The estimated reading time for this post is 7 minutes
Fasten your seat belts, this fall the news about tech will be coming fast and furious. Devices such as new Kindles, iPhone, iPods, Microsoft Surface, and rumored iMacs and iPads are or may be on the horizon. Stay tuned to The Wonder of Tech to keep up with all of the exciting news!
Last week Amazon made a major announcement about its Kindle line up. The new devices will be launched before the holiday season, plus major upgrades to its software will make existing Kindles more powerful. Whether you’re a Kindle fan or considering getting your first Kindle, Amazon’s announcements are very good news.
Hardware
New Kindle models were introduced last week, and prices of existing models of Kindles were reduced. The lowest priced Kindle reader is now $69 and the lowest priced Kindle Fire is now $159.
Kindle Fire
The 2012 Kindle Fire comes in four models:
- Kindle Fire
- Kindle Fire HD 7″
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9″
- Kindle Fire HD + 4G 8.9″
Amazon is taking aim at the iPad with these new models, even showing direct comparisons on their website. The original Fire was a low-cost alternative to the iPad for those who wanted a tablet but didn’t want to make a significant investment. New features of the Fire HD make Amazon’s tablet more of a competitor with the iPad. The Fire HD is priced significantly lower than the iPad, enticing shoppers to give the Fire HD serious consideration.
New Kindle Fire
The New Kindle Fire has eight hours of battery life and is 40% faster than the original Kindle Fire. The new Fire will come with Special Offers, the screen saver that displays deals sent from Amazon, but you can pay $15 to turn off that feature.
Amazon is making the new Fire more kid-friendly by offering Kindle FreeTime, an option to limit the use of the tablet. Kindle FreeTime lets a parent restrict use of the Fire to a limited time for apps, games and videos, but enable use of the Fire for an unlimited time for reading books.
The new Fire begins shipping on September 14 and will be available for $159.
Kindle Fire HD 7″
The Kindle Fire HD 7″ has the same screen size as Fire but got improved features such as:
- HD screen resolution
- Dolby Digital Plus sound
- Front-facing camera for Skype video calls
- 16 or 32 GB of storage
- 11 hours battery life
- Two Wi-Fi antennas for faster connections
The Kindle Fire HD also has a 10 point touch screen, putting all your fingers to work for enhanced navigation.
Dolby Digital Plus creates virtual surround sound and adjusts the sound based on whether you’re listening to music or movies and whether you’re listening with speakers or headphones.
The Kindle Fire HD 7″ will begin shipping on September 14 and will be priced at:
- $199 for 16 GB
- $249 for 32 GB
Kindle Fire HD 8.9″
The Kindle Fire HD also comes with a 8.9″ screen, which is slightly smaller than the iPad’s 9.7″ screen. The Fire HD 8.9″ has the same features as the 7″ model, but adds:
- Faster processor
- 16, 32 and 64 GB storage
- 4G connection
Information about the battery life of the 8.9″ tablet hasn’t yet been provided by Amazon.
The 4G option gives the tablet the ability to connect to the Internet when Wi-Fi isn’t available. Amazon is offering the 4G connection for $49.99/year with 250 MB/month. Larger data options will be available but pricing has not been announced. The 4G fee also gives you 20 GB of Amazon Cloud storage and a $10 credit towards the Amazon Appstore.
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ begins shipping November 20 in the US and will be priced at:
Wi-Fi only:
- $299 for 16 GB
- $369 for 32 GB
Wi-Fi + 4G:
- $499 for 32 GB
- $599 for 64 GB
Amazon is challenging the iPad directly on price. A Amazon price comparison chart shows significant savings on the initial price of the Fire HD and the cost of data:
Kindle Paperwhite
If you’re in the market for a dedicated ereader, Amazon has a new model for you to consider, the Paperwhite. The Paperwhite is designed to be easier on the eye with 62% more pixels and 25% better contrast than previous Kindles. The Paperwhite offers six different fonts in eight different sizes.
