
Amazon Unveils $199 Kindle Fire Tablet - rkudeshi
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-28/amazon-unveils-199-kindle-fire-tablet.html
======
achompas
Bezos, on Amazon's refreshed e-Ink readers:

 _So meet the family. These are premium products at non-premium prices. People
are going to love these products._

This is Amazon's mission statement for product development. They will not
compete with Apple's "revolutionary, magical" phones and tablets; instead,
they'll sell quality tablets and readers to the average person at great
prices. This populist attitude has been missing from the tablet market since
the iPad's release.

The Fire will be the first successful Android tablet because the user base
_already exists_. With the last few Kindle generations, Amazon has groomed
customers to pay for electronic content. These users will buy Kindle Fires and
e-Ink Kindles in droves, buy more books, and tell their friends.

At this price, Amazon won't steal Apple's customers. They will simply
introduce a new segment of people to the tablet market. Developers need to
think about this as another golden ticket. Here's the iOS gold rush, part
deux.

EDIT: changed "luxurious" to "revolutionary" after reading a comment below. I
need more coffee.

~~~
jkincaid
"With this price, though, Amazon won't steal Apple's customers.."

I think a lot of people with iPads would have been more than happy to spend
half as much to get an easy-to-use tablet.

~~~
achompas
I hesitate to agree because it seems like the iPad and Fire will provide
different experiences.

For what it's worth, I couldn't justify an iPad for $500. I would absolutely
consider a Fire for $200 (or a Fire 3G for $250-300).

~~~
LearnYouALisp
He or she is saying that some people who were not looking for the advanced
features bought the iPad because it was the only tablet available beyond some
minimum.

~~~
CWuestefeld
Awareness is also a big factor.

My mom (she's a minister) just got an iPad, when all she needed was a handheld
device with which she can scroll the text of a eulogy, when she's at a grave
doing a funeral. The lowliest of tablets can handle this task, but "iPad" is
all people talk about. If Amazon can generate buzz -- and I think they can --
then it would certainly erode sales such as my mom's.

------
rkudeshi
Looks like Bloomberg got early access and published before the actual press
conference by accident.

The most relevant details:

 _The Kindle Fire will have a 7-inch display and sell for $199, compared with
$499 for Apple’s cheapest iPad, Amazon executives said. The device, a souped-
up version of the Kindle electronic-book reader, will run on Google Inc.’s
Android software, the Seattle-based company said._

 _The Kindle Fire doesn’t have an embedded camera or a microphone. The device
offers Wi-Fi connectivity, though not 3G access, and comes with a 30-day free
trial of Amazon Prime, the company’s $79-a-year membership service that
includes streaming video and free two-day shipping._

~~~
apaprocki
It wasn't an accident. It was a straight news "scoop". The news headline came
across the wire at 9:31am:

    
    
      *AMAZON TO UNVEIL KINDLE FIRE TODAY, SELL TABLET AT $199  BN  9:31
    

Just to be sure, I checked with the news team. :)

------
kyleslattery
Apparently there will be a $79 regular Kindle as well:
[http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/28/amazon-
launches-79-kindle...](http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/28/amazon-
launches-79-kindle/)

~~~
Lewisham
Great price point. It's basically in impulse zone: "This book is 6 dollars
cheaper at Kindle price... if I buy 12 it pays for itself..." but note there's
no physical keyboard. Without a touch screen, it looks like it won't do note-
taking, which is a bummer.

~~~
estel
I'd be interested to see what % of Kindle users make use of the Keyboard. I'm
pretty sure that I've only ever touched it for inputting URIs when web-
browsing from abroad.

~~~
erd
In the two years that I've owned my Kindle, I don't think that I've _ever_
used the keyboard (at least not intentionally).

~~~
portman
Same. But I know others (like my brother, a student) who use it a ton.

They can keep selling the Kindle3 with keyboard for those who want it.

------
smackfu
Main Amazon pages don't seem to be updated, but this URL is:
<http://www.kindle.com>

Interesting stuff:

* Will still sell current Kindle as "Kindle Keyboard" for same price.

* New non-touch Kindle is 2 ounces lighter than old Kindle, but has half the battery life.

* The new touch Kindle is 1 ounce lighter than old Kindle, with same battery life.

* Kindle Fire is 6-7 ounces lighter than an iPad 2.

* All the prices that were quoted are "with special offers" and the non-ad ones cost more.

~~~
maximilian
What popped out at me was the battery life for the fire:

 _8 hours continuous reading or 7.5 hours video playback_

8 hours doesn't seem like very much. Clearly its an LCD panel with back
lighting and all that, but 8 hours seems a bit short.

~~~
smackfu
That is a fairly standard number for a tablet. iPad, Touchpad, Galaxy Tab,
nook color are all in that neighborhood. Anything better means a bigger
battery = more weight and thickness.

