Amazon announced the Kindle Fire HD family, replacing the original Kindle Fire with a significantly upgraded lineup. The new devices arrived with a custom HD display, improved Wi-Fi, Dolby Digital Plus audio, and exclusive new software features.
The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD launched September 14th at $199 for 16GB ($229 for 32GB). Key hardware: a TI OMAP4470 processor, a 1280×800 HD display with laminated touch panel and Advanced True Wide polarizing filter (25% less glare than iPad), dual-band/dual-antenna MIMO Wi-Fi (40% faster than next fastest tablet), dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus, a front-facing HD camera with custom Skype app, 11 hours of battery life, HDMI out, and Bluetooth.
The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD launched November 20th starting at $299 for 16GB, with the same display technology at 1920×1200 (254 ppi) and the OMAP4 4470 processor. A 4G LTE variant with 32GB launched November 20th at $499, running on AT&T with a groundbreaking $49.99/year plan covering 250MB/month data, and supporting all 10 LTE bands for fallback to fastest available 3G.
New exclusive features across the lineup: X-Ray for Movies (IMDb integration during video playback), X-Ray for Textbooks, Immersion Reading (synced audiobook narration while reading), Whispersync for Voice (sync reading position with audiobook companion), Whispersync for Games (cloud-saved game progress across devices), and Kindle FreeTime (parental content controls with per-type screen time limits and multiple user accounts).
The original Kindle Fire was refreshed simultaneously with a faster processor, double the RAM, and longer battery life, dropping to $159. Amazon also announced Whispersync for audiobooks enabling seamless switching between reading and listening across sessions.
