Amazon launches its new Kindle Fire HD tablets

Amazon has launched two new HD versions of its famous e-reader, the Kindle, at a press conference in the US. The Kindle Fire HD comes in two versions, with either a 7in or 8.9in screen. The latter is being seen as a direct competitor to Apple’s iPad, the bestselling tablet on the market. The press launch unveiled also an upgrade of their original model at a fraction of the price.

Previously only available on the US market, the new Kindle Fire HD will be available in the UK for the first time. The bigger Kindle Fire HD will be on the market for £159, while the smaller version will cost £129 and both will be available in the UK from 25th October.

In comparison, the iPad is more than double the price, sold for £329, while the Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7 sell for £199.

Amazon’s new HD models are provided with stereo speakers, an HDMI port for easy TV connection and a laminated touchscreen to reduce glare in sunlight.

Powered by a Texas Instruments processor, among the new technical features are an 11-hour battery life, a camera and 16 gigabytes of storage. All new Kindles will also have a built in LOVEFiLM service.

Amazon used a surprisingly low-price strategy for its upgrade, providing a device with more RAM memory, a faster processor but which was 20% cheaper.

The move, according to some telecom market analysts, is the forced result of Google’s Nexus, a similarly powerful device, coming onto the market at a competitive price.

Philip Jones, deputy editor of Waterstones’ magazine, pointed out that Amazon Kindle would have an incredible advantage in the UK because of its brand name.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos concluded the event by saying: “Not only does Kindle Fire HD feature the most advanced hardware, it’s also a service. Kindle Fire HD is the best 7in tablet available anywhere, at any price.”

Annalisa Ratti