~~~
msh
iPad is 10 hours of video and even more for Reading.

------
rapind
I love this form factor and price, but is anyone else concerned about the
whole cloud proxy (remote EC2 / S3 cache)? This puts all of your browsing
history on their servers so forget privacy. It would even enable them to do
things like substitute their own ads in place of the originals etc.

On the one hand the predictive thing seems really cool and the techy in me is
excited about the idea. On the other hand I'm really not a fan of a remote
cache from a privacy perspective.

~~~
orijing
I'd imagine you can opt out of that by either installing another browser (like
Skyfire) or going to some settings in Silk.

I don't think Amazon will track your browsing without your explicit approval,
and I'd imagine it would be much easier to send each request as a stateless
request to any of its EC2 instances.

------
cletus
If Amazon want to not make comparisons with the iPad, something I'd strongly
suggest, they should stop making statements like this:

> The Kindle Fire will have a 7-inch display and sell for $199, compared with
> $499 for Apple’s cheapest iPad, Amazon executives said in interviews with
> Bloomberg Businessweek.

Also, it's disingenuous. Of course a 7" "tablet" is cheaper than Apple's 10"
tablet. Film at 11.

That being said, I'm very pleased to see this. I didn't think e-ink readers
would be abandoned by Amazon but I didn't see them being a high priority
either yet here we are with updated models (and me having just bought a Kindle
like 2-3 months ago, grrr).

I'll have to look into it and see if the new ones are faster refresh (really
the only thing I care about). If so I'll probably buy (another) one. What the
hell. Although I'm not entirely convinced of the touch interface on an e-ink
device. I guess we'll see.

Come to think of it, I might just buy one of the $199 tablets too. It's almost
impulse territory too.

I do think Amazon could do really well with this. I imagine these will be
popular holiday items. And like everyone has said, they are going to promote
the hell out of these.

That all being said, I'm not giving up my iPad just yet. :)

~~~
nodata
> and me having just bought a Kindle like 2-3 months ago, grrr

I wouldn't be annoyed, the Kindle you have has a battery that lasts twice as
long as the new Kindle, and it has a proper keyboard. The only plus for the
new Kindle is it's a bit lighter.

~~~
chollida1
> and it has a proper keyboard

This is my favorite feature of the kindle.

Before I used to read technical books in bed and I wasn't sure how much I was
actually getting out of them. With the kindle I can make notes as I go and
then review the notes later.

I find I'm retaining a whole lot more with the note taking ability of the
kindle than I do by just reading a book in bed.

I've tried to use the iPad keyboard on the kindle app but it's just much
slower.

I wouldn't give up the physical keyboard for anything.

------
gizmo
People in Europe are getting screwed _again_.

\- Small Kindle: $79

\- Power Adapter: $10

\- Cost in USA: $89 (free shipping)

Okay, so I see a banner that they ship to Europe. Excellent, I click it. Then
I get a new banner, saying that my country qualifies for free shipping
(pending some conditions). I go through the checkout process and I'm faced
with the following list:

\- Kindle + Adapter: $119

\- Shipping: $27 (what happened to the free shipping banner you advertised
with on the Kindle page AFTER I selected my country!?)

\- Tax: 0

\- Import duties: $28

\--------------

\- Grand total: $174

That's twice the amount you have to pay in the US. Really, Amazon? Can't you
just tell me it's going to cost that much BEFORE I go through the entire
checkout process?

~~~
juliano_q
If you think you are being screwed, take a look at how it is for Brazil.

Items (2): $118.99

Shipping & Handling: $28.97

Total Before Tax: $147.96

Estimated Tax To Be Collected: $0.00

Import Fees Deposit $140.74

\---------

Order Total: $288.70

Obviously not Amazon's fault. We have absurd taxes here.

~~~
Bankq
If you think you are being screwed, take a look at how it is for China.
\----------- Yes, it's not available for China, and never has been Obviously
not Amazon's fault. We have absurd party here.

~~~
juliano_q
So we are both screwed, because I obviously wont buy it for $288.70. Atleast I
think that our fellow european friends feel a little less screwed now.

------
martingordon
Finally, someone other than Apple gets that it isn't about what it is (i.e.,
specs), it's about what it does (i.e., content).

------
jolan
They're sure getting their jabs at Apple in everywhere they can:

"There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers
more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can
work. We are firmly in the second camp."

