wrapped across its back casing. The weight is unnoticeably different than the old Fire, while the Fire HD is just a tad thinner with more rounded corners and a matte body finish.

The Fire HD’s ultra-vivid graphics are truly impressive for a budget-price device. The 7-inch version has resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels, while the 8.9-inch version boasts a full 1920 by 1200 pixels, giving it density of 254 pixels per inch.

TI’s OMAP4 processor felt swift, quickly loading content without delay. Amazon’s anti-glare technology has definitely improved; I didn’t find myself having trouble angling the device for the photographs to not get awkward spotlight reflections. 

Of course, X-Ray technology is also available in the Fire HD — this time for movies, textbooks, and e-books. In the movie setting, you can tap the movie as it’s streaming for a list of actors currently on the scene. Tapping again on a particular actor pauses the film and brings up an IMDb summary of the actor’s profile, including movies he or she is recognized for and recent appearances. I’m not sure how many people will actually use this feature, but it’s definitely neat especially for someone like me who likes to IMDb movies after I’ve seen them — if only to read goofs and trivia.

X-Ray for textbook works a bit more like a glossary. You can search recurring terms mentioned in your textbook, and the Fire HD can bring up instances of appearance as well as show relevant photos or links to YouTube videos.

Amazon has tried to drive home that the new Kindle devices are made to be a “service,” a gadget that you don’t just buy, but use for commerce. For example, you can play a video game and pause to see relevant products to the game, such as a toy of the main character. If you have your Amazon account set up, you can one-click buy the item as well as earn power-ups and special add-ons in the game thanks to that purchase. This is one way Amazon is integrating all aspects of what it offers into one remote application, making people more likely to buy — and buy from Amazon. 

The Kindle Fire HD is available in 7-inch and 8.9-inch displays, both with 16GB of storage, priced at $200 and $300, respectively. The Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless and 32GB of internal storage is Amazon’s top-tier gadget, priced at $499. Customers have the option of purchasing a whopping 250MB of data per month, 20GB of cloud storage, and $10 credit to the Amazon’s Appstore for just $50 a year.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/hands-on-with-kindle-paperwhite-and-kindle-fire-hd/

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Spec showdown: Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch vs. Apple iPad (Retina)

We put Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch up against Apple's third-generation iPad with Retina Display in this spec showdown.

Amazon announced today two versions of its new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD. The first is a $300 Wi-Fi only version that comes with either 16 GB or 32 GB of storage. The second version includes 4G LTE connectivity, and costs $500 plus $50 per year for 250MB/month of data usage, as well as 20GB of cloud storage. But the real selling point for the both versions of the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is its high-resolution display, which has nearly the pixel density as the third-generation iPad with Retina Display. Another perk is the Kindle Fire HD’s MIMO (multi-input/output) functionality, which Amazon claims will give the Kindle Fire HD 40 percent faster Wi-Fi than the iPad. Below, we’ve put all the specs of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and the third-generation iPad head-to-head. Which one do you think is the better deal?

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch vs Apple iPad (Retina)

	Kindle Fire HD (8.9-inch)	iPad (Retina)
Price	$300/$500	$500-$830
Thickness	8.8 mm	9.4 mm
Weight	567g	652g
OS	Android 4.0.3 (heavily modified)	iOS 5
System Chip	TI OMAP 4470 (with 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-9 (dual-core) CPU)	Apple A5X (dual-core) SoC w/ quad-core graphics
RAM	1GB	1GB (unofficial)
Storage	16/32/64 GB	16/32/64 GB
Cloud storage	20GB free (4G only)	5GB free (all models)
Microphone	Yes	Yes
Camera	”HD” (front); no rear	5MP + 1080p video (rear), VGA (front)
Max. battery	Unknown	10 hrs, 9 hrs with 4G on
4G	Yes ($500 model)	4G ($630 and up)
Data plan	AT&T; $50/year = 250MB/month	AT&T ($15/month = 250MB/month); Verizon ($20/month = 1GB/month)*
Wi-Fi	2.4 and 5 GHz dual-band (with MIMIO)	802.11a/b/g/n
Screen size	8.9 inches	9.7 inches
Resolution	1920 x 1200	2048 x 1536
Pixel density	254 PPI	264 PPI
HDMI	Yes	No
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
Speakers	Dolby Stereo	Mono
App market	Amazon	iTunes App Store

*Cheapest plan options reflected

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazon-kindle-fire-10-vs-apple-ipad/

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Amazon revamps Kindle Fire, goes big with 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD

The vanilla Kindle Fire will get more features and a lower price of just $159, while the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE will go head to head with Apple's iPad.

The Kindle Paperwhite wasn’t the only big debut at today’s Amazon event. In addition to the all-new, supe-slim Paperwhite e-reader, Amazon also revealed a huge upgrade to the Kindle Fire, and unleashed a whole new lineup with the Kindle Fire HD.

The original Kindle Fire will see improved aesthetics, a more rounded body, a faster processor, twice the amount of RAM, and better battery life. It will ship September 14 for a dropped price of $159.

The newer and more notable Kindle Fire HD will include two sizes: 7 inches and 8.9 inches. The larger Kindle Fire HD sports an 8.9-inch screen, 1920 x 1200 resolution (254 PPI), and a polarizing filter that should cut down on any glare while improving contrast and sharpness. It’s a mere 8.8 mm and weighs in at 20 ounces.