While those features are improvements over the previous Kindles, the killer feature for the Paperwhite may be the ability to illuminate the screen. Amazon introduces new technology to light the screen from above so there isn’t any backlighting to cause eye strain.
The Paperwhite only has half the storage space of the Kindle Keyboard, but the Paperwhite holds 1100 books and has unlimited Amazon Cloud storage for Amazon content. If you are staunchly determined to have over 1100 books stored on your Kindle, the Kindle Keyboard might be a better choice for you.
The Paperwhite wakes up automatically if you get a special Kindle cover. Similar to the Smart Cover of the iPad, the Kindle Paperwhite cover closes magnetically and comes in a variety of colors.
The Kindle Paperwhite is priced:
- $119 Wi-Fi Only with Special Offers
- $139 Wi-Fi Only without Special Offers
- $179 Wi-Fi + 3G with Special Offers
- $199 Wi-Fi +3G without Special Offers
Special Offers means your screen saver shows Amazon deals. If you decide you don’t like this feature, you can pay to turn it off after you’ve bought the device.
The 3G version gives you free 3G coverage in 100 countries around the world without any connection charges.
Kindle Paperwhite is scheduled to begin shipping the week of October 15.
Software
Amazon, which owns Audible, is integrating Audible audiobooks with Kindle books so you can switch back and forth between formats and devices.
Whispersync for Voice
Kindle books have Whispersync so you can put a book down on one device, such as your Kindle, and then open it on another device right, such as your smartphone, where you left off reading. Amazon is bringing that technology to Audible audiobooks so you can listen to an audiobook on one device and then pick up where you left off on another device.
You can also sync your Audible books with your Kindle books. This feature is available for over 14,000 books listed here. In some cases, the audiobook is less expensive by buying it through Whispersync for Voice than buying it from Audible, plus you get a Kindle book as a bonus.
“The ability to seamlessly switch back and forth between reading text on any Kindle and listening to the same title in audio on your smartphone—and always pick up where you left off—means that the story can continue during those times of the day when you cannot look at a screen. We think that Whispersync for Voice can help us all enjoy more books, which is good news indeed,” said Donald Katz, Founder and CEO of Audible.
Here’s a video showing how Whispersync for Voice works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ujWsgmdal58
Immersion Reading
Amazon is also integrating Audible audiobooks with new Kindle Fires in a feature called Immersion Reading. This feature, now available for over 15,000 books, will synchronize the reading of an Audible audiobook with a Kindle book so that the passage being read by the Audible narrator is highlighted on the Kindle.
When you buy a Kindle book with Immersion Reading available, you can add the Audible audiobook narration to the book for an extra charge, discounted from the full price of the audiobook.
Here is a video showing how Immersion Reading works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gYsIvAwRLOA
Amazon is making Immersion Reading free for a limited time for certain titles, including “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” narrated by Elijah Wood, and “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” narrated by Anne Hathaway.
Immersion Reading is available on the new Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD models.
X-Ray for Movies
If you often wonder when you’re watching a movie whether you’ve seen an actor in another film, check out X-ray for Movies. This feature gives you instant access to IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) on the screen when you’re watching a movie on your new Kindle Fire. Just tap the screen and a menu will appear letting you search on IMDB without leaving the movie.
Summary
Questions remain about the new Kindle models, such as whether the Fire tablets will have navigation capabilities and whether the Paperweight Wi-Fi + 3G will have a 3G Experiment Browser . Will the Kindle Fire be able to make a dent in the tablet market domination by the iPad? Will Apple introduce an iPad mini to compete with the Kindle Fire HD 7″? We will know more after these devices become available, but in the meantime there are plenty of new features to anticipate eagerly.
What do you think of the new Kindles? Are you interested in any of these devices? Are you excited by the software features Amazon is introducing? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Like drinking water from a fire hose; so many toys, so little time.
My iPod crashed and burned and I was just trying to figure out if I was going to buy a used one on eBay or get a refurbished one from the Apple store……hmmmm.
Also, I told Adam I was sending my Kindle Fire back to him so he could give me the ‘new’ one; I’m sure that’s what he meant to do anyway so I wanted to help him out.