"System Requirements: None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a
computer."

~~~
ConstantineXVI
The requirements line has been there since the K1. Not an explicit jab at
Apple as much as "this isn't complex technology, relax".

------
city41
I find the Kindle Fire kind of an odd duck. I realize e-ink is not the most
responsive screen, but having a fully android based tablet that used e-ink
would have been fantastic. I would have gladly bought it. But a Kindle that
lacks e-ink feels strange to me. I guess they are riding on Kindle's success,
but this really isn't a Kindle.

I own both a Kindle and an iPad and I flat out can not read books on the iPad.
After about 30 minutes my eyes are strained and a headache is emerging. To me
e-ink is not optional, but the killer feature.

------
vsl2
Most people here and in the press (Amazon's PR unit included) consider this a
company v company debate - "Apple vs Amazon" debate. Barnes & Noble seems to
be such an afterthought that the Nook Color gets little attention though it is
the directly competing product in terms of product specs and price (though the
NC price will have to come down from $249 to $199 or below to compete).

The NC curently has what I think is a large advantage in that its easy to root
via the microSD slot so it becomes a fully functioning Android tablet,
including Android Market. The KF can provide Amazon media - for users, does
this outweigh access to the Android market and native access to Google
products? The NC still got nowhere near the appreciation from the public in
its history that the Kindle Fire got in one day.

I'm curious as to what strategy Barnes & Noble takes with regards to NC in
resposne to KF. A reliable source tells me that the NC is 85% owned by women
and the targeted primary audience for its apps are 30+ women. There are few
free apps because BN doesn't want to create an expectation of "everything
should be free" (i.e. get users used to paying for value). The targeted
audience also is one less opposed to paying for something nor have time to
find free hacks (unlike young males). I don't think this market will be
sufficient to keep the Kindle Fire from dominating at the $200 price point.
Everyone, including not-yet-purchased-a-tablet 30+ women, will soon likely
hear of the Kindle Fire and BN will lose much of its small core audience.

Given the $200 price point, I think that there may be an oppotunity for BN to
make a large mainstream splash if it allows greater flexibility in the NC
(including fully integrating Android Market). Otherwise, I don't see how it
competes with Amazon because of "coolness" perceptions of the two companies.
In that respect, Amazon competes with Apple; while BN competes with Borders
(RIP).

~~~
zmmmmm
> Given the $200 price point, I think that there may be an oppotunity for BN
> to make a large mainstream splash if it allows greater flexibility in the NC
> (including fully integrating Android Market).

Good point. It might not have been possible before, but it might just be that
Google will feel threatened enough by the Fire to want to help out a
competitor and let them officially use the Google apps. It would certainly
make it a no brainer for me. Of course, it might be a dumb decision for BN
(Android Market => install Kindle App => no need to buy books from BN any
more)

------
atmz
I love how Bloomberg released an article describing the press conference in
the past tense half an hour before it started; Amazon hasn't caught up with
Apple's secrecy yet.

Amazon is doing the right thing, which wouldn't be that surprising except that
every other Android vendor has done the wrong thing. Amazon is presenting a
unified, controlled environment to users (which most of them want), provides
both content and app delivery services, and is selling tablets cheap enough to
as not to compete directly with Apple. It will do well.

~~~
antimarketing
This is a common media strategy. It is a win-win situation:

a) Amazon rep. unofficially approves a "leaky" article just before the press
conference. b) Bloomberg journalist guarantees a front page story on their web
page. c) Amazon reaps the benefits of more coverage

You are forgetting that Amazon Press Conferences, without these advance buzz
giving messages would not be even 10% of what Apple conferences are. Now they
get at least a half of that.

Everybody in America is waking up. Everybody in Europe is bored at work.
Everybody in Asia is enjoying their evening.

Ideal.

------
saturdaysaint
It's a shame to see that text-to-speech is absent from the light $79 model
(it's present in the touch). At 6 ounces, that would be _exactly_ the model
I'd want to have TTS, which has been a killer feature for me. I actually
prefer the robotic voice to most audiobook narrators for a lot of material -
the affectless delivery must be how my internal voice reads a lot of books.
Here's hoping Amazon puts TTS functionality into their Android/iPhone apps
sooner than later - I'd gladly pay a $20 in-app purchase...

------
muxxa
A large USP of the Kindle is it's E-Ink display (leaving aside other ereaders
from sony etc. for now). I have often recommended people to 'get a kindle'
when asked about reading books electronically; this will no longer be the
case. I think this new addition dilutes the Kindle brandname.

~~~
achompas
I don't understand this rationale at all. How does the Kindle Fire devalue the
Kindle brand name? The Fire is a different product from the e-ink Kindles. You
can still say "get a Kindle touch for $99" or "get a Kindle with hard keys for
$79."

~~~
muxxa
Audio is the core feature of the original iPod. Reading is the core feature of
the Kindle. Reading from an lcd screen is a significantly worse experience
than from e-ink. My point is that Amazon releasing the Kindle Fire is akin to
if Apple released the iPod Touch (which had new features such as web browsing,
youtube etc.) with degraded 8-bit audio.

