Amazon Sets Fire to the Digital Tablet Market
SEATTLE—Amazon is passing out virtual cigars after adding four new members to its digital family: three Kindle e-readers that are smaller, lighter and more affordable; and Kindle Fire, a new class of Kindle that brings the same ease-of-use and deep integration of content to movies, TV shows, music, magazines, apps, books, games and more.
“We’ve now reached the magical two-digit price point for Kindle—twice, the new Kindle and Kindle Touch are only $79 and $99. Kindle Touch 3G is the new top-of-the-line e-reader with free 3G—no monthly fees or annual contracts—and is only $149,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO.
The latest generation Kindle features a new design that is 30 percent lighter at 5.98 ounces, 18 percent smaller, and turns pages 10 percent faster. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes—still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display.
Kindle Touch 3G is a new high-end e-reader that offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch—small and light, easy-to-use touch screen, storage for thousands of books, and extra-long battery life—with the convenience of free 3G. Kindle’s free 3G connection allows users to download and read books anytime, anywhere in over 100 countries around the world, without needing a Wi-Fi hotspot. Amazon pays for the 3G connection, so there’s no monthly fee or annual contract. The new Kindles will ship beginning Nov. 21.
Kindle Fire offers a bevy of digital content, including more than 100,000 movies and TV shows from Amazon Instant Video; 17 million songs from Amazon MP3; one million-plus Kindle books, including thousands of bestsellers, children’s books, comic books and cookbooks in rich color; hundreds of magazines and newspapers, ranging from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times to Wired and Martha Stewart Living—with full-color layouts, photographs, illustrations, built-in video, audio and other interactive features are available from the new Kindle Fire “Newsstand.”
The Kindle Fire is $199 and can be preordered now, with shipping on Nov. 15.