[HisSvt2]

250mb a month is nothing... 12 month commitment ..forget it. At&t.. HELL NO!

[rootbrain]

Still wont buy. It might be still in GingerBread

Don't know, but I would think Amazon would at least release ICS with this. Most people won't know or care, but Droid techies would howel like bansheees...

[skyrockett]

no matter how good those specs are.. i'm with N7 all the way!

Did they mentioned what software it runs? Same Cover Flow Crap? I'm sure it's much much more open to modify the software for dev teams. It's gonna be like a real cool project for those who does those third party Android os. But still not every app would work perfectly unless legitimate developers will support it as much as they support regular tablets

[natehoy]

How does 250MB a month actually translate? Is the amazon media stream that compact? It seems that the base of $50 a year for LTE would be exceeded quickly if you actually used it for streaming on the go.

Yes, if it's 250MB a month, you would certainly NEVER want to do any streaming media while on the go. However, if you used it carefully for small things like web browsing and checking the weather and traffic while on the go, and cached your media on WiFi whenever possible... yeah, you could make that work if you wanted to.

I can easily stay within 250MB a month of 4G data on my cell phone without too much work, and I do a lot on it. I'd just have to be a little careful just save high-bandwidth stuff for a WiFi connection. I'm currently on the unlimited plan on my smartphone and without even monitoring it or caring one bit, I'm at 253MB with 8 days left in the month.

If I had watched my 4G/3G use more carefully and really wanted to, I could probably get by on 100-150MB a month without too much worries. And for a $4/month data plan, for me, it would easily be worth the savings. Honestly, my unlimited data plan is totally not worth the money to me.

But 250MB is obviously not enough for everyone.

On the other hand, if you watched two high-definition movies a week and one 40-minute TV episode a day purely over 4G, you're going to have to really struggle to find an inexpensive data plan that will support that anyway. AT&T's $30 2GB tablet plan ain't gonna cut it.

[seriyb]

If you're tied into the amazon eco system this is a no brainer. As for me I want an un skinned android device running the latest OS.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

IMO Kindle will not scoop up many Google users. But it will certainly attract a lot of newcomers just like the last one did.

And I agree on the ecosystem. This is one place where Google can do a lot of improvements. Google Music is the only app that is really good or nearly "there".
They should use the Google Music framework on Google Mags and Google Books. Need a way to upload my own stuff at the very least.

[6tr6tr]

Let's be honest. This 250MB plan (or whatever that ridiculous number is) is just to suck you in to pay more.

Remember, the 4G LTE is just for when there's no Wifi. Chances are you'll be using this near wifi 90% of the time. So if 250MB is 10% of your usage, then for $4/month, you get about 2.5GB of data on Wifi+LTE.

[bawboh86]

You know, you can get all the content from Amazon via their app on the Nexus 7, and keep vanilla Android, have timely updates, have better hardware, and have the openness to use other content providers (ie: Google Books or B&N), all for the same price as the Kindle Fire 7" HD. Just sayin', there's still options out there that meet (or in my opinion, beat) the Kindle Fire 7" HD.

[6tr6tr]

The gauntlet has been thrown down. Go Amazon! Raise that bar! Force other tablets to meet or beat the pricing and specs. Force Google to think about their own content pricing. Competition is always good for the consumer. Thank you, Amazon!

I'd like the full specs on the 7" model including the "HD" screen.

As for the Nexus 7, Google really needs to think about content subscriptions similar to have Amazon Prime offers because as it stands, people will flock to the Kindle just for the cheap yearly subscription and Amazon ecosystem.

GET ON IT GOOGLE!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

It's not that easy. The content companies are all greedy and technology-backwards, so convincing them to sign on for streaming of their content to mobile devices at a price that allows Google to make money is very tough.

Pandora makes about $400 million a year in revenue from mobile streaming but because of the ridiculous prices with the music companies, they actually LOST money.

[JHBThree]

Competition. It's a beautiful thing.

Everyone benefits from this announcement, and I mean EVERYONE, because you know that Apple is watching and someone from Apple marketing is probably soiling his trousers right about now with how they are going to respond with pricing on their supposedly-upcoming iPad Mini. It sure won't lead to a higher price!