~~~
mikeash
The iPod Touch is a considerably worse iPod than its predecessors. This
doesn't seem to have hurt its sales much, nor the iPod brand.

~~~
leviathant
Define worse. When I got an iPhone, my iPod went into complete disuse, and I
ended up giving it to a friend. The iPhone/iPod touch interface is, to me, far
and away better than the original iPod interface. This was then bolstered with
the new earbuds that added volume control to the pre-existing track control on
the mic/clicker.

It certainly has less drive space than older iPods, but I have yet to fill up
my iPhone. I understand using the old iPod as a portable hard drive, but
storing your entire music collection on it never made sense to me - which is
why I gladly traded the smaller drive space for the better interface.

~~~
mikeash
Obviously it depends on personal taste and use, but I think the Touch has a
couple of serious deficiencies compared with the others. First, I believe that
battery life isn't as good, although I could be wrong on that one. Second,
it's impossible to play, pause, or switch tracks without actually looking at
the thing unless you're using a compatible headset. Plus the storage space you
mention.

I think the Touch and iPhone are more than _adequate_ for the task, but
they're not quite as good as the pure iPods, and that functionality is
completely eclipsed by their other capabilities. I haven't used an iPod since
getting an iPhone either, but that's just because it suffices, not because
it's equally good.

------
j15e
They show a lot the device in kid's hands : because 7" is too small for grown
up?

I have played with a RIM Playbook once and the size factor was the same
concern. Seems like under 9-10" it can't be a replacement for my laptop in any
situation and it feels more like a toy.

(Disclaimer : I own an iPad)

~~~
sharmajai
Your tablet can never be a replacement for your laptop. Period.

~~~
thenduks
Hmm I'm not so sure... My iPad can replace my laptop for basically everything
but work. Web browsing, listening/browsing/buying music, twitter et al,
emails, games, books, movies/tv shows, etc, etc.

~~~
sharmajai
"My iPad can replace my laptop for basically everything but work" - so I guess
my point stands. I was trying to argue against OP's point that all these
things "Web browsing, listening/browsing/buying music, twitter et al, emails,
games, books, movies/tv shows, etc, etc" can be done on a Playbook too.

~~~
thenduks
Ok, fair enough.

I thought what you were trying to argue was "Your tablet can never be a
replacement for your laptop. Period."

------
bennesvig
I'm guessing this means no free Kindle this November like Kevin Kelly was
predicting.
[http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2011/02/free_kindle_t...](http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2011/02/free_kindle_thi.php)

~~~
smackfu
I bet if you add this new price point to the graph, you can plot a new curve
that makes it not go to zero.

~~~
achompas
I called this graph ridiculously dumb and got downvoted for it.

The idea was ridiculous, but the thought experiment was fun. Still, hardware
costs are not trivial. There's no way Amazon gives something away for free
(with 10 ebook purchases) just yet.

------
brainlock
And again, all of this is US only. I don't understand this, they are able to
ship a standard Kindle to Europe, why not a Kindle Touch?

------
mrb
How does the split-browser architecture of Silk handles HTTPS?

 _Everything_ the EC2 backend does, like recompressing images, pre-rendering
pages, resolving DNS records, etc, would require man-in-the-middle
interception and decryption of TLS/SSL connections. Not good. I hope they
leave HTTPS connections untouched.

That said, for plain HTTP traffic, if they can manage to significantly reduce
page loading times, well done. I would prefer to see the fundamental problem
resolved of course (lower latency on wireless networks), instead of relying on
a complex back-end which will no doubt have issues of its own (availability,
bugs, etc).

------
pnathan
I am kinda waiting for the DX to drop in price. I really want that bigger
e-ink screen, but it's not worth $379 to me.

~~~
ableal
See if my comment elsewhere here is of use to you
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3048411>

I find the smaller E-ink screens a great fit for comfortable reading of
fiction, or non-fiction prose like biography or history, where one doesn't
need to skip around much, and the font size adjustment may come in handy.

~~~
tszyn
Do you have an opinion about what size Kindle (e-ink) is best for Web
browsing? You'd think the DX would be better, but what about the weight?

~~~
ableal
I wouldn't recommend trying web browsing on E-ink, unless it's through some
Readability filter or similar. The screen updates are too slow for it, and the
DX browser didn't render perfectly. I suspect the CPUs don't have the oomph
for the modern web.

Note that my experience is on a 2010 vintage DX with no WiFi - it is limited
to 3G on Amazon's dime. In Europe that's only Wikipedia and the Amazon store.

