Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch Explained
Amazon has announced the first Kindle touchscreen e-Reader and the first Kindle tablet PC.
The new line-up includes:
- Three new models of Kindle e-Reader, priced from $79-$189 with black and white, e-Ink screens, none of which have a keyboard as part of the case.
- Two of the new e-Ink Kindles have a touch-screen instead of buttons, The $79 Kindle has a virtual, on-screen keyboard controlled by the five-way controller buttons.
- They seem to still be selling the latest model of Kindle 3 e-Reader, which does have a hardware keyboard and 3G connectivity.
- One of these new Kindle models has 3G connectivity. The others are wi-fi only.
- There are two different prices for each model, depending on whether or not you’ll accept advertisements on your home screen (not in the books)
- The biggest change is the new Kindle Fire priced at $199, which is a color, touch-screen tablet device that can browse the web, stream video, load apps and syncs with your Amazon purchase and Prime streaming video among other things. (Start watching a movie on your Fire, then start up your internet-enabled TV and continue streaming the movie from the same spot). It only connects over Wi-Fi
| Kindle e-Ink screen & buttons $79/$109 | Kindle Touch e-Ink screen, wi-fi $99/$139 | Kindle Touch 3G e-Ink screen, wi-fi & wireless $149/$189 | Kindle w/Keyboard e-Ink screen, wi-fi only or 3G wireless $99/$139/$189 | Kindle Fire Full-color Tablet, wi-fi $199 |
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| connectivity: You can connect to Amazon over wi-fi (in your home or in a coffee shop with free wi-fi) or you can use a cable to connect to your computer. | connectivity: You can connect to Amazon over wi-fi (in your home or in a coffee shop with free wi-fi) or you can use a cable to connect to your computer. | connectivity: 3G: Connect to Amazon and the web over the cellular network (wherever you can get a phone signal) but with no contract or fees. wi-fi-You can still connect over wi-fi or you can use a cable to connect to your computer. | connectivity: 2 choices: Wi-Fi plus 3G Connect to Amazon and the web over the cellular network (wherever you can get a phone signal) but with no contract or fees. Wi-Fi only: use a cable to connect to your computer. | connectivity: Wi-Fi Only You can connect to the web over wi-fi (in your home or in a coffee shop with free wi-fi) or you can use a cable to connect to your computer. |
| physical factors eInk screen looks like paper; black and white only. Can adjust font sizes. Buttons to turn pages. Five-way controller lets you select text, highlight, find definitions, change location, use menus. No touch-screen Virtual, on-screen keyboard, to type in a search term or make notes, using the five-way controller. | physical factors eInk screen looks like paper; black and white only. Can adjust font sizes Touch screen select titles, use on-screen keyboard, turn pages with the multi-touch screen. No buttons everything is on the touch-screen. Virtual, on-screen keyboard to type in a search term or make notes. Audio: headphone jack and speakers. Supports mp3s & Audible content. | physical factors eInk screen looks like paper; black and white only. Can adjust font sizes Touch screen select titles, use on-screen keyboard, turn pages with the multi-touch screen. No buttons everything is on the touch-screen. Virtual, on-screen keyboard to type in a search term or make notes. Audio: headphone jack and speakers. Supports mp3s & Audible content. | physical factors eInk screen looks like paper; black and white only. Can adjust font sizes Physical keyboard buttons you can push, QWERTY layout. Makes the Kindle larger. Buttons on the sides for navigation through pages. Five-way controller to navigate menus, highlight text, bring up definitions etc. Audio: headphone jack and speakers. Supports mp3s & Audible content. | physical factors Backlit Color Touch Screen multi-touch, suitable for web browsing, watching movies, playing audio, reading, playing games. |
| new or noteworthy no audio: while other Kindle models have supported mp3s for music or audio books, this model is text-only. Does not include new X-Ray feature (included, relevant Wikipedia entries). Yet. Web-browsing is not a full feature. The browser is simplified and many pages will not work properly. Library books: borrow books from your local library's collection. | new or noteworthy Web-browsing is not a full feature. The browser is simplified and many pages will not work properly. Library books: borrow books from your local library's collection. | new or noteworthy Web-browsing is not a full feature. The browser is simplified and many pages will not work properly. Library books: borrow books from your local library's collection. | new or noteworthy This is the Kindle 3, released in 2010. | new or noteworthy Everything about this one is new and noteworthy. This is a very different device from the Kindle eReaders - more like an iPad. WhisperSync Start watching a movie on one device (your computer or TV) and continue watching it from the same point on your Fire (and vice versa). Runs on a modified Android operating system. Apps from the Amazon store are vetted for safety and compatibility. Streaming content from Amazon Prime's library. Fast web browsing Amazon Silk makes web browsing faster, they say. |
| pricing: base price includes Special Offers - ads that rotate at the bottom of your home screen (not when reading books). Higher priced model does not include Special Offers (i.e. is ad-free). | pricing: base price includes Special Offers - ads that rotate at the bottom of your home screen (not when reading books). Higher priced model does not include Special Offers (i.e. is ad-free). | pricing: base price includes Special Offers - ads that rotate at the bottom of your home screen (not when reading books). Higher priced model does not include Special Offers (i.e. is ad-free). | pricing: base price for each model includes Special Offers - ads that rotate at the bottom of your home screen (not when reading books). Higher priced version of each model does not include Special Offers (i.e. is ad-free). | pricing Only one price for this one: $199 (a lot less than an iPad) |
Conclusions
If you’re a hard-core reader, one of the new e-Ink models is probably for you.
- Easy on the eyes – no backlighting,
- Great in daylight – no glare whatsoever,
- Battery lasts forever – almost,
- Easy to hold in one hand – even over the side of the bathtub!
- Small – without the hardware keyboard they could actually slip into your pocket like a paperback.
- Cheap – from $79 for the non-touchscreen Kindle with Special Offers on the home screen.
If you’re an all-media entertainment junkie, get the Kindle Fire.
- Browse the web in full-color, touch screen glory,
- Fast mobile browsing with Amazon Silk,
- Full-color reading – great for children’s books and your magazines,
- Whispersync makes sure all your shows, movies, books and audio start at the point you left off, even on a different device,
- Much cheaper than an iPad – no 3G version yet, though.
If you already have a Kindle and an iPad, wait for the next upgrade.
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