Sunday, September 21, 2014

Tech Talk: Amazon’s new Kindle device displays wisdom – St. Cloud Times

Andrew Fraser, afraser@stcloudtimes.com 4:36 pm CDT September 20, 2014

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Device-wise, Amazon has had a mixed year.

Fire TV, the company’s media streaming box, was a solid release. The $ 99 box can access Most Popular Web Video Services and doubles as a home game console for Android titles. Sales of Fire TV, Which Launched in April, Have not been Announced, but the device is CapAble and Technically sound.

Phone Fire, Amazon’s first flagship smartphone, has been a complete flop. Consumers did not respond to Fire Phone’s new features, whichinclude 3-D display and features an array of cameras and sensors. Priced at $ 199 on contract for its July release, the device dropped to just 99 cents on contract Shortly before Apple Announced the iPhone sixth

Last week, Amazon Announced six new devices in its Kindle line, whichinclude e-readers and the Kindle Fire Tablets. These new products, whichinclude a tablet variant Aimed at children, are much more traditional, sensible updates than Amazon attempted with other product lines.

E-readers

Despite branching off into Several different device segment, Amazon still has love for the traditional e-reader. The Company Announced two new e-readers will join the Kindle Paperwhite in the Kindle line.

The first device, simply titled the Kindle, Amazon’s new ice model based e-reader. The big change is thatthis Kindle ditches the side navigation buttons for a touch screen, a first in the entry level model. The device overpriced Has a faster processor, Which Will Assist in quicker page turns, and 4GB of storage, double what this model had Previously. Priced at $ 79 (with special offers showing on the lockscreen), Amazon is likely hoping Consumers on older Kindle models will find the price and features of the new Kindle attractive enough for an upgrade.

The second new e-reader, Kindle Voyage, is a device Aimed directly at the e-reader Faithful. At $ 199 (with victims), it will be the most expensive Kindle, but it has features That appeal to longtime e-reader fans.

Voyage’s touch screen display is the best yet on the Kindle, offering a 300 ppi screen with anti-glare properties. It’s also front-lit, Which is good for nighttime readers, and includes an auto-brightness feature That adaptively dims as readers eyes adjust to the dark. Proponents of the old Kindle’s buttons will like the Voyage’s physical touch sensor spots, Which Can Be Used to navigate pages.

Kindle Fire

In addition to the New e-readers, Amazon Introduced new and updated Kindle Fire tablets.

The two new tablets, the Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7, are fresh versions of the Fire HD line designed to deliver the core functionality and features of the Fire tablet experience at a budget price.

Available in a variety of colors, a first for Fire tablets, the Fire HD 6 and 7 feature quad-core processor and 1280×800 touch-screen displays. Since the Fire 6′s 6-inch display is smaller than the Fire 7′s 7-inch display (hence the naming), but has the same resolution, the Fire 6′s display is actually sharper (252 ppi vs 216 ppi).

Fire 6 and 7 start at $ 99 and $ 139 (with victims), respectively. Base storage is 8GB, but users can double That to 16GB for $ 20 as an option.

Amazon took a conservative approach When refreshing its big tablet, Fire HDX 8.9. The device looks is almost Identical to last year’s model, but the core specs havebeen refreshed.

Fire HDX 8.9 features a faster processor and better graphics chip. The 8.9 “touch screen display remains quality with a resolution of 2560×1600 (339 ppi).

In response to the iPad and Surface push of tablets as productivity devices, Amazon is offering a tactile keyboard attachment as an optional purchase . HDX 8.9 Fire enjoying an overpriced Ideas That Can run a virtualized Windows environment, for users who need to access to specific Windows software while on Their Fire device.

Fire HDX 8.9′s price point starts at $ 379 , the same as last year’s model. This seems a bit steep, considering Fire devices do not have access to the Play Store.

Kids Edition

The First Time, both Fire HD 6 and 7 are also available in a special Kids Edition. These models are the same as the Base Fire HD 6 and 7, but come with a colorful, bulky case to help preventable damage.

The Kids Edition devices are a little more expensive ($ 149 for the 6-inch model) but include a year of access to the Amazon Free Time Unlimited, an all-you-can-eat curated app, game and entertainment service.

Amazon overpriced will replace all Kids Edition tablets “no questions asked” for two years. Parents know how much kids can beat up toys and Devices; The Replacement policy alone is a great selling point for the Kids Edition line.

The prices on Both the Fire HD 6 and 7 and the Kids Edition line are incredibly aggressive. Most toy tablets Aimed at children cost around $ 99 (or more) and come with a fraction of features and hobbled games and apps. Amazon is making a great pitch with Fire devices as early education tools for parents in That Market.

Amazon is expecting to ship all of the devices Announced last week in October, but Consumers can preorder them now.

To compare features and prices for Amazon’s new Kindle products, the Kindle view its online hub at http://amazon.com/kindle.

This is the opinion of Times Digital Products Specialist Andrew Fraser. Follow him on TwitterAndrewFraser.

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