~~~
tszyn
Thanks. Reading from LCD screens gives me eye strain, so I was thinking of
reading blogs, news and software docs on the Kindle. Do you think that might
work?

~~~
pnathan
My local Staples sells Kindles. I would suggest digging a physical one up and
flipping through it for a while.

------
dts
One thing I'm surprised about here is how much Amazon is bothering to mention
the tech behind everything in all the promo copy I've seen so far. This is
something Apple never does and I think its a misstep for Amazon here. Claiming
that silk uses the "raw computational horsepower of Amazon EC2" on the
homepage of Amazon.com is a completely useless detail for 99% of people who
will buy this device. Why not use the audience attention better and focus on
what matters with this. Full color touch. Amazon content. Apps. Half the price
of an iPad.

~~~
Steko
It's important to feature it but you need to feature it in a way that people
will instantly connect with the essence of the performance gain ala
Firewire/Thunderbolt/Retina -- I'm pretty sure if this was an Apple launch
they would be calling this RocketWeb or somesuch and there would be a bar
chart showing the same pages in RocketWeb downloading 3 times faster (maybe
they had this, I haven't watched the keynote yet).

------
latch
Just tried to order the new non-touch Kindle (which ships today): Kindle, Wi-
Fi, 6" E Ink Display cannot be shipped to the selected address. A non-US
address was selected for this US-only Kindle.

BEZOS!!!

~~~
yusefnapora
Did you select the one with special offers? I believe that one's US only.
Perhaps the other one will work?

------
gamble
I'm not surprised that they decided not to launch the Fire tablet outside the
US. At $199 they have to be selling near cost in the US, hoping to make their
profit on media sales. Amazon's media stores are minimal at best outside the
US. They still don't sell music or video in Canada, for example. Amazon is
going to have a hard time playing at the same level as Apple until they step
up their legal game and treat the rest of the world as more than an
afterthought.

------
Batsu
What I want to see is how the app market will pan out. I can only assume (and
didn't previously consider) that this will not carry Google branding at all -
that means the Android Market, Gmail, Maps, etc, apps will all be missing.

The Android Market would be the big loss here. Amazon seems to take more
control over the selling of your product than you do once you submit to their
Appstore, but if you want to show up on their tablets, you won't have a
choice.

------
ableal
Interesting detail: an official-looking "Java TM Powered" swirly cup logo on
the bottom right of the Quick Start guide for the new Kindle:
<http://kindle.s3.amazonaws.com/KindleQuickStartGuide.pdf>

(also in that PDF, a figure that shows the bottom side with micro USB socket
and power switch, which was what I was looking for)

~~~
ConstantineXVI
The K3 and (IIRC) K2 had the Java logo as well. Java's used for the KDK, don't
know how deep in the stack Java goes, though.

------
chwahoo
I own a tablet (Motorola XOOM) and have used an iPad on a couple of occasions.
Those tablets are pitched as substitutes for the PC, suggesting that you might
_produce_ content using them. (Apples early release of an office suite for
iPad is further evidence of this focus.)

However, so far, I've really only found tablets useful for _content
consumption_. The Kindle Fire makes the bold (and I think right) choice to
optimize for consumption. I suspect its smaller form factor will appeal to how
more people will actually use these things. Similarly, I don't think people
really want high-quality cameras or video on their tablets.

The Kindle Fire is exactly the right product for Amazon to release (given
their strengths), and I suspect it might be match the needs of a larger group
of people than the iPad.

However, content production in tablets will surely improve over time and I
don't think iPad/Windows 8/Android are misguided. I'm just betting that Amazon
latched on to a real hole in the market that can be profitable right now.

------
orenmazor
so, sounds like Apple's skimming the top end of the tablets, and Amazon's
skimming the bottom end.

~~~
tjogin
In terms of quality of experience, I think Amazon's product is going to be
perceived as runner up to the iPad, while other Android devices will be
perceived as the lower end.

Other Android manufacturers are probably going to start competing with
Amazon's offer as well, lowering prices and cutting corners in the process.

~~~
orenmazor
I'm really interested to see how this plays out. From casual observation, I
see a lot of people wanting a non-ipad tablet as their requirement, and the
amazon one will fit the bill perfectly (cheaper, non-ipad, relatively
hackable, is going to have a lasting presence as a product line - unlike
touchpad/playbook).

------
tomkarlo
The fact that you now have a sub-$80 e-reader seems to be getting overlooked
in today's news... in some ways I think that's really the innovative part
here, and what will drive a lot of high margin ebook sales for Amazon in the
next few years.

