Amazon’s new Fire heats up tablet race
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) unveiled the Kindle Fire on Wednesday, a 7-inch tablet that The Wall Street Journal says could be Apple’s “biggest” challenger to the almighty iPad. 
Much like iPad’s Android competitors, the Kindle Fire’s price is sure to compel consumers to give it a second look: It’s priced at an attractive $199; the cheapest iPad2 is $499.
The Kindle Fire was just part of Amazon’s growing Kindle family: Also announced were a lighter, cheaper Kindle ($79), the Kindle Touch ($99) and the Kindle Touch 3G ($149). Read the full news release about the Kindle family here.
The Amazon Kindle Fire at a glance:
- Weight: 14.6 ounces (413 grams)
- Size: 7.5″ x 4.7″ x 0.45″ (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm)
- 1024 x 600P resolution at 169PPI
- 8GB on-board memory
- Battery Life: Up to 8 hours of reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off.
- Full charge in approx. 4 hours
- Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
- Audio: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers
- Wi-Fi: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.1X standard
- USB 2.0 port (micro-B connector)
- Warranty and service: 1 year limited
- Supported formats: 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
EARLIER: Acer Iconia A500: A honey-sweet alternative to iPad? ~J’s Pages, May 26
EARLIER: A honey-sweet alternative to the Xoom? ~ J’s Pages, April 9
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Who’s J?
I am Jane Q. Public: consumer and citizen. As I go, so goes the nation. Sometimes.
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Jacqui Barrineau
Editor. Writer. Consultant.
I'm an editor and writer with certifications in public relations and e-Commerce. I also have a background in information technology. (In another life, I was a systems analyst.)
When I'm not editing copy for USA TODAY, I write an occasional short story or poem. My work has appeared in Calliope and the feminist journal So to Speak, and I'm a regular flash-fiction contributor to Paragraph Planet and Doorknobs & Bodypaint. Also on occasion, I interview editors for The Review Review, a comprehensive guide to literary journals and the people who produce them.
My points-of-view are collected on such esteemed outlets as Wordpress, Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed here and elsewhere are mine, not my employers'.
I live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., with my husband, Trey, our Shetland Sheepdog, and two unhelpful-but-funny cats.
