Amazon updated their Kindle line with an announcement yesterday. The new e-readers and tablets can be pre-ordered today and will arrive October 21st. Everything from the basic Kindle e-reader to the advanced Fire HDX 8.9″ tablet has been refreshed with this wave. There is also a durable new version of the tablet introduced for Kids.
Kindle E-readers
The Kindle and the Kindle Voyage are typically considered the less sexy devices because they are dedicated e-readers instead of full blown tablets. They do one thing but they do it really well. The battery life can be measured by several days, if not weeks, instead of hours. They may reading easy, portable, and provide access to Amazon’s content.
The Kindle runs $79 with special offers and has been updated for a touch interface, more storage, and faster processing on page turns. The Kindle Voyage runs $199 with special offers and for Wi-Fi only. The Kindle Voyage offers free 3G connectivity for a $70 increase. It features a higher resolution display and a front light to read comfortably no matter where you are at.
Press release: Amazon Introduces Two All-New Kindles
Tablets
These fourth generation Fire tablets will come with Fire OS 4 “Sangria” an update to the Android fork that Amazon uses for their tablets and other devices like the Fire Phone and Fire TV. 3rd generation Fire tablets will be able to update to Fire OS 4 free and over-the-air “early next year”.
Press release: Introducing Fire OS 4 “Sangria”
Fire HD
Amazon’s Fire HD tablet is available as a 6″ or 7″ tablet with five different colors. The Fire HD 6 tablet costs $99 while the Fire HD 7 tablet costs $139, both prices are for 8GB storage and with special offers. You can pay more and opt-out of the special offers and/or upgrade to 16GB of storage for $20 more.
The Fire HD tablets have quad-core processors, HD displays, and access to Amazon’s content and AppStore.
Press release: Introducing the All-New Fire HD—The Most Powerful Tablet Under $100
Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet
The Fire HD Kids Edition tablet also comes in 6-inch and 7-inch variants. It is a full Fire HD tablet but comes with a durable case in blue, green, or pink, includes access to Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, and has a 2 year warranty of free replacement should it break. It costs $149 for the 6-inch version and $189 for the 7-inch version. Amazon FreeTime Unlimited provides kids access to 5,000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps and games at no additional cost along with smart parental controls.
Press release: Introducing Fire HD Kids Edition—The Kids Tablet That Has it All, Including the First-Ever 2-Year Worry-Free Guarantee
Fire HDX 8.9
The Fire HDX 8.9 is an 8.9-inch tablet to compete with the iPad and Android tablets. With upgrade options, it is priced at $379 for 16GB storage. Boasting access to Amazon’s content, it also has good hardware for an HD display, light-weight build, and a 2.5 GHz processor. This update brings 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi to speed up your access to that content. With Fire OS, it also brings some of the features that were announced with Fire Phone like Firefly, to identify a wide range of products and information.
The Fire HD X is ready to accessorize. There is the detachable Fire Keyboard with keyboard and trackpad for $59.99. The Origami Case for Fire HDX 8.9 protects your tablet and folds different ways to act as a stand in portrait and landscape orientations for $69.99. Finally, there are accessories to utilize the microUSB port for charging, viewing USB drives/SD cards, using a wired keyboard or mouse, or to even output video to HDMI or VGA signals.