Samsung, Asus, et al have just had the bar reset again.

Yes, this will be a locked-down subsidized device. No, you'll never get Play Store or the Google Experience on it. Amazon will, you can be sure, lock the living snot out of all that.

So for Google Experience or iDevice purists, this will not be a tablet worthy of consideration.

But a well-speced well-built tablet at those prices, even with the limitations, is going to FLY off the virtual shelves. And Google and Apple, faced with folks being drawn into the Amazonosphere, will be forced to respond with something interesting.

Oh, this is going to be fun. Popcorn time!

The last kindle fire fell flat on its face right after launch, and these will have the same fate. Amazon thinks people only care about the prices on tablets and the content, but their ecosystem is not strong enough (thanks to their crippled software) to sway most people. If they're looking at this and a Nexus 7 (or even a slightly more expensive Samsung) they won't be choosing the fire.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[6tr6tr]

You know, you can get all the content from Amazon via their app on the Nexus 7, and keep vanilla Android, have timely updates, have better hardware, and have the openness to use other content providers (ie: Google Books or B&N), all for the same price as the Kindle Fire 7" HD. Just sayin', there's still options out there that meet (or in my opinion, beat) the Kindle Fire 7" HD.

No you can't. You cannot stream movies on a Nexus 7 from Amazon Prime.

[6tr6tr]

The last kindle fire fell flat on its face right after launch, and these will have the same fate. Amazon thinks people only care about the prices on tablets and the content, but their ecosystem is not strong enough (thanks to their crippled software) to sway most people. If they're looking at this and a Nexus 7 (or even a slightly more expensive Samsung) they won't be choosing the fire.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Really? The last Kindle Fire now has 22% of the U.S. tablet market (and that includes the iPad).

[6tr6tr]

Every reviewer says it's buttery smooth. Looks smooth here:
[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkWB7WT47tc[/YT]

[6tr6tr]

According to this (from Gizmodo) it's based on ICS:

[NickA]

The last kindle fire fell flat on its face right after launch, and these will have the same fate. Amazon thinks people only care about the prices on tablets and the content, but their ecosystem is not strong enough (thanks to their crippled software) to sway most people. If they're looking at this and a Nexus 7 (or even a slightly more expensive Samsung) they won't be choosing the fire.

^^ This

Really? The last Kindle Fire now has 22% of the U.S. tablet market (and that includes the iPad).

^^ And not this. The Fire did well, until the new iPad was released. They dropped to #3, behind Apple and Samsung with 4% of the market share.

Kindle and iPad mini sitting side by side, same price. What is the average consumer going to purchase? It's a no brainer. You have to be heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem to purchase a Kindle over the iPad mini.

[KitN]

It's not that easy. The content companies are all greedy and technology-backwards, so convincing them to sign on for streaming of their content to mobile devices at a price that allows Google to make money is very tough.

Sorry but I call "bull". Amazon has been doing it for years and years, so can Google!

And Google has far more weight it can push around than the Pandora example you used. Seriously?! We're talking one of the largest tech giants on the planet: GOOGLE!

And the Amazon content providers/makers are the same ones currently providing content in Google Play store! Its nothing new to them! But Google has to be the one to sit down at a table and play a little hardball and "persuade" those content providers to pen a deal for something similar to Amazon Prime but on a Google branded device!

GET MOVING GOOGLE!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[dextorboot]

I really love the Amazon ecosystem and I'm heavily tied into it without Prime. But a lackluster UI and being locked in to Amazon is what scared me away from the Fire in the first place. The versatility, including access to Amazon, and price for admission is what drew me to the N7. Amazon Video is really all it's lacking and I'm sure that's coming at some point.

Price, versatility and selection is what drew me to Amazon content versus the competitions offering. MP3s and ebooks are routinely cheaper on Amazon. Even with th N7 I'm struggling to find things to use my free $25 Playstore credit on. Amazon has always done a wonderful job beating or meeting the competition in price wars and it's no different with Google. Amazon matches sales on MP3s and ebooks ALL THE TIME. They even started matching Barnes and Nobles equivalent of the ebook daily deal. Until Google can step it up and beat Amazon I'll never purchase anything but apps from them.

