Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Skinny: Kindle Touch & Kindle Fire

Today Amazon announced not just 1 but 2 new versions of the Kindle. Both are due to be released in November, just in time for the holiday season and you can already pre-order these items from Amazon's website. 

Kindle Touch


Kindle touch is pretty much the Kindle we already know and love, simply without the keyboard! To turn pages, simply tap the screen. A new feature Amazon has added to this device is the X-Ray.
"Amazon invented X-Ray, a new feature that lets customers explore the “bones of the book.” With a single tap, readers can see all the passages across a book that mention ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, places or topics that interest them, as well as more detailed descriptions from Wikipedia and Shelfari, Amazon’s community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers. " -Amazon.com
Prices:
Kindle Touch Wi-Fi with Ads $99.00. Without Ads $139.00.
Touch with Wi-Fi/ 3G with Ads $149.00.  Without Ads $189.00.

Kindle Fire


Now THIS is something completely new. Amazon is officially taking on the Nook Color with this colored Android powered reading tablet. Here you have can read, browse the web, watch movies, listen to music or play Angry Birds. Not only can you read books, but you can now have childrens books with beautifully colored pictures and magazines with print and photos. I have to be honest, I am super excited for this.

The screen is gorilla glass and the device itself is an inch bigger than the Kindle 3 or Kindle Touch. It has 8 GB of internal memory, or enough for 80 apps plus 10 movies, 800 songs or 6,000 books. The Kindle Fire runs off of Android 2.1 and a duel-core processor. Amazon has its own App market where you find and purchase Apps. They also use their own web browsing service called Amazon Silk that's supposed to not only be super fast, but have a pretty good memory of where you usually go when you're on the web to get you where you want to go faster. Battery life lasts for about 8 active hours, give or take depending on what you're using it for.

The Kindle Fire has no 3G. Only Wi-Fi that you can use from any hotspot area with the exception of peer to peer hotspots (like creating it from your cell phone).

Price: $199.00 and comes with 1 month free of Amazon Prime.
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So has Amazon just made your Christmas list for you? I'm thinking they may have created mine. There's just a couple little things I want to throw out there. With the research I've done, I'm hearing buzz that there may be something even better in the works than the Amazon Fire sometime after Christmas. And even cooler than Amazon Fire? I'm wondering what the heck that could be.

Also, maybe you or a family member don't like touch screens and you'd rather stick with the Kindle 3. Those prices have gone down to.
Amazon Kindle 3 with Wi-Fi and Ads $99.00. Without Ads $139.
Kindle 3 with Wi-Fi and 3G with Ads  $139.00. Without Ads $189.00.
(Prices seem off to me, I'll check back later to make sure that Amazon hasn't changed them...)

What do you think about these developments?
Talk to me!

9 comments:

Kris said...

New follower from book blogs! I would love a kindle! I tend to stick to printed books because I hate reading ebooks on my laptop... i think a kindle would be so much easier.
Do the ads get in the way of reading?

Id love a follow back :)
Kris
http://abookfromsnowyriver.blogspot.com

Sara R. said...

Great write up J....I'm think'n I need me some Fire :)

Jordan Butcher said...

Sara: Woah! Really? I'm surprised. One of your biggest issues with the Nook Color was that it felt like more of a toy. What's with the change of heart? (Not that I'm complaining, I almost called you out in the post cause I wanted to hear what you had to say!!) It's okay, I thought I was happy with my Kindle 3, now I'm craving more too.

Kris: I actually have the Kindle 3 with the 3G/Wi-Fi without Ads so I can't tell you from experience. But my friend from work has the 3G/ Wi-Fi with Ads and says that it doesn't effect her reading at all. The sleep screen, like when you turn the Kindle off, is an Advertisement as well as a small bar at the bottom of your library page. She says she's never had an ad inside her book.

So I mean, knowing that, it personally wouldn't bother me having the Ads there. As long as it didn't interupt my reading.

I'm following you now. :)
Hope that helped!

Sara R. said...

OK...I've calmed down, It was just so pretty I wanted to get in line :) I do think the Nook is a toy, sorry Nook lovers. I think I would use the Fire more as a tablet if I got one, not a kindle. I love my 3G Kindle and the Fire doesn't have 3G and it only has an 8 hour battery verse a 30 day!. What it really looks like is a big DROID phone. My phone does all that the Kindle Fire does and it has 3G. For now I think I will wait. I love etoys and I get so excited when I see new things from companies I love and what a great price! I am one of those people that had a Kindle 2 priced at $459! I love my Kindle 3 more then the 2. Anything new would have a lot to live up to. I don't read books with color pictures so my ebook doesn't need color. I am excited to see were Amazon goes with these new Kindles!

Jordan Butcher said...

Woah. Almost $500?! Sheesh!
I am excited too to see where this could go, Amazon is in the position to do just about anything and I love the direction they're headed.

Marina said...

Another new follower from book blogs! :) Oh, I have a Kindle and I love it but now I want a colored one AND a touch one. But then again, in a few years from now what else is going to be out there?

Jordan Butcher said...

True, there will always be new bigger and better devices Marina but right now, we have to admit this one is pretty cool!
Besides, we enjoy this one for now until a brand new one for us to play with that has even better features and such.
Thanks for the add!

Vicky @ A Backpack Full of Adventures said...

Thanks for the useful tips about Kindle vs. Nook :)
I'm your newest follower.
Vicky @ Books, Biscuits & Tea

Jordan Butcher said...

You're welcome Vicki! Thanks for the follow. I know that more often than not I find myself even coming back to The Ink Puddle to look through the tips section to find something out that I've already researched. Haha. But hey! That's what it's there for!
You have an adorable blog, and a new follower. You'll have to let me know on your decision for your e-reader.

Jordan