As expected, Amazon has used their press event today to unveil a larger Kindle Fire, one that should make it a stronger contender in the tablet market.
The new Kindle Fire HD has an 8.9-inch screen, 1920x1200 resolution and 254ppi display.
Powering the device is a 1.5GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 processor which should outperform the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 with less power drain. Amazon has also introduced an HD front-facing camera, HDMI output, Bluetooth connectivity, and "a laminated touch sensor for better visuals and 25 percent less glare."
Additionally, the HD also has stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio, improved dual-band Wi-Fi and two antennas using MIMO radio technology which should allow for 40 percent faster downloading than any tablet on the market. The base model has 16GB of internal storage.
Despite its larger size, the Fire HD is 20 ounces and just 8.8 mm thin.
Moving away from the hardware, Amazon had expanded their Whispersync technology, added native third-party developed apps for popular apps like Skype and new features such as X-Ray, which we will cover in the coming article.
The Kindle Fire HD will be released in late November and cost $299 for the 16GB/Wi-Fi base model. The 32GB model will sell for $369. A 4G LTE version will cost $499 for 32GB and $599 for 64GB. The data comes via AT&T and comes with a deal of $50 per year for 250MB data per month, 20GB cloud storage and $10 Amazon Appstore credit. You can upgrade to 3GB or 5GB through AT&T at their standard pricing.
Powering the device is a 1.5GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 processor which should outperform the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 with less power drain. Amazon has also introduced an HD front-facing camera, HDMI output, Bluetooth connectivity, and "a laminated touch sensor for better visuals and 25 percent less glare."
Additionally, the HD also has stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio, improved dual-band Wi-Fi and two antennas using MIMO radio technology which should allow for 40 percent faster downloading than any tablet on the market. The base model has 16GB of internal storage.
Despite its larger size, the Fire HD is 20 ounces and just 8.8 mm thin.
Moving away from the hardware, Amazon had expanded their Whispersync technology, added native third-party developed apps for popular apps like Skype and new features such as X-Ray, which we will cover in the coming article.
The Kindle Fire HD will be released in late November and cost $299 for the 16GB/Wi-Fi base model. The 32GB model will sell for $369. A 4G LTE version will cost $499 for 32GB and $599 for 64GB. The data comes via AT&T and comes with a deal of $50 per year for 250MB data per month, 20GB cloud storage and $10 Amazon Appstore credit. You can upgrade to 3GB or 5GB through AT&T at their standard pricing.