------
tlogan
The interesting thing is that this will be probably the first successful
Android tablet but Google will have absolutely zero benefits from its success.
Actually, it might even hurt Google position in mobile/tablet market.

Two random examples:

The word Android was barely mentioned on Amazon site.

On device itself, the web and content to be consumed is showed Amazon.com but
not thru Google search.

EDIT: Why is this comment downvoted? I'm kinda new on this hacker news and I'm
under impression if I express opinion with a couple of examples supporting it
that is not trolling... What kind of comment should be made to point out that
it seems like Google will have zero benefits and even hurt it from this
Android tablet?

~~~
mrud
I am not sure but your first sentence sounds a little bit trollish. I think
the Galaxy Tab 8/10 the Xoom or the Eee Pad Transformer are quite successful
and established in the market.

Yes Google does not directly benefit from the android fork amazon created but
i think it is also a quite good and interesting example of the often called
openness and freedom of Android. It is quite refreshing to see a big company
using Android as the base and modifying it completely to their needs.

~~~
tlogan
Galaxy Tab 8/10 the Xoom or the Eee Pad Transformer are the best selling
Androids up to date but to call them successful is quite of a stretch.

For example, last week a Lenovo executive claimed that Samsung's Galaxy Tab
sales were far lower than what Samsung vaguely stated: 20,000 actual sales,
rather than two million
([http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392422,00.asp#fbid=EJq...](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392422,00.asp#fbid=EJqX4HbEf2I)).

------
cbs
So I'm reading along... getting interested... sounds promising... purchase
might be on the horizon...

 _Amazon has painted over the rough surfaces of Google’s Android operating
system_

Now I won't even consider buying it until the cyanogenmod port is in decent
shape. Why do manufactures always do this to android? The custom UI looks
nicer (arguable, roll with it), but always kill usability because they don't
understand how to have their software play nice and _feel right_ on android.
It might be better on the kindle fire because the biggest offenders I see are
the dialer and text message app, but I won't hold my breath.

~~~
orenmazor
why do people get upset by this? Android is a nice baseline. Think of it as
the tide that raises all ships. What's wrong with a manufacturer
experimenting?

NB. I don't support lock downs or anything like that, of course. my point is
that there's nothing wrong with them customizing and branching it off into
something else. isn't that the whole point?

~~~
sgentle
I agree with you, except that years of painful Windows crapware experience has
taught me that manufacturers don't often do a very good job at "value adding",
unless you define value as meddling pointlessly with things that work, or
lining their own pockets through pre-installed junk software partnerships.

That said, Amazon have a solid reputation so I don't think any of that applies
in this particular case.

~~~
orenmazor
its true, once you throw in windows stuff (especially wm6), this sounds
terrible.

but the counter is that debian is really cool, but the ubuntu branch is a home
run. so in conclusion… I dont know. but new is better than stagnate.

------
cleverjake
Outside of the amazing marketing and stance that amazon holds, this really
doesn't seem like much. I don't see a lot that my parents would get excited
about at least, and if they aren't the market, I am not sure who is.

~~~
SteveJS
If it can web browse with Flash then (modulo the dead end hp touchpad) it's
the cheapest tablet web browser that can play games on facebook. My wife is a
long time Apple fan since she was a Graphic Designer, but she turned her nose
up at the iPad due to lack of Flash and some specific games she wants to play
on Facebook.

------
buff-a
And it has a browser that renders on the cloud.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u7F_56WhHk&feature=playe...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u7F_56WhHk&feature=player_embedded)

~~~
abuzzooz
Isn't that what Opera does on their mobile platform?

~~~
malnourish
Mostly correct. Opera servers compress pages before passing them along to the
mobile device. [0]

[0] <http://www.opera.com/mobile/features/>

------
codex
Expect Google to match or beat Amazon pricing for tablets RSN--especially
given their acquisition of Motorola. There really is no money in Android,
especially for OEMs without a content or advertising play.

------
yardie
Exactly what is the differentiation between a tablet and e-reader? This thing
is aimed squarely at the BN Nook Color. Why is it being compared to the much
more expensive and feature-full iPad?

~~~
yusefnapora
I think that the iPad comparisons are due to the content available (movies,
tv, music) and especially the App Store. If you want to do anything with the
Nook Color that's not included in the tin you need to root it. The kindle
browser sounds nice too. I can see a lot of people who balk at the iPad's
price tag snapping these up.

------
Nate75Sanders
Anybody know if there are comprehensive specs anywhere? I can't find
information about the resolution anywhere. Additionally, it looks like most
sites thought it was going to cost $250.

------
danssig
"There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers
more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can
work. We are firmly in the second camp."

I've always had a lot of respect for Bezos and what he's done but this lowers
my opinion of him. Not only is it a petty cheap shot, it's not even true (so
does he not know somehow, or is he lying?). Most tablet makers were having a
hard time competing with the iPad _on price_. It's incredibly cheap for what
it does.

