Amazon unveiled its tablet computer, the $199 Android-based Kindle Fire, on Wednesday during a Manhattan launch event.
The Wi-Fi-only tablet has 8Gb of storage, with a 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments' OMAP (Open Multimedia Application Processor), while the display is backlit LCD with a resolution of 1024x600. The Fire has a 7" multitouch LCD display and weighs 14.6 ounces. It has apps for Amazon storefronts, including its Android app store, MP3, video and cloud services. Unlike iPad 2 and other competitors, the Fire does not have a camera or microphone, but its price and Amazon's proven content will undoubtedly make it a serious threat to steal market share. It comes with free cloud storage for data back up.
The Kindle Fire is now available for preorder for US suctomers starting Wednesday, and it will begin shipping on 15 November. No date was given for a European launch.
"This is unbelievable value," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, during the launch event. "These are premium products at non-premium prices."
The device will have access to content on Amazon's site such as 100,000 movies and TV shows, 17 million songs, apps, millions of books and full-color magazines, Bezos said.
Bezos demonstrated a high-definition movie playing on the tablet, and the Fruit Ninja game being played. The display can show 16 million colours and is based on Gorilla Glass technology for extra protection. TI's dual-core OMAP processor is based on an ARM processor design, which is found in most tablets today including Apple's iPad.
Amazon's media content can already be watched on TVs, Blu-ray drives and other devices. The songs downloadable through the site are priced starting at $0.69 and can be streamed through the Cloud Player. Apps from Amazon's App Store can be test driven in a sandbox prior to download.
Kindle Fire joins a crowded tablet market dominated by Apple's iPad, which is projected to have a 73.4% market share by the end of the year, according to research firm Gartner. Gartner expects worldwide tablet sales of 63.6 million units this year, a 261.4%increase from the previous year. Tablet sales should reach 326.3 million units by 2015, according to research firm Gartner.
Amazon offers 100,000 movies and TV shows through its instant streaming service via deals with CBS, NBC Universal, Sony, and Warner Bros. On Monday, Amazon and Fox forged a deal to deliver TV shows and movies through Amazon's streaming service. Amazon offers 950,000 e-books that can be instantly downloaded or read through the Kindle Cloud service. Amazon also offers the Cloud Drive service, in which users get 5GB free to store music, videos, photos or documents, and the Cloud Player music streaming service.
Bezos also debuted the Kindle Touch e-reader at the event. The Touch will cost $99. It also will come in a 3G version. Both will ship on 21 November.
"When people do long-form reading, they love to switch hands," Bezos said.
The Kindle Touch tablet retains the e-ink display and has Wi-Fi. A Kindle Touch with 3G is priced at $149.
A basic Kindle is has been reduced to $79 Bezos also announced.
IDG News Service