http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/09/amazon/

3 new tablets. Regular Kindle is now $79!!



[Edited on September 28, 2011 at 12:06 PM. Reason : s]

9/28/2011 11:52:59 AM

damn these are priced to dominate....$79 for a kindle is a no brainer.

only complaint i have is that the silver ones look like circa 200-tech compared to the current kindle -- but this is only my opinion

9/28/2011 12:08:43 PM

I am in the market for a tablet right now, but I think I'll hold off for Windows 8 tablet. <3 MS products

[Edited on September 28, 2011 at 12:14 PM. Reason : /]

9/28/2011 12:14:36 PM

E-ink is still far superior to even that IPS color tablet for reading so ideally I'd want both the $199 tablet and use my current Kindle for reading.

Maybe one day they'll come out with a tablet that has a switchable IPS/E-ink display so you can swap to e-ink if you're reading.

9/28/2011 12:15:03 PM

I just need some that I can remote desktop from when I lay in the bed, and I'm good. But I want to make sure that i get something that I really want.

9/28/2011 12:29:31 PM

based on the playbook? nthx

9/28/2011 12:32:59 PM

The $200 Kindle Fire looks awesome. Exactly what I would be looking for in a tablet that excludes all the shit that we don't need and at a right price. Hopefully they'll slash the price of it 6 months after launch and pick it up at the price of the now defunct hp tablets.

9/28/2011 12:43:05 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=amb_link_357575542_4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=04ZSBCBCKQK16RHGDEE0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1321408942&pf_rd_i=507846

doesn't look like you can expand local storage with micro SD...........

9/28/2011 12:59:13 PM

Yeah 1024 by 600 isn't bad for 7". Main reason why I'm holding out on the iPad is the large size and god awful low DPI at 1024 by 768. If Apple made a 7" tablet at a higher resolution/DPI like the iPhone I'd probably jump on it.

^hmm yeah that would suck.

[Edited on September 28, 2011 at 1:00 PM. Reason : s]

9/28/2011 12:59:22 PM

I think I read there's no access to the main Google Appstore, only the Amazon appstore. Amazon appstore is pretty good but I'm sure they don't carry apps from the competition, like Netflix for example.

Someone has also said that the lack of SD slot might make it more difficult to root. I'll see how it goes but I still might buy one later this year, or request one for Christmas

But yeah the Kindle for 79 is nice, although I might still get one of the current ones that has been reduced to 99. Possibly the touchscreen insead but touchscreen on e-ink doesn't sound particularly fun.

[Edited on September 28, 2011 at 1:34 PM. Reason : ]

9/28/2011 1:31:43 PM

I've been debating that. I see no reason for it. The only interactions I ever have on my Kindle are:

1. Turn on
2. Page forward (sometimes page back)
3. Turn off

Sure it's nice to have easy navigation for browsing the Amazon store but truthfully I'd only resort to searching for books via the Kindle if I didn't have access to a computer and Amazon's native site.

When I read I'd much rather have a single button on both the right and left sides of the device for turning pages then having to tap/swipe the touch screen. Seems too much of a hassle. I typically hold the Kindle with one hand and I imagine having to tap/swipe the screen and hold it with one hand would be challenging.

[Edited on September 28, 2011 at 4:10 PM. Reason : plus it doesn't look like the touch e-ink Kindle even has buttons. That's a downside.]

9/28/2011 4:08:56 PM

^^ at 200 bucks someone online will have a way to get google's app store on there in under a month.

9/28/2011 4:19:35 PM

I was reading about this thing today- I don't like the sounds of it. It sounds like a glorified kindle moreso than a "tablet" in the sense of the ipad, touchpad, etc...

9/28/2011 4:30:26 PM

^^^ I was unclear but I already have a 3rd gen kindle and was saying if I didn't already have one. I actually do use the keyboard because I enjoy some of the word games you can get.

However touching the screen to turn the page does actually sound good to me (not if you have to swipe). When I hold a kindle (or a thin book) with one hand my natural hand position is near the bottom with my thumb pointed to the left right below the screen, but the kindle's page turn buttons force me to either hold the kindle with my thumb pointed up, which feels awkward, or to move my thumb every time I turn a page, which is annoying.

It's a picky complaint but it's still something that a touchscreen would help, since I would only need to move my thumb up a centimeter or so and tap the bottom corner of the screen.