[JHBThree]

Really? The last Kindle Fire now has 22% of the U.S. tablet market (and that includes the iPad).

...according to amazon. The companies that actually track usage and sales put amazon far behind even Samsung. There were stories all over the web about amazons sales collapsing post iPad 3 and never recovering.

[bawboh86]

No you can't. You cannot stream movies on a Nexus 7 from Amazon Prime.

Sure you can. Just get Firefox for Android, and download Adobe Flash player from one of the hundreds of mirrors, and voila, you can now log into Amazon.com and stream movies. Sure, it's not as streamlined as just I got the product and can now stream Amazon Prime Content, but it all depends on where your other interests lie. Do you want to only consume Amazon products? That's fine if you do, I have nothing against people's interests being different than mine, but I personally don't want to be locked into such a sub ecosystem as that. I like the Nexus 7's openness and being able to do more than just consume one distributor's content.

That's the great thing about where the tablet market is right now: we have lots of choices and to each his/her own. With the i*ad mini on its way, there is plenty of competition in the marketplace, and , we, the consumers, can only benefit from that.

[JHBThree]

^^ This



^^ And not this. The Fire did well, until the new iPad was released. They dropped to #3, behind Apple and Samsung with 4% of the market share.

Kindle and iPad mini sitting side by side, same price. What is the average consumer going to purchase? It's a no brainer. You have to be heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem to purchase a Kindle over the iPad mini.

And a bit oblivious of the other options available.

[6tr6tr]

Sure you can. Just get Firefox for Android, and download Adobe Flash player from one of the hundreds of mirrors, and voila, you can now log into Amazon.com and stream movies. Sure, it's not as streamlined as just I got the product and can now stream Amazon Prime Content, but it all depends on where your other interests lie. Do you want to only consume Amazon products? That's fine if you do, I have nothing against people's interests being different than mine, but I personally don't want to be locked into such a sub ecosystem as that. I like the Nexus 7's openness and being able to do more than just consume one distributor's content.

That's the great thing about where the tablet market is right now: we have lots of choices and to each his/her own. With the i*ad mini on its way, there is plenty of competition in the marketplace, and , we, the consumers, can only benefit from that.

Well, if that's how you're defining it, you can also root the Kindle Fire and add google's apps (and google play) as well.

[junglejunkie]

You don't need to be rooted to sideload flash and install a browser that supports it....just sayin'.

[Jaingo5150]

It's certainly not for everyone, but neither is the N7. I think it is a great announcement as they upgraded almost their entire line, not just the Fires.

There will be plenty of soccer moms, and the like that will love a Fire to replace an aging OG Kindle. My wife uses both the Kindle and her new N7 just because of the eInk feature. Most don't care about that and will see this unit as a great xmas present that will allow them to watch Real Housewives or Dance Moms on it after reading the latest Danielle Steel novel.

For me, it's just interesting to read about new tech. And BTW, I LOOOOVE me some Abby Lee!!

[booyahsaki]

They have both a 7-inch and 8.9-inch and the 7-inch is only $159. Plus it has an HD screen, double the RAM of before, longer battery, 16GB hard drive (for the $159 version!), dolby digital plus dual stereo speakers, 1.4GHZ dual core CPU, TWO wifi antennaes for faster wifi (first ever tablet to have this), HDMI-out. WOW.

(And add Amazon Prime to that and for $79/year you can stream movies - some that Netflix doesn't even have - and take out thousands of books for free on the device)

I read the press release as the new HD Kindle Fire will be selling at 199.99, not 159.99. Did I misread?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[jrwatson]

I read the press release as the new HD Kindle Fire will be selling at 199.99, not 159.99. Did I misread?

I think you're right:
7" = $159
7" HD = $199
8.9" = $299
4G = $499

definitely competition, but I think they cater to different audiences. my parents have the old Fire, and I'm not terribly impressed--the internet connection was fine, but in general it was slow and crashed often. plus, you're stuck with that unattractive, simple interface. great for non-tech savvy people who want an easy-to-comprehend interface and love amazon, like my folks.

I hope they change that awful power button.

[JHBThree]

They're all ad supported, which is ridiculous.