I will see Mr Adam next Monday in Orlando; we are going to meet w/ Dino Dogan of Triberr fame. He’s going to tell us all the secrets……..:).
Hi Bill, Not to get all technical here, but was it your iPod or iPad that crashed and burned? If it was your iPad, you should bring it to an Apple Store to see if you can get it repaired under warranty. If it’s your iPod, then wait until after Apple’s announcement this week. New iPods may be introduced. Stay tuned to The Wonder of Tech for more information than you ever wanted to know about the new iPods!
My daughter has a Kindle Fire and loves it. I have to be sure to hide this article from her so she doesn’t want an upgrade like you do! 😉
Give my best to Adam and Dino. And then give me their secrets…
iPod that I previously bought used on eBay. It lasted a couple of years…I just need it small and light so I can carry it with me when I do physical activities; I really don’t need the latest and greatest…….gotsta have my music for inspiration though………:)
I completely understand. So your iPhone isn’t a good music player for you then? There are supposed to be some new iPods introduced by Apple on Wednesday. If you can wait until then, the price of the older models will probably drop a bit. 🙂
HI Carolyn,
I like the look of the Kindle Fire more than the Ipad and the prices are getting better. I use my laptop in bed, but it would be easier to read a book with one of those. I read a lot, but haven’t read a novel for a while.
Technology continues to come down in price, but here in the UK people are suffering because essentials like food, energy and gasoline have increased by around 50% since the end of 2007. Even water bills are quite expensive now. It seems quite strange to me when luxuries seem cheap and essentials expensive.
One of the students I talk to in China is now on her way to England. She will arrive in Thursday. I checked out the university, all the halls and schools are in the wrong place on Google maps. They are all together, so it will be easy to go from one to the other. I don’t like driving in the city though, I would hate to do it on a weekday!
Hi Mike, Yes, reading in bed with a Kindle is wonderful. I have the Kindle Keyboard, but the Paperwhite with the illuminated screen would make reading in bed much easier.
I don’t tend to read books on my iPad because of the backlighting. I stare at the computer all day so I don’t like to do that when I’m reading.
Wow, I didn’t know you were suffering from that kind of inflation in the UK. When I was there in 2007, the pound was over $2 so everything seemed very expensive to me. How much is a litre of petrol these days?
Try Bing maps instead of Google maps to see if they are more accurate. Google maps has my neighborhood in the wrong town so no one can ever find us.
Hi Carolyn
You would pay about $1.50 for a pound now. Petrol is 1.40 a litre, up from 1.25 a couple of months ago!
Your photos edits are ona Zillion ideas, hope you like them!
Hi Carolyn
You would pay about $1.50 for a pound now. Petrol is 1.40 a litre, up from 1.25 a couple of months ago!
Your photos edits are on a Zillion ideas, hope you like them!
Kindle is indeed great, but has a lot to improve to catch up to iPad (the newer versions seem to catch up :D). I had a Kindle Fire before exchanging it for the one I am using now – Samsung Galaxy Tab (I was going to buy the Google Nexus 7 tablet, but the guys at store told my it isn’t available in the market yet. Hope to see more news on that too :D).
As with the expansion of technology, these are great – shows the true potential of technology (And maybe the effects – such as radiation – of relying on it for more things and of course the indirect effects involved in the process of making these things).
Appreciate the share, Carolyn!
Hi Jeevan, Yes, the Kindle Fire HD comes closer to the iPad than the original Fire did and can save you lots of money. The Fire HD doesn’t have Retina Display or a rear-facing camera, but these may be features that buyers can do without to save a bit of money.
I imagine these tablets will be very popular this holiday season!
Awesome post Carolyn!
I think there’s nothing you left out where Kindle is concerned, which makes this post more of a guide!
It took a while to go through this exhaustive list, because Kindle is something I’ve been thinking for a long time to purchase for the family as such. More so, my kids love reading and Kindle seems to the answer. I would of course be forwarding this post to my hubby too to have a look, which would help us all decide on which one to go in for. Though I feel for starters, going inf or the cheapest option might be better, till we get the hang of it, and later change it to a better one.
