Amazon seems to have a strategy based on quantity with its new tablets and e-readers. The company just unveiled three Kindle Fires and two e-readers, with price points that go from high end to dirt cheap.
The company's new releases include the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 ($379), the Kindle Fire HD Kid's Edition (6-inch version for $149, 7-inch version for $189), the Fire HD (6-inch version for $99, 7-inch version for $139), the Kindle ($79) and the Kindle Voyage ($199). Amazon's new devices, particularly its tablets, represents a step up in processing power in spite of the affordable price.
The best device in the bunch, and perhaps Amazon's only legitimate answer to the iPad, is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. The tablet is the first in the market to come with a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor. According to Amazon, the faster CPU, which has a 70 percent faster graphic engine than the previous version of the Fire HDX, promises "speed and fluidity" when it comes to handling graphics-intensive games.
The tablet also comes with Dolby Atmos, which the company described as a "mobile headphone experience with multidimensional sound that flows above and around you." The Fire HDX 8.9 is said to be twice as loud compared to the iPad Air.
Other features seem to have been enhanced to claim an improvement of Apple specs. The device's display is said to have 30 percent more pixels compared to the retina display on iPads. It is also a lot lighter than the iPad Air. The device, which weighs just 13.2 ounces, has a frame made from a single piece of machined magnesium.
"The team has packed an incredible amount of technology and innovation into the new Fire HDX: an exclusive HDX display, a powerful quad-core processor, a 70% faster graphics engine, exceptional audio with Dolby Atmos, and the fastest Wi-Fi-and it's still startlingly light," Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO, said.
The device, similar to the new Fire HD tablets, runs on Fire OS 4 "Sangria." The operating system, which is based on Android 4.4 Kitkat, comes with scanning tool Firefly (which was first launched on the Fire Phone), TV and movie prediction feature ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) and automatic shutdown function Smart Suspend.
All the Amazon tablets and e-readers are now available for pre-order on the company's website, with deliveries scheduled for shipping in October.
