Tablets The new Kindle Fire

[gto55]

http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3280005/this-is-the-new-amazon-kindle-fire

We've just been sent a purported shot of the next Kindle Fire, Amazon's Android-based tablet that's expected to be announced next week after the current model "sold out" earlier today. We're being told that a "pair" of Fires is likely — a 7- and a 10-incher — though it remains unclear whether both models will be introduced at the same time.

While the original Fire was widely known to be based on the same OMAP4 reference design as RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, the new model appears to be a custom design (or at least a reference design that we're not familiar with). That's not to say it's any more visually interesting — it's still just a plain, simple, black box. We weren't provided with any shots of the back, so we don't know whether there's a primary camera; there's no sign that Amazon is shifting its strategy of making the Fire an extraordinarily affordable tablet, though, so we'd expect them to be trimming costs wherever they can (just as Google did with the Nexus 7).

 

[aziatiklover]

Ewww thats fugly!

 

[Southernboyj]

If that is what it looks like, I'll definitely take a Nexus 7/iPad Mini over it. Eww!

 

[Mac.World]

I don't think Amazon cares what it looks like, as long as it is cheap and acts as a gateway to their online catalog. The first Fire sold well at the beginning, but then died in a 'fire' ry death spiral. People realized it was junk and think I saw return rates around something like 20 to 30 percent? Don't know how much money they lost on it? This will probably be their last go at this. With the Nex7 at the $200 range and the mini ipad likely to be around the $300 price range, why would anyone bother with a Kindle Fire? Much less any other tablet? The low end of the market is completely covered by these two devices. And the ipad completely covers the high end.

And on top of that, the new Fire is a black rectangle, with equally rounded corners and a flat glass panel. Guess who's gonna sue Amazon?

 

[725032]

Ewww thats fugly!

I think it looks nice... Especially when you consider its entry level pricing

 

[Jessica Lares]

Give it a chance.

That's a grey border (rubber back extended?) around the device, but thicker so it's easier to grasp and so it doesn't directly hit the floor (so like having a bumper on your iPhone).

Redesigned Otter framework which was MUCH needed, based on ICS (I can tell by how the keyboard looks and is laid out), keyboard looks much slicker, and you can now HIDE the menu bar, which will give us more choice in app selection. New fullscreen and bookmark has been switched, new placement for the sensor, camera onboard.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Oh, and here you go, I fixed it.

Nothing like coming up with opinions based on a screen with a search bar and emptiness.

 

[bruinsrme]

Oh, and here you go, I fixed it.

Image

Nothing like coming up with opinions based on a screen with a search bar and emptiness.

If it was labeled iPad 7 inch your would see nothing but positive comments.

 

[irDigital0l]

well that made my day easier...

ipad mini where are u?

 

[Mac.World]

If it was labeled iPad 7 inch your would see nothing but positive comments.

No one that has an iOS device would confuse that keyboard for what they are used to seeing. But even still, that keyboard looks like crap. I can't remember if that is how vanilla ICS looks or not? This is how a 7" tablet keyboard should be set up, with regular and split keyboards and long press access to special characters and numbers:

 

[Southernboyj]

Oh, and here you go, I fixed it.

Image

Nothing like coming up with opinions based on a screen with a search bar and emptiness.

It looks like a square.

 

[Jessica Lares]

It looks like a square.

You're looking at it wrong.

 

[gto55]

http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3...e-grows?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[skunnykart]

better be heaps cheap.

 

[Technarchy]

Horrible...

 

[Southernboyj]

I'd still take a device running iOS or Jelly Bean over it.

 

[Ddyracer]

Well, it has a front facing camera. Looks good quality.

 

[gto55]

WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week)

By Sean Buckley posted Aug 31st 2012 4:40PM

If you can't quite scrounge up the $200 it takes to buy a quality 7-inch slab these days, Amazon may have a solution for you: sell them your attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to develop a ad-supported tablet that would display advertisements whenever the screen is turned on. Sound familiar? Like the ad-supported Kindle readers Amazon's already dabbled with, subsided tablets would ring in at a lower price tag then their ad-free counterparts. WSJ sources also mentioned that some versions of the device would be WiFi only, potentially lowering the price even further. No word yet, if you'll be able to buy yourself out of the ads later, of course.


Update: Care for a thicker plot? CNET is now reporting that Amazon will reveal two new Kindle Fire tablets next week -- an all new 7-inch wonder and a slightly reworked version of the original. While a brand new slab could be an obvious contender for the 7-inch tablet crown, a refreshed version of Amazon's original hardware could very well fit the ad-supported bill. Check out CNET's full report at the source link below.