New Kindle Fire HD: 8.9" Screen With Numerous Upgrades
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (CNET) – The followups to the Kindle Fire have finally been revealed by Amazon at a press event in Santa Monica, CA. CNET was there in attendance and here's what we know so far.
CBS-owned CNET reports specs for the upgraded Kindle Fire include a 20 percent faster processor, 16GB of storage, and longer battery life. The new Kindle Fire will ship on September 14th for $159.
Amazon also announced the Kindle Fire HD with a 8.9-inch, 1920x1200 IPS screen, with an 8.8mm thinness. The tablet will also feature Dolby Digital plus, better Wi-Fi (thanks to dual antennas and dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz band support), an OMAP 4470 processor, an, front-facing HD camera, and 16GB of storage.
MIMO will be a key component of the Kindle Fire HD. This combination will purportedly give the Fire HD 21 percent faster Wi-Fi than the iPad. Whispersync for voice will allow users to keep their place in audio book across devices. Immersion Reading will highlight words in a book as its read to you.
X-ray for movies will allow you to get info on actors while you watch movies. Whispersync for games will store save points in the cloud, so that if you change devices, you won't lose previous accomplishments.
For parents out there, Kindle FreeTime will allow you to set time limits for games, TV, and movies across multiple profiles.
Amazon has also enhanced the original Kindle Fire's interface, with faster navigation, smoother animations, and more customization options.
Stay tuned for more info, including hand-on impressions once we have a chance t actually use the device. This post will be updated throughout the day.