~~~
dablya
Maybe he was talking about this:
[http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/08/999-ebooks-
lawsuit/al...](http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/08/999-ebooks-
lawsuit/all/1)

------
mun2mun
In the product page <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2> the word
Android appeared once only. Interesting.

~~~
cincinnatus
I'm surprised the number isn't zero. From the Google strategic point of view
this device is not Android.

~~~
orangecat
Sure it is; if it succeeds it will encourage more app developers to target
Android.

------
deweller
Here are the specs on Amazon's site:

[http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-
Fi...](http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-
Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2)

------
pw
The product listing is up: <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2>

------
tdicola
I wonder how many people who would have jumped at a $199 tablet already got in
on the $99 HP TouchPad blowout and pass on the Fire.

------
latch
Kindle Touch is what I wanted..yay. Now, if only they would open up their KDK
and give it useful API calls, I'll be happy.

~~~
CodeMage
My reaction to the "Kindle Touch" concept: Ewwww, fingerprints all over my
precious books. I can't help agreeing with muxxa.

~~~
latch
The e-ink screen doesn't have fingerprint problems the way tablets/phones do.
It's more plastic, no gloss..(of course, I'm assuming the Touch is still like
that).

~~~
ConstantineXVI
I haven't had fingerprint issues at all on my Nook v2 (which uses the same
sort of screen and touch sensor), so I doubt it'll be worth worrying about on
the Kindle Touch.

------
pmsaue0
I love that instead of trying to be everything to everyone (a la android/ipad)
Amazon is aiming to be really good at a few things, and thus drive price down.

I'm not so interested in movies or ebooks, does anyone know of a tablet that
just does email and web? and is cheaper because of it?

BTW, Silk browser seems like a bundle of awesome ideas

~~~
smharris65
Well, everyone's definition of "cheaper" may vary, but the Chromebook seems
okay to me: <http://amzn.to/q2FqQ9>

~~~
moe
Hmm, interesting. A foldable tablet with a keyboard!

I think they might be onto something there.

------
simonh
Funny how all of the e-ink kindles have 4:3 aspect ratio screens but the Fire
is widescreen. It lends credibility to reports that it's based on a previously
existing Android tablet design.

Amazon must realise it's sub-optimal, but now developers will be stuck
supporting it even if they later release a 4:3 device.

~~~
sliverstorm
Widescreen is the modus operandi for color screens any more. Video is
widescreen now, and 4:3 screens are harder to come by. I doubt the Fire will
ever be 4:3.

------
nhangen
I want to buy one, but I now have no idea which one to buy. Is the only
difference between the Kindle and the touch the fact that you can touch it?
What about the keyboard...is that useful or no?

Buying a Fire so I can develop on it, but would also like something with
e-ink, now that they are priced affordably.

~~~
erydo
I have the keyboard version (i.e. Kindle 3). The keyboard is hardly ever used.
If I were to buy a new Kindle, I'd probably get the one with the 5-way
controller. I don't think multitouch would really be that useful for reading
books; your most common action will be "turn the page", which a physical
button is just fine for.

~~~
nhangen
Thanks for the feedback. I've also noticed the Kindle Keyboard and Fire seem
to be the only ones without "special offers," which is interesting.

------
dabeeeenster
I wonder if they are selling these at a loss? I can see it going down well in
the XDA/Hacker community...

~~~
dabeeeenster
Weird - according to this
[http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393740,00.asp#fbid=rvU...](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393740,00.asp#fbid=rvUyoF1ILbc)
it is running 2.3?

But they say they are not doing anything to prevent root - awesome!

~~~
tucosan
This is what actually interests me, a rooted kindle fire. Only thing I care
for is the hardware, I could not be less interested in amazons version of
android though. Since I did not get a HP Tablet, this might be the next best
thing to get a cheap tablet running a modded version of android.

------
bgarbiak
The price tags are awesome, but I'm worried that most of the content will be
exclusive to U.S. residents.

------
pkulak
Does anyone know what Amazon's plans are for merging in the latest Android
releases into their fork? It would be a real shame if it took off in an
entirely new direction from this point on. A shame for me, because I don't
want to develop for a brand new OS.

------
xbryanx
I want to read the news story written five years in the future about how the
rapid growth of e-readers/tablets affects literacy and reading rates across
multiple socioeconomic scales. I have no clue what it would say, but am pretty
sure it will be written.

------
whackedspinach
How much does their Android experience differ from the norm? How wide is my
app selection?