9/28/2011 5:15:46 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-fire-impressions/

Amazon interface looks pretty nifty. So if you're Amazon Prime you get to watch all the TV Shows/Movies unlimited for free?

^Good point. I imagine moving my thumb over slightly to tap the screen would be nice. I too have a Kindle 3 but am interested in the smaller form factor of the newer one. Might just wait for them to hit Best Buy first.

9/28/2011 6:06:56 PM

Are the only Kindle Touch models with the stupid ads? That seems to be the only ones showing up on my phone search.

9/28/2011 9:24:49 PM

No they all have a ad and non-ad version.

9/28/2011 10:29:04 PM

Quote :

"So if you're Amazon Prime you get to watch all the TV Shows/Movies unlimited for free?"

Prime members get to watch a very limited selection of the TV Shows/Movies for free.

9/28/2011 10:53:39 PM

Quote :

"Amazon appstore is pretty good but I'm sure they don't carry apps from the competition, like Netflix for example"

netflix is 100% hosted on amazon ec2

9/28/2011 10:54:40 PM

This article made me

Quote :

"Initially, I’d figured the Appstore wouldn’t be much more than a way for Amazon to earn a little coin off the booming, highly profitable mobile app business. Instead, they’ve picked the very lock that Google uses to control Android. By creating a legitimate Market alternative with over 10,000 apps (at last count) and the full backing of the Amazon juggernaut, Jeff Bezos no longer needs a thing from Google. And here’s the craziest part: on the strength of the entirety of the Amazon ecosystem — Kindle, Whispersync, and so on — the Kindle Fire will be the greatest and most popular Android-powered tablet ever created. By miles and miles and miles. And it’ll happen without Google’s blessing, without Andy Rubin’s blessing, without the Android Market. Amazon now stands poised to take one of Google’s most critical assets — Android — and turn it against them. Praise for the Fire’s deeply-customized version of Android 2.3 has been nearly universal, and make no mistake, there’s no going back; this is Amazon’s operating system now, built atop a road-tested core that Google served up free of charge. As Nilay notes, the Fire is all about consuming media — it’s not a tablet designed for general computing — and as such, I don’t think that it competes head-to-head with any Honeycomb tablet on the market today. That said, it certainly sets the stage for Amazon to move deeper into mobile hardware in the coming years — and if I were Google, Apple, or Microsoft, I’d go ahead and assume that’s exactly what’s happening (in fact, the rumor mill already has other tablets in the pipeline). After all, it wasn’t long ago that we thought it was preposterous that a search engine might create a phone popular enough to take over the world; it’s no more preposterous to think that the world’s largest online retailer could do the same."

I suppose it does take a little fuel out of the argument that Android truly isn't open, although it does show what massive insane hoops you have to jump through in order to actually take advantage of the "openness". Basically you have to be a huge company like Amazon.

9/28/2011 11:54:05 PM

I was planning on getting the hp ($200 package) one whenever one became available. Should I go for the Fire instead?

9/29/2011 3:06:59 PM

Amazon Silk
http://youtu.be/_u7F_56WhHk

Looks intriguing to me. Thoughts?

9/29/2011 3:08:27 PM

Quote :

"netflix is 100% hosted on amazon ec2"

that doesn't mean amazon has to allow a netflix application on their kindle/tablet devices

also, netflix isn't 100% hosted on amazon AWS. the content is delivered from content delivery networks, primarily Level3 and probably others.

9/29/2011 3:32:28 PM

Business Week claims that it will have Netflix:

http://www.businessweek.com/printer/magazine/the-omnivore-09282011.html

Quote :

"... Since March, Amazon has also administered its own app store for Android devices, culling Google’s more comprehensive selection and removing everything that’s offensive and unreliable. Kindle Fire owners will have access to apps from Pandora (P), Twitter, Facebook, and Netflix (NFLX). Other competitors such as Barnes & Noble (BKS) can submit their apps, but it will be much easier for Kindle Fire owners to find Amazon’s own content. ..."

9/29/2011 9:59:51 PM

the webservice that your client connects to is all on ec2. i would say more.. but im not allowed to

9/29/2011 10:19:43 PM

I'll probably get the kindle touch in a few months (i.e. once I've finished reading A Dance with Dragons on my wife's kindle).

9/30/2011 8:19:15 AM

ugh, that gray/silver looks like crap...personally, i hate white electronics, too, but the silver is worse

i'm always on the lookout for a deal and if i didn't already have the "kindle keyboard," one of these new kindles (the $79 ad-supported wifi-only version) would be my first choice, hands down...i've only used the 3G on my kindle a couple of times (before i had a smartphone), but even then, it wasn't worth the premium

9/30/2011 8:48:32 AM

I think Gray is fine, Black doesn't look bad but it's so generic. I wish the Kindle Fire was gray also, they should have painted it so it matched the others and didn't look literally exactly like a playbook.

10/2/2011 11:55:42 AM

waiting on the 10 incher

twss

10/2/2011 4:10:35 PM

^ Ah, that's what she said.

Anyways, I really like the idea of this product and I welcome Amazon getting their nose into more products. It's not the greatest thing in the world but 200 is reasonable and not a major purchase, so it makes for a good toy. Once you get into 400-500, I expect it to really do something great -- I just dont think a 500 dollar tablet seems like money well spent, but Im a tablet hater to some degree. But at 200, it makes for a nice little entertainment thing.

10/2/2011 6:56:10 PM

Funny how ebook readers have seen prices cut in half over the last year, but the Kindle DX is still the same price it was when it released years ago, almost $400.


[Edited on October 3, 2011 at 1:20 PM. Reason : ]

10/3/2011 1:18:07 PM

for 80 bucks, i might buy a regular kindle. thats a pretty attractive price

10/3/2011 6:44:28 PM

^^Good point. It's a damn big screen though. Although it's not the original DX. It's been updated with the newer e-ink display, better specs, etc.

^Yeah I'm thinking of even selling my Kindle 3 keyboard now and getting the basic Kindle for $109 (without ads). I rarely use the keyboard and if I want to search for new books to read I certainly don't use the Kindle to do it unless it's last resort (on the beach). The touch would be nice and I'd get it right now if it had the side buttons for flipping pages. I don't want to have to touch the screen every time I want to turn the page. I want a forward button where my thumb is. Simple.

10/3/2011 7:21:36 PM

I rarely read books anymore... but, I would certainly be inclined to read more if i didn't have to deal with books.

Plus, I've got PDFs of a few reference books I frequently reference... I don't really like pulling them up on my xoom, the white background is harsh, and opt to use the paper version... but searchability of pdfs is pretty badass.

[Edited on October 3, 2011 at 7:33 PM. Reason : .]

10/3/2011 7:32:42 PM

I've always liked the idea of eReaders, but the price has always been too damn high. I get the convenience of having every book crammed into a tiny package (great for travel), but the high entry price, plus the high prices of books, is too much to be overcome by a little convenience. I always said, "as long as there are libraries and used book stores, a Kindle just won't be worth it."

But for $79, I'm second guessing myself. That's a badass price.

[Edited on October 3, 2011 at 10:49 PM. Reason : comma!]

10/3/2011 10:47:58 PM

it's kind of ridiculous that so many kindle versions of books are more expensive than the print version.

10/4/2011 7:13:11 AM

most i've seen are generally cheaper unless you're getting a used paperback

[Edited on October 4, 2011 at 8:01 AM. Reason : i really wish they would throw in the digital verison if you by the physical version for free though]

10/4/2011 8:00:46 AM

http://amzn.to/oqPIy2

Game of Thrones-- 4 book paperback set: 19.99
Kindle: 29.99

[Edited on October 4, 2011 at 9:02 AM. Reason : i realize it's just one example, but i've seen many more. ]

10/4/2011 9:02:30 AM

Yeah typically the Kindle version is cheaper than the print version when you're looking on the Amazon site. Not saying there aren't exceptions but on an individual book basis e-books are typically cheaper.

Plus I don't have to wait for it to come in the mail or drive to the book store.

I read a lot and main reason I prefer the Kindle over paper backs is ease of use. First world problems I know but I like reading and eating or reading and drinking my coffee. With a paper back it's challenging to hold the book AND turn the pages with one hand. With the Kindle (and even more so with the newer smaller one) you can hold it with one hand and change pages while leaving your other hand free.

10/4/2011 10:12:30 AM

Just ordered the regular Kindle to replace my Kindle Keyboard.

Anyone want to buy a Kindle Keyboard ($189) plus a lighted case ($59) for like $150? Kindle is new because I just got it replaced under warranty (new one comes tomorrow).