It runs a TI OMAP 4470 processor, and with MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output — this implementation is a first in tablet land), Wi-Fi use should be much snappier. According to Amazon, MIMO will offer Wi-Fi performance 41 percent faster than the iPad and 54 percent faster than the Nexus 7.

Also new to Kindle with the HD models is a front-facing camera, Whispersync for Voice (so you can pick up right where you left off in audio books), Immersion Reading for book narration, and X-Ray for movies – a very, very cool addition that lets you look up information about the actors you’re watching without having their names. There’s also a new feature called Kindle Free Time, so parents can monitor and limit kids time spent using the tablet.

The 7-inch, 16GB Kindle Fire HD will cost $199, while the 8.9-inch model will sell for $299. They both ship November 30.

Just to thoroughly round out the Kindle Fire family, Amazon is also revealing a 32GB, 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD, which only comes in the 8.9-inch size. The kicker: Amazon will offer 4G LTE data service for $50 a year, providing 250MB a month. It also comes with 20GB of cloud storage, and will cost you $499 – competing head to head with Apple’s iPad. It ships November 20.

We’ll be bringing you hands-on coverage with the new devices shortly. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/new-kindle-hd-and-fire/

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Amazon unveils the Kindle Paperwhite: Crisper fonts, slimmer size, and pumped-up pixels

Amazon's new Kindle Paperwhite line boasts an illuminated screen, sharper display and better touchscreen, while the ,ost basic Kindle will now sell for $69 and gets a host of improvements as well.

The new Kindle hardware inarguably stole plenty of attention at today’s event. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezo’s waxed lovingly about the lineup as well as users’ love for it before introducing us to the Kindle Paperwhite, the latest addition to the Kindle family.

“We love to invent. We love to pioneer,” he said. “We even like going down alleys that turn out to be blind alleys.” Bezos also explained that while Amazon is a risk-taker, it’s also perfectly happy when it strikes gold – and that it certainly has with the Kindle.

The Kindle Paperwhite is a significant upgrade, and features plenty of what we all thought it would: It’s a frontlit, E-Ink reader, with much higher resolution and contrast. The screen now boasts 212 pixels per inch, which is 62 percent more resolution than the last version, and contrast has been increased 25 percent from current Kindles. What else? The Paperwhite also gets rid of the Kindle’s infrared touch technology in favor of capacitive touch, and includes patented light guide technology (which Bezos called highly adjustable). It’s a slim 9.1 mm and 7.5 ounces, with eight weeks of battery life (even with the light left on).

And those are just the hard specs. Amazon has done a lot of work on font display, and the Kindle Paperwhite is able to analyze your reading speed and tell you how much time it will take you to finish a chapter or book. Other new features include author bios, and as you’d expect you can switch between content saved to your Kindle, connect to the cloud, and use X-Ray content analysis for tracking characters and story development.

The Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi model will cost $119, and the 3G-enabled version $179. You can order both now, and they will ship in October. In addition to the new devices, Amazon also has an upgraded its entry-level Kindle and cut cost from $79 to $69. The new version has better contrast and resolution, crisper fonts with more text, and faster page turning. It will ship September 14.

Of course, this is only a sampling of what Amazon is announcing today. We’ll be at the event and bringing you more news throughout the day.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-announcement/

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New Amazon TV ad reveals large-screen Fire tablet and back-lit ‘Paperwhite’ e-reader

An Amazon ad broadcast Wednesday night appeared to reveal a number of products set for launch on Thursday, including a large-screen Kindle Fire tablet and back-lit Paperwhite e-reader.

It looks as if Jeff Bezos and his team are having some fun, teasing TV viewers the evening before a big product launch with an ad featuring, apparently, some or all of its new devices.

Interestingly, a large-sized tablet makes several appearances during the 60-second ad – likely the much-talked about 10-inch Kindle Fire. There even appears to be a shot of someone tapping away on a keyboard connected to the device – could the e-commerce giant be about to unveil a keyboard cover similar to the Touch Cover accompanying Microsoft’s soon-to-launch Surface tablet?

The existence of the Paperwhite e-reader is also apparently confirmed in the ad, with a fleeting shot of someone holding a device with a super-white back-lit screen.

There’s no sign, however, of a smartphone, though the company is said to be in the process of making one.

Broadcast during Wednesday night’s Giants vs Cowboys NFL game, the 60-second ad (below) begins with boxes – lots of boxes (with Amazon printed on them, naturally) – and a voiceover saying, “We’re the people with the smile on the box. We’re the reinventors of normal.”

Various shots of various people with various devices follow – there appears to be a (new) 7-inch Kindle Fire, a larger tablet and a new e-reader. And lots of boxes.

It is of course possible that the ad wasn’t meant as a tease at all but was instead broadcast as the result of a scheduling error. Either way, we’ll all find out on Thursday exactly what the Seattle-based company has up its sleeve.

Digital Trends will of course be covering Amazon’s media event, which begins at 10.30am PT, so stay tuned for more information.

[Daniel Marchena via The Verge]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/new-amazon-ad-reveals-large-fire-tablet-and-paperwhite-e-reader/

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