------
lleims
Someone else from outside the US thinking about pre-ordering it?

On one hand it's just 127 pounds or 147 euros, but on the other I don't know
what kind of experience those using it outside of the US will have: no Cloud
Drive, no movies/tv shows, etc etc.

~~~
antimarketing
Amazon Prime is available from Amazon UK.

------
patrickgzill
The picture I saw seems to make it the same size and shape as the B&N Nook
Color.

------
revorad
YES! I think with this, Android finally becomes appealing to me. I just wasn't
going to spend money on crappy Dell, Samsung or Acer tablets. I've been happy
with my e-ink Kindle, now for $199 I'll happily buy Fire.

------
pacomerh
I use an Ipad2 and I use it to read books and as a planner. But a tablet for
$200 that can do the same?, I don't see why this wouldn't be a hit with people
that don't care about details.

------
nodata
> 8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs
> or 6,000 books.

Anyone know how 8 gigs enough for 10 movies? The quality can't be great. Can
these things plug into a tv?

~~~
georgekv
Well it is a 7in. screen so that could possibly reduce the file size needed.

And they're using the Kindle WhisperSync for use with compatible TVs, PCs,
etc.
([http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200775230))

------
jeffool
Lack of cameras (one in, one out,) and mic really surprise me.

------
Vitaly
Now it doesnt have the most appealing difference the regular kindle had over
iPad. With it's IPS display it will be now just as impossible to read in
bright sunlight.

------
swah
Hold on, brazilian fellas... One day the Kindle will be sold on Brazil, and
we'll no longer have to buy the ones smuggled from Paraguai from that famous
auction site.

------
yusufg
Unfortunately Kindle Fire is only available for shipping in the US. I think
the Amazon account linked to it might also need a credit card with a US
billing address

------
nphase
Is anyone else more interested in Silk than the Kindle Fire?

~~~
9999
Yes, I'm far more interested in Silk. It's a caching layer over the entire
web. That is nuts. I'd love to know more about the internals of it. Do they
only grab static files or is their some dynamic content caching? What's the
threshold of requests before moving a page/site into Silk? Is there a way to
opt out of using it if you have privacy concerns (sending every one of your
requests through their system first will be a big issue for a lot of people).
This may not seem that groundbreaking since Opera has already done this, but
Amazon seem to be doing it on a much grander scale.

------
todd3834
I'm not even sure if this is possible but I would pay a lot of money for a
color screen that can switch to e-ink and back depending on what I want to do.

------
runn1ng
All of this while KDK is still in beta. And from the looks of it it will never
escape it.

<http://www.amazon.com/kdk>

------
rodh257
Is there a live video feed of this Kindle event at all?

~~~
pedrokost
Here's some blogs:

[http://live.thisismynext.com/Event/Amazon_Tablet_event_live_...](http://live.thisismynext.com/Event/Amazon_Tablet_event_live_blog)

[http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/live-from-amazons-
tablet-...](http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/live-from-amazons-tablet-event-
in-nyc/)

If there's a video feed let us know!

~~~
estel
Sadly it seems they've said they're not providing one.

------
baconner
Am I the only android developer torn over whether the fire makes signing the
one sided Amazon app store developer agreement worth it? Tough choice.

------
endlessvoid94
I have a serious question. Will I be able to use/read instapaper on this
device? This is a big deal to me.

~~~
shrikant
Set up Instapaper to deliver to your Kindle automatically on a schedule [1],
and you're golden.

[1] <http://www.instapaper.com/user/kindle>

------
rajasharan
Can this be used for Android application development? Can I install .apk files
through the android sdk?

------
bryanlarsen
The big question for me: does it support sideloading? If so, I'll definitely
be purchasing one.

------
julianb
Interested to see what type of web browser they ship on these new devices.

~~~
cobrabyte
I was checking out the specs on the Fire at Amazon's product page and got to
the bottom, where they talk about Amazon Silk -- the 'split browser' used on
the Fire.

It appears to offload intensive processing to Amazon EC2 instances.

Very cool stuff and, to me, more newsworthy than the launch of a tablet. I'd
like to hear more details on Silk.

More info (and video from Silk developers):
[http://amazonsilk.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/introducing-
amazo...](http://amazonsilk.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/introducing-amazon-silk/)

~~~
julianb
Interesting. Found some more details here:

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2#silk>

------
bufo
Looks pretty much perfect, provided they support bluetooth keyboards.

~~~
Apple-Guy
No volume buttons, no bluetooth, no mention of battery life when streaming.

------
paolomaffei
one thing i didnt understand.. this fire thingy has an eink display or not?
and what about the digital library of books someone was talking about?

------
curiousfiddler
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2>

Wow, no mention of android in tech specs???

