Amazon Plays With Fire

POSTED September 28, 2011

NEW YORK -- At a press event in New York City, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled a new lineup of Kindle handheld readers including the Kindle Fire, a tablet with Amazon's own web browser, priced at just $199.

Amazon introduced an all-new Kindle family: three all-new Kindle e-readers that are smaller, lighter, and more affordable than ever before, and Kindle Fire - a new class of Kindle that brings the same ease-of-use and deep integration of content that helped Kindle re-invent reading - to movies, TV shows, music, magazines, apps, books, games, and more.

"We've now reached the magical two-digit price point for Kindle - twice: the new Kindle and Kindle Touch are only $79 and $99. Kindle Touch 3G is the new top of the line e-reader with free 3G - no monthly fees or annual contracts - and is only $149," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "Kindle Fire brings together all of the things we've been working on at Amazon for over 15 years into a single, fully-integrated service for customers. With Kindle Fire, you have instant access to all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, the convenience of Amazon Whispersync, our revolutionary cloud-accelerated web browser, the speed and power of a state-of-the-art dual-core processor, a vibrant touch display with 16 million colors in high resolution, and a light 14.6 ounce design that's easy to hold with one hand - all for only $199. We're offering premium products, and we're doing it at non-premium prices."

Amazon is looking to compete this holiday season with Apple's iPad, which sells for $499 each, nearly twice the price of the Kindle Fire.

Amazon is now taking preorders for the Fire on its website, which says it will begin shipping on November 15.

The Fire uses a customized version of Google's Android operating system and access to Amazon's App Store.

The Kindle Fire web browser Amazon Silk introduces a radical new paradigm - a "split browser" architecture that accelerates the power of the mobile device hardware by using the computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services Cloud. The Silk browser software resides both on Kindle Fire and on the massive server fleet that comprises the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). With each page request, Silk dynamically determines a division of labor between the mobile hardware and Amazon EC2 (i.e. which browser sub-components run where) that takes into consideration factors like network conditions, page complexity, and cached content. The result is a faster web browsing experience, and it's available exclusively on Kindle Fire. The Fire will also be able to use Adobe Flash software, something that Apple's iPad does not.

The Fire has a 7-inch color screen and weighs just 14.6 ounces. It has 8GB of storage but also takes advantage of Amazon's Cloud Storage services which is free for users.

Technical Specs for Amazon Fire

Display7" multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size (in inches)7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm).
Weight14.6 ounces (413 grams).
System RequirementsNone, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer.
On-device Storage8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content). That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
Cloud StorageFree cloud storage for all Amazon content
Battery LifeUp to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.
Charge TimeFully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB.
Wi-Fi ConnectivitySupports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB PortUSB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats SupportedKindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.
DocumentationQuick Start Guide (included in box); Kindle User's Guide (pre-installed on device)
Warranty and Service1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately.
Included in the BoxKindle Fire device, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.
Kindle

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