Thanks for sharing and this surely is an informative post. 🙂
Hi Harleena, I’m glad this article was helpful to you. I know it’s a long one, but there are so many innovative features that I wanted to explain thoroughly. If someone isn’t interested, they can skip ahead, but if they are, I want them to learn as much as they can here at The Wonder of Tech!
I encourage you to take a look at the different models of the Kindle. The Paperwhite is very compelling with the built-in light. I have a light on the cover of my Kindle, but I have to position it just right so there isn’t any glare on the screen. I also like how sharp the screen is on the Paperwhite.
Let me know if you have any questions as you try to decide! 🙂
Ha haa … “Amazon is making the new Fire more kid-friendly by offering Kindle FreeTime” – should be read, more “parent-friendly”, and yeah, thats a killer feature. Remember last week I wrote in another comment, how there should be diff profile for the kids and parents to switch between, so the kids can access limited number of apps? This helps in limiting the time, which is a great 1st step. And unlimiting while reading books is a smart idea too.
And btw, $15 to take off the deals screensaver is dumb!
Anyways, I think Kindle Fire family is a great choice. Whether by hardware specs its better than the closest rival Google Nexus 7 or not, but Amazon has a great overall value if you combine Prime membership.
One of the features that I miss on my Fire v1.0 is the camera & mic. I hear they are somewhat covered in this release, but its kinda half-way.
Hi iRewardChart, Lol, I almost changed my text to parent-friendly when I edited this article, but then I thought about how grateful kids would be that they wouldn’t be tempted to play games when they should be reading. That really is a killer feature!
You’re right, the kid profile will make parents very, very happy. I also wonder if then schools could use this feature so that kids could bring their Fires into class without distraction.
Yes, I actually like the screen saver deals. I recently bought a Kindle book because I saw a screen saver deal on it.
Yes, the Amazon Prime membership combined with a Kindle is a truly great deal.
A microphone wasn’t mentioned in the specs, but I’m thinking that it has to have one for Skype calls.
I’m hoping that the new Fires have volume buttons. My daughter says that’s the feature she wants most. Little does she know about Kindle FreeTime though! 😉
My gosh Carolyn, how do people ever choose with all the cool options they have now. I mean I still haven’t purchased any of these and not sure I will just yet. But I would like to get a Kindle someday but by that time I’ll probably already be getting me an iPad or perhaps even a Kindle Fire. Heck, that will end up being a pretty hard decision when I finally get around to it. They keep coming out with so many cool things. I guess that will never stop either.
Thanks for sharing all of this as always. My head is swimming.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, Amazon sure is making it tough with so many impressive options.
Your first decision should be whether you want a dedicated ereader or a multi-functional tablet. The ereader will cause less eye strain because it doesn’t have backlighting but can’t do as much as a tablet.
If you want a tablet, then the decision will be tough between the iPad and the Kindle Fire. After the Fire is launched, we will know more about it, but I predict it may just give the iPad a run for its money. We certainly know that the Fire is a lot less money than the iPad, but what kind of compromises will people have to make for that savings? And will the compromises matter?
As we get closer to the holidays, we will know more so you can decide which to put on your wish list! 🙂
One thing I have to say about the recent Kindle announcement is that I can honestly say that I am interested in one. I have never seen the point, but as time goes on and touchscreens are proving better and better I can see the real benefit. Especially as I want to start reading more and carrying books around all the time would be annoying, this is the perfect solution.
A great little look at the device, thanks,
Regards,
Simon Duck
Hi Simon, Yes, it’s interesting that more and more people are reading ebooks. When you go to a beach or a pool, you see quite a large percentage of people who are reading using ereaders.
I hope you are able to decide which one you want, Simon. There are a lot of good choices! 🙂
I like the upgrades Amazon has made to the new Kindle, I might just have to get one. But ill wait until Apple announces what they have up their sleeve, just in case 🙂
Hi Informal Gadget, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, it will be very interesting to see what Apple announces tomorrow with the iPhone 5. I am not inclined to get it, having just gotten an iPhone 4S last year, but Apple does a great job of convincing me to get gadgets I don’t think I want.