[Edited on October 4, 2011 at 11:13 AM. Reason : s]

10/4/2011 11:13:30 AM

Quote :

"Yeah typically the Kindle version is cheaper than the print version when you're looking on the Amazon site."

this is exactly the opposite of my experience...which is why i buy the book and allegedly download an electronic copy

10/4/2011 1:23:04 PM

Ha that's what I do also.

I also may or may not use Calibre software to put it on the Kindle.

10/4/2011 2:06:47 PM

I used to do that too then I got a job. In my experience most older books are cheaper via e-book and I never have to worry about converting via calibre, transferring, making sure the format is right, blah blah. Time is money.

Actually the biggest factor is my parents both have Kindles and my dad's retired and we share the same genres of interest. So I just log into their account, download all their books.

10/4/2011 2:37:51 PM

Quote :

"I never have to worry about converting via calibre, transferring, making sure the format is right, blah blah."

this might take 30 seconds (less per book if you're doing more than one)...30 seconds of my time is worth $10

i also read fairly new (within the past 2-3 years) pretty frequently, so paying more money for the ebook version just seems silly to me...i can't wait until the publishers are able to set the price instead of amazon

[Edited on October 5, 2011 at 8:27 AM. Reason : .]

10/5/2011 8:23:09 AM

Yeah I do too and the e-books are typically slightly cheaper. Maybe we're buying different types of books.

I used to use Calibre all the time. Even if it's 30 seconds it's still too long. I always had to mess with formatting to get them to look as nice as the Amazon books. Not worth my time.

I like having my books on one account and synced between all my devices. When I get a new device it's seamless and I don't have to mess with ever connecting my Kindle to a computer. I can read a chapter on my phone then start right back up on my Kindle.

The ease of use and no hassle is worth the money.

Quote :

"i also read fairly new (within the past 2-3 years) pretty frequently, so paying more money for the ebook version just seems silly to me...i can't wait until the publishers are able to set the price instead of amazon"

So you pirate them instead? Are you buying the paperbacks then pirating the e-books? So even if the e-books are more expensive you're saving like a dollar?

I bought Dance with Dragons for $14.99 when it first came out. That's the same price or cheaper compared to the hardcover edition. Once it's released on paper back it'll still be a dollar or 2 cheaper for the e-book in my experience.

10/5/2011 9:47:31 AM

Got the new Kindle in. It's great except for one thing. The e-ink display (same one as in the Kindle 3 keyboard) doesn't appear to be as dark and is slightly more blurry than my k3 w/ keyboard.

Called Amazon and they said they should be identical so they're over-nighting me a replacement but I have a feeling it's going to be the same.

Haven't found anything online about this yet.

Defect exposed? Maybe my eye sight is just too good.

10/6/2011 7:20:16 PM

I don't have any complaints but I haven't had one since the original.

10/7/2011 12:29:09 AM

Quote :

"Are you buying the paperbacks then pirating the e-books?"

allegedly

also, it seems somewhat unfair that i should have to pay for an digital copy for books i already own...but that is, of course, a personal opinion

i look forward to the days when ebooks are always cheaper than their physical counterparts (you know, like buying digital albums is frequently cheaper than buying the CD) and/or when you can buy the physical book and pay a bit more ($1?) and get a code for the digital version

[Edited on October 7, 2011 at 8:55 AM. Reason : .]

10/7/2011 8:52:52 AM

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eReader-eBook-Reader-e-Reader-Special-Offers/product-reviews/B0051QVESA/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_3?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addThreeStar

Great. It's not just me. Read some of the 2-3 star reviews. People are complaining it's inferior to the Kindle 3 Keyboard in terms of contrast/sharpness etc.

Looks like I'll be returning it.

10/7/2011 9:43:15 AM

Another two hundred dollar 7-incher, this one with GPS and webcam:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=125EC838A7312DD4A397B55779CFA876&tabname=Features

Quote :

"If you're always on the go and always online, look to our IdeaPad A1 Tablet, a compact yet rugged multimedia device that runs on the Android™ 2.3 operating system. Its unique offline GPS navigation technology gives you a direct satellite link — no more worries about network availability. "

can someone explain to me what does this mean?

[Edited on October 7, 2011 at 12:21 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2011 12:21:00 PM