Amazon Officially Announces New Kindle Fire HD & Kindle Fire HDX Models

[dgstorm]

For months we have seen rumor upon rumor and leak after leak regarding the next-generation Kindle-Fire HD products. Now Amazon decided to quell all of the speculation and innuendo with a full, official reveal. One of the most surprising new additions to the lineup is that they have revamped their "skinned" version of Android and now have their own name for the customized OS. They call it, Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito.” We will do a separate article with more details on this new development.

In the mean-time, here's the full skinny on their new tablet products.

First up we have their base model and most affordable product in the lineup, the Kindle Fire HD. This is the replacement for the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. With the launch of this new product we also have a statement from Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. He said, “Two years ago, we revolutionized the tablet industry with the breakthrough $199 price point for tablets—now we’re doing it again with the $139 price point.”

The pricing actually varies a bit for all of the models. Amazon will be offering a version in each storage category which will display ad supported special offers and specific screensavers on the lock screen. This will be the discounted model, while a model without the "special offers" will be a bit more. Here's a price breakdown for the two models of the Kindle Fire HD: The 8GB model with special offers is $139, but without special offers is $154. The 16GB model with special offers is $169, but without special offers it is $184.

Here's the spec and feature breakdown:

• 7-inch 1280×800 display
• Dual-core 1.5GHz processor (60% faster than the original)
• 8GB or 16GB of internal storage
• Dual stereo speakers
• Dual-band WiFi
• 10 hours of battery life (mixed use)
• Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito” (based on Android)

The next products we have in their lineup are the new higher-end fare. Amazon announced the Kindle Fire HDX series. They have the same specs except for differing screen sizes (with corresponding resolutions), different battery life and different cameras. Here's the scoop,

• The 7-inch model has 1920 x 1200 resolution
• The 8.9-inch model has 2560 x 1600 resolution
• Quad-Core 2.2 GHz processor
• Dual Stereo Speakers
• Dual-band, dual antenna MIMO WiFi
• Optional 4G LTE with AT&T or Verizon
• 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage
• 7-inch model has only a front camera, but the 8.9-inch has an 8MP rear camera too
• The 7-inch model promises 11 hours of mixed use on battery and the 8.9-inch gets 12 hours of mixed use

Here's the full price breakdown of the new HDX lineup, including the differences with and without the "special offers":

7-inch HDX WiFi-only

• With offers – 16GB for $229, 32GB for $269, 64GB for $309
• Without offers – 16GB for $244, 32GB for $284, 64GB for $324

7-inch HDX WiFi + 4G

• With offers – 16GB for $329, 32GB for $369, 64GB for $409
• Without offers – 16GB for $344, 32GB for 384, 64GB for $424

8.9-inch HDX WiFi-only

• With offers – 16GB for $379, 32GB for $429, 64GB for $479
• Without offers – 16GB for $394, 32GB for $444, 64GB for $494

8.9-inch HDX WiFi + 4G

• With offers – 16GB for $479, 32GB for $529, 64GB for $579
• Without offers – 16GB for $494, 32GB for $544, 64GB for $594

You can already get these on a pre-order at Amazon. The Kindle Fire HD is launching October 2nd. The date of availability for the HDX 7-inch is October 18th for WiFi and November 14th for the 4G option. The HDX 8.9 will be coming November 7th for the WiFi edition and December 10th for the 4G LTE.

Head on over to Amazon for more info: Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more via Kindle-FireForum

 

[combatmedic870]

wow...8.9 inch 2560x1600?? new highest res small tablet you think?