Apple also may introduce an iPad mini this fall. Pricing will be key with a new sized iPad to see if it can compete with the Kindle Fire HD.
Tomorrow should be a very interesting day!
Hi Carolyn,
I started to guess that is Kindle’s Fire is really gonna make things burnt out and turn iPad into ashes with its new available tablet.I guess if it does then the competition is going to be tough for iPad market.
reading is made easy with these Hot kindle fire models.
Lol, brilliant comment, Aditya! The Kindle Fire is one hot tablet. 🙂
Ha Ha Ha… 🙂 Yes for sure Carolyn may be that’s the reason i am not going to have it.Who knows it may burn my hands when i grab it. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I am really a long term customer of Amazon right from the year 2000, when Amazon was not so big. I used to order guitar books from them. I have noticed that since 2000 they have not changed their core user interface that much. That means if we were browsing amazon in 2000 or 2012, the experience is almost the same. That is what makes a great business in my opinion. Compare that to other software vendors. They keep changing UI’s and experience.
Amazon recently started their book store in India and I feel a lot of people who can never reach large publishers will feel it easy to publish their books.
I am also happy that more tablets/more phones means more consumer choices and more innovation . It is great that Amazon is out with a new tab because they have the most important thing with them, huge amount of content that they built in last 10 years. Now is the time to utilize it. Add it with an excellent Kindle product, others will find it very hard to compete.
Good news for Amazon and great for consumers 🙂
Hi Ashvini, Excellent point. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that the look of the Amazon website really hasn’t changed over the years. It’s very easy to navigate and get information, though sometimes the search results aren’t as directed as I would like.
You’re right, I also like how authors are able to reach readers without publishers so that more people have access to more content. I’m so glad they have come to India now.
As a published Kindle author, you must be very pleased that a new audience has opened up for your works! :-bd
Navigation may come to Kindle Fire HD, If the rumor is true, Amazon dumped Google Map services and using Nokia Navteq technology for Maps, Navigation is very important feature to be in the modern smart devices, I hope they wont miss it. Good summary Carloyn.
Hi Hemanth, Thank you for your kind words. I hope navigation is included with the Fire as well. Not only would navigation make the Fire a great GPS unit, it would also help owners to locate their devices should they be lost or stolen.
I heard from a reader whose Kindle Fire was stolen last month but unfortunately without navigation there was no way to locate it.
We should know more very soon!
Hey Carolyn
I’ve not got into the iPad or Kindle as yet. I just have my iPhone. I don’t really have an awful lot of time to read so that suffices.
I wonder if Apple will have anything to say about the design of the Kindle Fire? It is quite like an iPad.
They probably will. Apple is going crazy over this designs patents that should never granted to them in the first place.
Hi Tim, That would be quite the battle, Apple vs. Amazon. Let the games begin.
😉
I have the (very) old kindle and it’s hard to just look at the new versions without buying them. I’m thinking that my wife needs a kindle and that she’ll be happy with the old one, but then again, I’m waiting for the new iPhone and I’m thinking that she’ll want my iPhone 4s 🙂
I haven’t thought about using the kindle for anything other than a reading device, but now I see that it’s very close to the iPad.
Hi Jens, Well, there are two Kindle types really, the pure ereader and the tablet. The Fire is the tablet, but since you already have an iPad you don’t really need a tablet unless you want to get one for your kids which would save you a lot of money over getting them an iPad. 🙂
Really nice and complete review on Kindle. It looks like Kindle successfuly establishing its brand as the affordable but high quality tablet and I believe in a few years Kindle will be used by more people.
Unfortunately, we are who in Indonesia can’t get the most out from Kindle since some features only works for U.S Citizen. I hope Amazon can provides more feature for us, who buy Kindle from U.S and bring it to Indonesia 🙂
Hi Akira, I agree, I hope Amazon brings more content to Indonesia. I wish there was a global rights clearing house that allowed people to access content across the globe.