Amazon Debuts Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HD In 2 Sizes 307
Nerval's Lobster writes "Amazon used a Sept. 6 event in California to debut a range of products, including a front-lit [not back-lit, as originally reported] Kindle e-reader with a higher-resolution screen, an updated Kindle Fire, and the new Kindle Fire HD in two screen sizes. First, Bezos showed off a new version of the Kindle e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, complete with a front-lit, higher-resolution screen (221 pixels-per-inch and 25 percent more contrast, according to Amazon). The device weighs 7.5 ounces and is 9.1mm thin; battery life is rated at eight weeks, and the screen brightness is adjustable. He then showed off the updated Kindle Fire, before moving to the Kindle Fire HD, which features a choice of 7-inch or 8.9-inch screens, dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus, two antennas for better Wi-Fi pickup, and a Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 processor (which Bezos claimed could out-perform the Tegra 3). The Kindle Fire HD's 7-inch version will retail for $199 and ship Sept. 14, while the 8.9-inch version will cost $299 and ship Nov. 20. An 8.9-inch, 4G LTE-enabled version with 32GB storage will be available starting Nov. 20 for $499, paired with a $49.99-a-year data plan."
Re:Price on data plan is suspect (Score:4, Informative)
250MB per month before you have to pay more
Re:But it's not the google experience (Score:5, Informative)
I want to feel warm and fuzzy and covered in the goodness of complete googleness
I picked up a Fire as a cheap 'Android' tablet while visiting the US. Once I got it back to the UK, it was pretty hopeless. No Amazon Marketplace over here and the odd hardware profile means most apps turn up their nose at it, even with sideloaded Google Market. I will be looking at the Nexus 7 or similar when I come to replace it. Sorry Amazon, nice try, but your walled garden isn't for me.
Re:Paper White!! Wait, what? (Score:5, Informative)
I saw paperwhite and was hoping this was a resurgence for E-Ink. Sadly no, it's not.
It's e-Ink, at least according to http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/06/kindle-paperwhite/ [engadget.com]. It would have to be, to have an 8 week runtime.
Re:Backlit?! (Score:4, Informative)
It's NOT BACKLIT. Submitter wasn't paying attention. It's an illuminated display, you can turn it off.
Re:Are you sure it's not e-ink? (Score:2, Informative)
it's e-ink with a "fiber optic" layer that lights from above.
Re:8 weeks instead of 2 months battery? (Score:5, Informative)
Interesting change in wording. That means 56 days of reading 1-hour per day instead of 62 days. Meanwhile Barnes advertises "over 2 months" for their nooks.
Are you quite sure?
Barnes on Nook Glowlight:
Read for over 1 month on a single charge with GlowLight on (based on a half hour of daily reading time)1 Read for over 2 months with GlowLight off (based on a half hour of daily reading time)1
Amazon on Kindle Paperwhite:
"So we worked on our power management — Kindle paperwhite can get eight weeks of battery life even with the light on.
Re:Backlit?! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Backlit?! (Score:4, Informative)
I watched the live presentation. It is a front lit display using a new technology to light the front of the display using nanoimprinted light channels in the glass. It acts like ambient light but it is not a backlight in any way shape or form. It also claims 8 weeks of battery life with the light on. I guess the closest thing you could call it is redirected side lighting? The live blog from gizmodo has a picture of the tech as it was show on the bigscreen. http://live.gizmodo.com/page5.html.
Re:But it's not the google experience (Score:5, Informative)
Actually it is. I use one in that fashion regularly.
Re:But it's not the google experience (Score:5, Informative)
The new kindle paperwhite includes a page light, so this is no longer true.
Re:OMAP 4470 can't do shit (Score:4, Informative)
You're focused exclusively on processing speed, you've totally ignored power consumption, display functions, and surrounding support chips. As I said, you don't understand systems, or the difference between raw speed and performance. If Amazon says the OMAP provides better performance, I believe them, since they have to take very much more into account than just MIPS.
Oh, and you've gotten your facts very wrong. The OMAP 4470 is a 4 core processor, and the Tegra is a 5 core processor. The OMAP, in addition to the 2 A9 cores, it has 2 M3 cores, which consume only 32 uW/MHz (a regular A9 core consumes ~300 uW/MHz at its most efficient) . This is very likely why it outperforms the Tegra in this application.
Still nothing for college textbooks. (Score:5, Informative)
Kindle DX2 please. 11 inch screen with this new screen tech please.. I know a LOT of people that would kill for an A4 size screen.
Re:No page turn buttons :( (Score:2, Informative)
I thought the same thing until I actually started using the touch. I had the previous generation before and it got stolen. I thought the lack of page turn buttons would bother me, but after about an hour worth of reading I got used to it and like it just fine. What I really don't like about the touch is the light on Amazon's lighted case, you have to hold it down at an angle so it doesn't shine right in your eyes (probably because it was designed to light up the Amazon logo at the top of the Kindle), the light on the previous generation case was much better. Since this new one has a built in frontlight, if they did a good job with it that'll solve that problem and make it worth it to me to upgrade solely for the light.
Re:I call bullshit (Score:2, Informative)
Are you fucking stupid? It's not a back light at all, it's a front light. The new Kindle Paperwhite uses a layer on top of the eInk screen to distribute light from side-mounted LEDs across the display. This is very similar to the NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight that has been on the market for months. It's also mentioned in the very first sentence of both TFA and TFS (emphasis added):
"Amazon used a Sept. 6 event in California to debut a range of products, including a frontlit Kindle e-reader with a higher-resolution screen, an updated Kindle Fire, and the new Kindle Fire HD in two screen sizes."
Or you could have simply read about it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/UwTOMk [amzn.to].