Amazon releases Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ in Canada

by Jared Peters on
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Amazon has been working on making its Kindle Fire lineup available all over the globe, and today they’re continuing on the warpath by releasing the Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ in Canadian markets, although with a slight caveat. Due to licensing restrictions, these Kindle Fire models will not have access to Amazon’s instant streaming service. That’s a pretty big thing to drop considering how hard Amazon pushes its movie and TV show rentals, but a half-tablet is is better than no tablet, so to speak.

The specs haven’t changed on the devices otherwise, so if you thought this was good device before, now is your chance to pick one up.

source: Amazon

Amazon to have one-day sale on the HTC One

by Jared Peters on
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Have you been eyeing the HTC One but haven’t wanted to drop a full $200 on it? Keep on eye on Amazon tomorrow, June 14th, as they’re having a one-day sale on the device for both AT&T and Sprint. New customers can pick up the One for $79.99, and upgrading customers will pay $99.99. Either way you look at it, you’re getting at least a 50% discount. They’re offering both color variations of the device, (silver and black) and you will, of course, have to sign a two-year agreement for the discount pricing. If you’re still on the fence, check out our HTC One review and see if it sways you one way or the other.

Hit the break below for the Amazon links.

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Amazon adds more than 170 countries as markets for Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9

by Jeff Causey on
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Amazon announced today that they are making their Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 devices available in more than 170 countries and territories around the world starting June 13th. Customers who are interested in one of the devices can go ahead and place a pre-order now by visiting Amazon.com. Along with access to the hardware, buyers in the new countries will get access to the Amazon App store and all of the content contained therein, including more than 300,000 books that are exclusive to the Kindle Store.

Dave Limp, vice president of Amazon Kindle notes the Kindle Fire HD “is the #1 best-selling item in the world for Amazon since its launch.” The 8.9-inch version of the device is available for $284 while the 7-inch version is available for $214. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 can be preordered by visiting www.amazon.com/global-kindle-fire-hd-8.9 and the Kindle Fire HD is available at www.amazon.com/global-kindle-fire-hd. Interested buyers can also visit retailers who sell Kindle devices.

source: Amazon

Amazon Coins now available for Kindle Fire owners

by Jared Peters on
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A few months ago, Amazon announced their Coins currency for its Kindle Fire devices. These coins would essentially be in-app currency exclusively for Amazon’s App Store and can be used to purchase apps, games, and in-app content. The Coins have an exchange rate similar to normal currency, so 1 coin equals 1 cent. Kindle users will receive a free 500 Coins to test the service out, and more Coins can be purchased from Amazon.

The biggest advantage to using these Coins is buying in bulk. Amazon says you’ll be able to get up to 10% off if you buy large amounts of coins, so it can save you money in the long run. The Coins also help developers because it gives consumers a universal currency to use to buy apps and games, so that’s always a plus. Developers will still get their 70% of revenue from app purchases, so no change there. I think this is going to be a great service for Amazon and Kindle Fire users, and I think it’s safe to say we can expect Amazon to push this new system pretty hard in the next few months.

Amazon’s Alphabet Projects, including 3D smartphone screen, could be sign of major hardware push

by Jeff Causey on
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Sources in a WSJ article indicate Amazon has several hardware projects in the works that are collectively referred to as the Alphabet Projects. Perhaps most intriguing among them is a smartphone that reportedly will have a screen that can produce 3D images without the use of special glasses. Combined with complex eye-tracking software, the phone’s screen will produce the 3D images at almost any angle, producing a holographic image effect with items seeming to float above the screen. Another benefit of the technology will be the ability for users to navigate content on their phone using just their eyes. The high-end phone is just one of several devices that may signal a new strategy for Amazon in getting content into the hands of consumers. » Read the rest

Amazon Kindle smartphone to go into production in Q2 with a 4.7-inch display

by Robert Nazarian on
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Yes I know, an Amazon phone has been rumored for what seems like an eternity, but the latest rumor is they will go into mass production during the later part of the 2nd quarter. As far as specs go, it’s rumored that it will come with a 4.7-inch display. Apparently they were initially going to go with a 4.3-inch display, but they went bigger since that’s what everybody (other than Apple fanboys) seems to want these days. The rest of the specs aren’t confirmed and supposedly Amazon is still “enhancing other specifications”, which could be the reason for the delays we reported about a couple of weeks ago. This one should be interesting so stay tuned.

source: DigiTimes

Is Amazon Working on a $99 7-Inch Kindle Fire HD? Rumors Say Yes

by Jack Holt on
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Word around the rumor mill has Amazon pegged as creating a 7-inch Kindle Fire model that would sell for $99. If rumors are true, it would carry the same TI processor as its predecessor and come with a 1280×800 display. With Amazon slashing prices on its current models, one can expect to see a new version coming soon. While a sub-$100 seems to be a bit on the low side, Amazon has been known for its cheaper tablets with its forked version of Android.

While it may not entice those looking for a more robust tablet like the Nexus 7, it would certainly appeal to those who don’t want to spend a lot. This would make an enticing entry in a market flooded with tablets from unknown manufacturers found at your local pharmacy or Bed, Bath & Beyond stores. IDC Research Director on tablets, Tom Mainelli, believes this to be a reasonable move. He was quoted to say:

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Amazon’s App Store turns 2 this week, celebrates with app sales

by Jared Peters on
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Amazon’s App Store is celebrating a birthday this week. It’ll be two years on March 22nd since Amazon brought their little creation into this world, and what better way to celebrate than by discounting piles of apps and games? Amazon will be running sales on certain apps through this weekend, discounting some stuff over 50% off. And there’s still the famous Free App of the Day, like always, so you’ll have plenty to pick from.

Right now, there’s some pretty big apps like Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, and OfficeSuite Professional 7, all of which are at least 50% off. So if you frequently use the Amazon App Store or own a Kindle Fire, you’re probably going to pick up a few extra apps and games this week.

source: Amazon

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch model price cut

by Jeff Causey on
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Amazon announced today that it was cutting the price on both versions of its largest Kindle device, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. The WiFi only version of the tablet was priced at $299 in the U.S. and will see its price drop to $269. The price cut for the 4G enabled version is more dramatic, going from $499 down to $399. According to Amazon, they sell their Kindle devices at cost. With the impending release of the device to several new markets including the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan, Amazon claims they have achieved some new economies of scale as they ramp up production to meet the expected demand from the new markets. » Read the rest

Sources: Amazon smartphone may be delayed due to need for further testing and evaluation

by Roy Alugbue on
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It’s been a while since we’d heard that Amazon planned on entering the smartphone arena, so it certainly surprised us to hear that Amazon is certainly intent on bringing something soon… very soon. According to the gang at Digitimes:

 

“The production of Amazon’s much-fanfared smartphone is still under its engineering verification test (EVT) period due to issues related to its mobile platform, the sources indicated, adding that the development of the smartphone is being handled by FIH’s subsidiary Ensky Tech, which has been responsible for the production of Amazon’s e-book readers and tablets.”

 
 
So to sum up: Amazon’s supply chain intended to have everything ready within the last quarter or two, but wasn’t quite happy with how the software looked and performed, so it’s putting more time tweaking everything and sorting out any other kinks with the smartphone’s production before releasing the phone to the masses. Once the software is up to par on the level of its Kindle Fire tablets, then we should see everything ready to go by sometime in Q2. That’s probably a good thing too considering it will have all sorts of competition by then.
 
source: Digitimes