Amazon has announced the successor to its Kindle Fire Android tablet, and it will ship in the UK next month. The Kindle Fire HD will come in two versions, with 7in and 8.9in screens, though only the smaller one will ship in the UK initially.
The 7in Fire HD has a 1280 x 800 pixel IPS LCD display and comes with either 16GB, costing £159, or 32GB, for £199. It has dual band 2.4GHz/ 5GHz wifi, with two antennae and supports MIMO (multiple in, multiple out), allowing it to reach data transfer rates of up to 31Mbits/sec.
It also has stereo speakers, HDMI, Bluetooth, and a front-facing high definition video camera. The larger Fire HD has an 8in, 1920 x 1200 pixel IPS display, giving it a pixel density of close to that of the new iPad. It comes in 16, 32gb, and 64GB versions, and there’s also a 32GB 4G LTE model.
The original Fire has had an overhaul too. It has a faster processor, double the RAM, better battery life and is available to pre-order now for £129.
Amazon also announced the Kindle PaperWhite, an eBook reader with a ‘glowing’ white screen. The light can be adjusted and apparently comes from under the bezel, directed at the display. Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos described it as ‘exactly like ambient light.’
The PaperWhite has a pixel density of 212ppi, significant higher than previous Kindles, and 25% more contrast. Amazon says the battery will last for eight weeks with the battery on. It costs $119 for the wifi version, or $179 for the 3G model. Amazon has not said when or if it will be available in the UK.
