Amazon's new "Fire" tablet announced at incredible price of $199

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
It is small but the price is an eye popping $199. http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1321408942&pf_rd_i=507846

I put my order in :). It is due to ship on November 17 (my order that is).




Display 7" multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size (in inches) 7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm).
Weight 14.6 ounces (413 grams).
System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer.
On-device Storage 8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.
Charge Time Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB.
Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.1X standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB Port USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Audio 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.
Documentation Quick Start Guide(included in box); Kindle User's Guide (pre-installed on device)
Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use.
Included in the Box Kindle Fire tablet, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
The buzz is turning positive on this as the news sinks in: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-2...s-its-the-price-stupid/?tag=TOCcarouselMain.0

FILED UNDER:
MOLLY RANTSDIGITAL MEDIA
Kindle Fire an iPad killer? Yes. It's the price, stupid

By: Molly Wood SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 10:23 AM PDT

The company's new Kindle Fire tablet, a 7-inch touch-screen device powered by Amazon's content ecosystem and priced at just $199, may be an orange to Apple's iPad apple, but I'd argue that it's an iPad killer all the same.

On paper, the Kindle Fire has half the features of the iPad. In fact, it's almost literally half the features--here's a handy comparison chart so you can see for yourself. There's no camera, front or rear; the 8GB of onboard storage is half the amount of the base-model iPad; the Fire has no cellular options, no built-in GPS, and no Bluetooth, as the iPad does. The software options compared to the iPad are minimal, and the app library for Android still isn't nearly as robust as the iOS app library. All true facts. Doesn't matter.

There may be more strikes against the Kindle Fire, too: Amazon hasn't explicitly denied that it will block access to competing content-delivery apps like Hulu, Netflix, or any upstart e-bookstores that might want to be on the Fire, but I'd be surprised if you ever find them there. Amazon has taken a closed, proprietary approach with the Kindle line, and I think it's more than a safe bet to say that this won't be the "open" Android tablet experience you've been hearing about with the Galaxy Tabs or the Xooms of the world. Not even close, in fact.

And then, of course, there's the fact that the Kindle Fire is a 7-inch tablet in a 10-inch tablet world. All previous 7-inch competitors, from the original Galaxy Tab to the poor, doomed PlayBook have fallen by the wayside--while Steve Jobs personally mocked them as "dead on arrival", and once gruesomely suggested you'd have to file down your fingers to live with one.

Again, all true facts about the Kindle Fire, none of which matter. In these troubled times, and possibly even before, you need look no further than the $99 TouchPad buying frenzy for the lesson of the tablet market (and maybe every other electronics market, ultimately): it's the price, stupid.

Data point from one of our users: you can actually buy the entire new ad-subsidized Kindle lineup for less than the cost of a 32GB iPad.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

At $199, virtually any mainstream consumer is going to stand next to these two devices, look at them side-by-side, and make a price-conscious decision--and that decision is easier than you might think, as tablet usage starts to sort itself out. Sure, the Kindle Fire lacks a camera for video chat and movie-making. So what? Hardly anyone is doing that with their tablets anyway. No GPS? That's what your phone is for. No Bluetooth? Shrug. It's one hundred and ninety-nine dollars.

The iPad, in even sideways competition with a Kindle Fire, faces the same problem it's always had, but it's a bigger problem now. The problem is that hardly anyone actually needs an iPad. And as tablet usage starts to shake out, it's more and more apparent that a low-cost option with fewer features will actually suit most people's first-world needs. According to a recent Citigroup survey, the vast majority of tablet users use these devices primarily for lightweight entertainment: mostly casual gaming, Web browsing, e-mail, and, increasingly, e-books.

Fully half of tablet users are streaming video. We're also traveling with them like crazy, which means throwing them in bags; taking them to restaurants, which means exposing them to foodstuffs of all sorts; and giving them to our kids, which means, well, you know. Also, 35 percent of respondents to a Staples survey said they use their tablets in the bathroom. I'm just saying, wouldn't you rather that be a $199 tablet than a $500 tablet?

In my opinion, Amazon has kicked off more than a price war, here. It's unquestionably slaughtered every Android tablet on the market, and it's set up a showdown with the iPad that doesn't have to be feature for feature. If anything, Amazon has done what Apple did with the iPad in the first place: create an entirely new market. And the timing simply couldn't be better.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-2...iller-yes-its-the-price-stupid/#ixzz1ZIdGZE6r
 

Matt193

Well-Known Member
Mar 21, 2011
193
0
323
Wisconsin
This looks like a promising tablet. It will be very interesting to see what kind of apps and mods come out for this in the near future. It will also be interesting to see were the tablet market goes in the next year. I am hoping for a $200 tablet that can truly compete with the iPad by Christmas 2012.
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
291
1,170
NYC/NJ
I think iPad killer is a mistaken notion. It's not a competitor in terms of functionality, but fills a different gap between smatphones and laptops that only Amazon (vs other Android manufcturers) could fill, and that is a client for all their services, media and otherwise. They're the only ones who have the music/movie/book infrastructure to compete with Apple. It's a content company selling hardware whereas Apple's a hardware/software company that sells content. In Amazons model, it's OK to lose some money on hardware because most of your revenue comes from content and merchandise. Note btw that Android is mentioned only once I think on Amazons Kindle page.

Lack of GPS, 8 gb of storage and so on limit it's further utility, but thats fine -- assuming it works well , an assumption at this point, it has carved it's own niche with a great price, and the specific functionality that creates a full Amazon ecosystem. I think it's at least as much a blow to Android and othe rhardware manufacturers than Apple. The first tablet that makes an argument of why you'd buy something other than an iPad.

Articles like the Cnet one are always head scratchers to me -- Apple has sold something like 40 million iPads so far and sales are accelerating, and yet the device faces huge problems. There's room for both and it sounds like Amazon will be fielding a more direct competitor next year. Guess they feel the iPad space is still relevant too :)

One other thing, if these get out in numbers, they will be great data gatherers for Amazon too.
 
Last edited:

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing