Amazon Kindle Fire Surfaces 521
MrCrassic was the first of several submitters to write in about the Kindle Fire: "It looks like another competitor has joined the fight for tablet market share. Amazon released specs and pics of its newest offering, the Kindle Fire, which is bound to turn heads at $199. However, I wouldn't sell your Nook Color or iPad just yet. From the article: 'The Kindle Fire doesn't have an embedded camera or a microphone. The device offers Wi-Fi connectivity, though not 3G access, and comes with a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the company's $79-a-year membership service that includes streaming video and free two-day shipping.'"
Kindle Touch (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Kindle Touch (Score:4, Insightful)
Am I the only one who actually *liked* the physical keyboard and buttons on the old Kindle? I don't want my greasy fingerprints all over my screen and I like the tactile feel of a physical keyboard. And the Kindle's physical keyboard was a pretty good one too.
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Am I the only one who actually *liked* the physical keyboard and buttons on the old Kindle? I don't want my greasy fingerprints all over my screen and I like the tactile feel of a physical keyboard. And the Kindle's physical keyboard was a pretty good one too.
According to Amazon.com the old version - now referred to as the "Kindle Keyboard/Keyboard 3G" is still available, at the same price as the Touch.
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Not only that, but they've lowered the price on those, as well. "Kindle Keyboard" with no 3G and with ads on the lock screen ("special offers" version) is $99 now - used to be $119, IIRC.
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The ad-free version is still the same as the Nook Touch.
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Actually the Kindle Touch is $139 without ads(the same as the Nook Touch). It's their new low end $79 Kindle that is $109 without ads.
Kindle = kindling (Score:2, Funny)
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That was my first thought, too. I think it's a catchy name but the headline was confusing at first glance.
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I had initially interpreted as a news story surfacing about fires on/in the Kindle.
it's a media consumption device (Score:5, Insightful)
for people to do without creating (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a tablet, not a ball & chain. (Score:4, Insightful)
Does it have "Unknown sources"? (Score:2)
As far as I know it still has access to an app store, so if you want to create on it you can use any app that allows you to do so
Does it also support sideloading through "Unknown sources" or "adb install"? If not, your ability to create is subject to the application acceptance policy of Amazon Appstore.
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I get that a lot of people are leery about the terms you described, and I'm not saying they don't have a potentiall
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If you desperately want to create photo based or audio based content there are plenty of cheap options to do so.
There are plenty of BETTER options to do so. I have an ipod touch with a cam and mic, those are just horrible. I don't want to see the trash that comes from those, not from my i-device, not from anyones i-device.
Its like saying we'll all be content creators like Michelangelo if cell phone providers merely gave out finger paints and crayolas with each phone.
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Tepples stock and trade is hypothetical morons doing advanced things.
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No, nothing like that (Score:4, Interesting)
That's because if a solution handles more edge cases, it probably handles the common case more robustly as well.
That is the classic definition of "feature creep", and usually means it is too complex for most people to use or simply does nothing well.
Handling more edge cases means you spent less time worrying about core functionality.
Re:It's a tablet, not a ball & chain. (Score:4, Informative)
As far as I know it still has access to an app store
no, it doesn't. it does not have any google apps.
http://searchengineland.com/amazon-android-tablet-undermines-google-94664 [searchengineland.com]
that's common sense. amazon wants to drive people to amazon books sales not google books, to amazon appstore, not google market, to amazon VOD, not google movies.
will you be able to get google market through some sort of hack? probably.
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Arguably, Amazon Appstore is an app store.
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Not just arguably. It is an app store. If he's looking for the proper term, Google's is the Market. Amazon's is the Appstore.
hack saws, chain saws, apples, oranges (Score:4, Insightful)
Perhaps they're bitching that it's yet another device that can act as a roadblock for people who want to climb from consumption to creation.
I have a hack saw and its getting in my way from cutting through a 6x6 </sarcasm>.
People aspiring to climb from consumption to creation should be savvy enough to get equipment that enables them to do so instead of getting equipment such as this which is not intended for that purpose. Fascinating idea, I know!
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Anything which does not support my ideals is opposed to it. Pluralism is weakness. Your ass will be laminated. Resistance is futile.
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People aspiring to climb from consumption to creation should be savvy enough to get equipment that enables them to do so
For one thing, how can people necessarily know one or two years in advance that they want to start creating?
instead of getting equipment such as this which is not intended for that purpose.
The idea is to be able to start creating with what you already own.
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For one thing, how can people necessarily know one or two years in advance that they want to start creating?
How are Amazon meant to? I might decide to take up writing in two years, I don't see a citation management application built into any of the current tablets.
Re:for people to do without creating (Score:5, Insightful)
If your choice of tablet computer is a barrier to creating content - photos and videos, no less - I humbly suggest that you were probably not going to create anything on it in the first place. People who want to make things go out and make them, they don't make creativity-themed rationalisations about their gadget purchases.
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When I buy used paper books from amazon it's because I want to consume their knowledge. Once I have that knowledge, I'll use the proper tool (usually a computer) to create content.
I think you're misunderstanding the purpose of this device.
And tablets (Score:3)
Desktops and Laptops are for creating.
And so are tablets. Get used to it; this is the very definition of "post pc" and is already upon us to some degree. I already prefer drawing on a tablet over a computer.
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It has applications that let you browse the web and use email. That makes this a credible alternative to a PC desktop or laptop for most people out there.
They've learned something from Apple (Score:4, Insightful)
Get the basics right (UI, wifi, app store, media store) first.
Next year it gets the camera/microphone, tempting people to upgrade.
More details (Score:3)
Links:
Kindle Fire porn via SlashGear: http://androidcommunity.com/amazon-kindle-fire-hands-on-gallery-20110928/ [androidcommunity.com]
Enjoy!
Buy 'em all for less than an iPad! (Score:5, Informative)
If you buy one of everything (wifi models only) that Amazon announced today, it is cheaper than the low end iPad.
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My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 6000 of me. God help us all!
There's darn near 7000 now; update your sig
Actually looks very good but. (Score:5, Interesting)
Can I root it and put the Android App store on it? I know not yet but hopefully someday.
The Silk browser sounds very Opera like from the mobile days.
OMAP 4! That is a pretty hot CPU folks.
Lack of a front facing camera is a negative. Come on this is pure skype candy folks.
My wife as a rooted viewsonic Gtab and it is really nice but it is too big for for an ereader.
The iPad2 is too pricey and too big.
Even if it isn't hackable at $199 I may still get it just because it would be so handy.
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It comes with Amazon's app market. Most of the apps all of us use on android market are there already. This is a platform to help sell products. Much the same way that the Xbox and the PS3 sell at low margins for the purpose of selling product. If you use Amazon regularly (especially amazon prime, with product shipping discounts) this is actually a great product in itself. If you don't, then it is still a nice (very basic) tablet. I would have hoped that it were thinner though.
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Can I root it and put the Android App store on it? I know not yet but hopefully someday.
As soon as they want me to buy one. I've got a Nook Color with the Kindle app on it - they're not missing out on anything other than perhaps pushing the Amazon app store.
OMAP 4! That is a pretty hot CPU folks.
The OMAP 3 in the Nook Color does pretty well, so this should indeed be very nice.
Lack of a front facing camera is a negative. Come on this is pure skype candy folks.
yeah, you and I would gladly pay an extra $30 fo
Link on Amazon (Score:2)
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30 days of prime is too short (Score:2)
I think the device is pretty decent, but the thing I thought would really have them selling like hotcakes was coming with prime... but I thought it would be more like a year, not 30 days. I don't think 30 days is enough time to really appreciate Prime and get used to random things being practical to get from Amazon because they come so quickly...
I think it should have been at least 90 days.
With it being a 7 inch tablet, and a short Prime trial I'm not sure how it will fare. I think it probably has a much
Re:30 days of prime is too short (Score:4, Informative)
You can get 30 days of Prime free without buying anything anyway. Note the "Start Your One Month Free Trial" button [amazon.com] on the right side of the page.
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The reason why this device is so cheap is that Amazon anticipates it will drive content sales. Rather than being ad-supported, it's anticipated sales-supported.
Prime is included in that. Prime costs what, less than $10 a month? People will spend more on books for this thing than they would on Prime.
Revising opinion (Score:4, Interesting)
On second thought, the Prime that comes with this device is not so much about people experiencing shipping aspects, as it is enjoying the free video Prime offers. In that sense 30 days seems like a long enough period of time to decide if you want to pay for Prime to continue getting some free video content.
And more than 30 days might lead you to run up against the limited video content of Prime...
It could be powered by ants for all users care... (Score:2)
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It could run on small insects fed on sugar drops and users wouldn't care - so touting it as an Android-powered device seems to be something Amazon is trying to avoid
Average user off the street, like my android phone using sister in law:
Android = expensive little smart phone = have to sign a two year contract = minimum extra $100/month bill to own a "Android Kindle Amazon thing", right?
Two year contract at over $100 plus a couple hundred to buy means its gonna cost around $2000 to have one of these things before loading anything on to it; is it worth two grand?
Also Android = smart phone = battery only lasts a couple hours = gotta charge it every day. Its enough of a PI
doesn't have an embedded camera or a microphone (Score:2)
That's a feature, not a bug. I don't need a built in camera.
"comes with a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime,"
Which any Amazon customer can get anyway. Do they take any money off for those who already subscribe to Prime?
Most important for me, does it have memory expansion via SDHC or microSDHC ?
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I for one love that they are offering it without a camera and microphone (and without 3G). I don't want to pay for features that don't match my use case, which is me using this on my home wifi or places that also have wifi.
Silk Browser (Score:3)
One interesting differentiator with respect to other Android devices is the Silk browser [wordpress.com]. I'd like to get one in my hands to verify that allegedly reduced page loading time. That's what's killing me when I use my mobile devices.
So, what can you NOT do with this? (Score:4, Interesting)
No Skype, Fring or anything (no mic, no camera). No Google apps, so no navigation, no email (without third-party apps) and calendaring. No mobile internet at all.
Surely not a bad media-tablet and surely cheap, but a tablet computer this is not.
Looks to me as if it would require some major tinkering to turn it into something fun and useful and you'll still have no 3G, no camera and no microphone.
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There's a browser and email. The page on amazon specifically states these things, including that you can check Gmail with it.
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I seem to recall many worthies telling me this very same thing about the Playbook.
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No Google apps, so no navigation, no email (without third-party apps) and calendaring.
But it will have access to all of that through the Amazon app store, so it's kind of moot.
Yeah, it's WiFi only, but the the trade off to being limited in where you can connect is faster speeds and better battery life, especially if it is going to be using Amazon's cloud services to do heavy lifting. Heck, a lot of tablet devices don't come with 3g and a lot of customers like it that way; paying for a data plan for this tablet would more than double it's cost in the first year. No camera and no microphone
Side-loading (Score:2)
I'm going to wait to see if things can be sideloaded onto this. I have a few custom applications that it would be nice to run without having to publish them in Amazon Appstore. I see rumors, but waiting to see if it's true.
No Mic, No Camera, No Problem (Score:2)
And for the extra $300, you can buy a digital tape recorder and a digital camera, and have enough left over for dinner. I'm sure there's a site [amazon.com] that can help you find those (except for dinner).
Silk is kinda scary (Score:2)
Sure, we'll give you web access....through our prefect system.
Then there's the hardware spec. 1024x600 screen, 8 gigs internal storage (free cloud storage for *amazon* content) and no camera.
The dual core tegras are nice, but that's about it. I told someone earlier today. This isn't Hiroshima or Nagasaki, it's more like 6:00am on the Normandy (or Dieppe) beaches. The iPad is still going to dominate for a long time, but there might finally be a legit contender on the horizon
Bluetooth? USB?? (Score:2)
It doesn't look like this thing has bluetooth, which limits its usefulness. While it *does* have a USB port, there's no mention of what types of devices are supported via USB.
Can I plug in a flash drive? A USB keyboard? A printer? -- heck, can I attach this tablet to a USB hub and access all my regular peripherals? Or is the USB port just for charging up the tablet?
See, I'm looking for a nice portable terminal to SSH to my servers -- and while a tablet seems like a good idea for this role, it needs to allow
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You're asking whether you can plug a printer into a Kindle? Do you even know what a Kindle is?
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I think you're looking for a laptop, not an android tablet.
Boy this free market is great (Score:2)
It brings us all sorts of great stuff and it keeps getting cheaper.
In other news health "insurance" has gone up 9% in the past year.
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It brings us all sorts of great stuff and it keeps getting cheaper.
In other news health "insurance" has gone up 9% in the past year.
That's because the web tablet market is heavily regulated, ensuring low prices, and the insurance industry isn't.
Sheesh, where did you go to school?
Unlike other tablets such as the Nook or iPad, (Score:2)
you can't load your own content directly on it. You first have to upload that to 'the cloud' where it will be inaccessible the moment you lose connectivity. (Yes, I know, every slashdotter has a wifi hotspot in their car and backyard. You all have no objections to paying $10/hour for really slow wifi on an airplane, either.)
Unlike the Nook, you can't put in extra storage with a mircoSD card.
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It has 8GB of onboard storage and if it's anything like the original Kindles it'll show up as a USB mass storage device and accept the specific range of document files it's designed to display.
I suggested a bare-bones tablet here before (Score:2)
Its like giving away the razor to sell the blades. Both Apple and Amazon make about 30% on content. They expect to double their return within years with content sales.
Doesn't even compete with the iPad 1. (Score:3)
Ok, I understand the price point is very good, but this device doesn't even compete with the iPad 1. It basically just competes against the Kindle and the color Nook.
* No video output that I can see (vs the ipad's composite output)
* No TV box streaming solution (vs airplay)
* Is there even any blue tooth for wireless audio?
* No 3G, it is wifi only
* Only 8G of storage (vs max of 64G for iPad 1/2)
* GPS? Accelerometers? Compass? Microphone?
* Short battery life when wifi is enabled. 8 hours is only with wifi turned off. The kindle is made for off-line reading and is great with wifi turned off, but this device is worthless with wifi turned off.
Let alone compete with the iPad 2 with it's front and rear facing cameras for video calls. And both the iPad 1 and 2 have cheap ($25/mo for 2G) 3G data plans for when you aren't in wifi range. I usually don't use more than ~200MB outside of wifi range but it's damned convenient. Even with just my android phone I run Pandora and Google maps in the car all the time, and on longer trips with passengers having the iPad with google maps and internet surfing is great fun.
I use my iPad every day and I guarantee you that while the video might be nice on these devices, you really really want video output solution like Apple's AirPlay and Apple's composite outputs when you want to sit down and stream a show from your pad to your home TV.
Amazon has a ways to go.
-Matt
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I wouldn't consider most of the things you listed dealbreakers except than perhaps AirPlay, which Amazon could always add later via a software update. The storage capacity and
$30 off for advertizing (Score:2)
All the prices I have seen are taking into account the lower priced versions with the on screen advertizing. Is that new to the kindle?
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No, they introduced it last year. However this is the first time that those prices have been used as the "base" price when announcing a model.
Of course this thing will get rooted. (Score:4, Insightful)
I've a Nook Color and considering its behavior after rooting, I have to think that B&N went out of their way to make their software jive well with rooting. I rooted mine as soon as I could and it's worked well but for a few app compatibility snags with random crap from the Android market....whaddyagonnado?
If Amazon has half a brain they'll play nice with rooting. I'm sure they'll lock down their own apps and cloud access, but why not let their apps run on someone else's Android build? They have to know that as soon as this thing has an easy root, plenty of folks will buy Kindle Fires so they can have a brilliant Android tablet for $200...and they'll still buy Amazon products, because it'll be easy as all get out....just like rooting the Nook Color...unless they're stupid, which doesn't fit their track record.
Bad Karma (Score:4, Funny)
Like the System Requirements (Score:3)
From the product page:
"System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer."
Re:7in? (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm really curious why nobody has brought another 9" tablet to the market. AFAIK, Apple is the only name-brand manufacturer to bring out a 9" 1024x768 tablet. Everyone else is pushing 5/6/7" tablets. Surely screen size is something most people consider when comparison shopping? It's not like screens are terribly expensive any more. I read somewhere that the iPad screen is less than $50 in bulk.
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Isn't the iPad 10"?
Or did you fall for the marketingspeak used on the "11-inch" MacBookAir that's actually more of a 12" device?
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I'm really curious why nobody has brought another 9" tablet to the market. AFAIK, Apple is the only name-brand manufacturer to bring out a 9" 1024x768 tablet. Everyone else is pushing 5/6/7" tablets. Surely screen size is something most people consider when comparison shopping? It's not like screens are terribly expensive any more. I read somewhere that the iPad screen is less than $50 in bulk.
Power requirements, need a bigger battery. Then higher res means need a bigger CPU. The CPU requires a bigger battery. Eventually you end up with backyard paver brick statistics.
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If Apple can do it, all of these other companies can too. It blows me away that there are so many tablets being released lately with worse battery performance than Apple's original iPad.
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How is Apple able to do it, then? The iPad is crazy thin and has great battery life.
To answer the parent, HP's Touchpad was 9.7", and we all know how that went. (Which is a shame; I really like my Touchpad.)
My problem with Amazon right now is that their announcement almost feels like a bait and switch--they say the new, non-touch Kindle is $79, but don't say up-front that it's ad-supported. You have to go to the product page to see that. Same with the $99 touch Kindle. The price of Kindle eBooks are, f
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Re:7in? (Score:4, Interesting)
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I don't see the need for a >7 inch tablet. The ideal for them is that they are portable, even 7 inch is pushing it in complete portability. I want something that is easy to take with me anywhere, but not tiny like a cell phone in a tablet device. If I want a mobile computer I have my 17 inch laptop, so the market is for a device that is larger than a 'smart' phone (which I don't own) and yet smaller than a laptop.
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PDFs. None of the ways to get PDFs to fit on a 7in screen work very well.
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I'm fine with a 7 inch screen. I just want a way higher resolution. Something with a similar DPI as the iPhone.
Re:So... (Score:5, Informative)
No, it's a full blown android tablet. Without a camera or mike, which I myself never use anyway on a tablet.
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It's a full blown android tablet that can also read Kindle books and use Amazon's streaming service, and doesn't require you to sign up for a wireless contract.
In other words, this is what the much more expensive precursor Android tablets should have been - comparable to the iPad but affordable without the Apple tax.
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In other words, this is what the much more expensive precursor Android tablets should have been - comparable to the iPad but affordable without the Apple tax.
So tell me - how did Apple manage to apply its "tax" to the Blackberry Playbook, Motorola Xoom, and Samsung Galaxy Tab (among others)?
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
Those devices were far overpriced. They tried to compete with the iPad at the iPad's price point with an inferior device. To the average consumer, they look at these smaller devices they've never heard of for the same price as an iPad and they say, "Well for that price, why wouldn't I just get an iPad?"
This actually fits the bill. It is a reasonable competitor for the way most people use the iPad. Does it have limitations, sure. But it's $200. Most people to this point have thought that you had to spend $500 and up for one of these little tablet internet surfing thingys. For that price, they could have a nice full-featured laptop (which they probably already have).
This gives you the core tablet computing functions at an affordable price. I know /. neckbeards will complain that this is not a full replacement for every electronic device in the world, but for most people, this works.
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There's an Apple tax now on their tablets? Dude just say they are more expensive. You sound stupid and an anti-apple fanboi when you call it a tax. Anybody would think you HAD to buy it. I remember when people expected their tablets (before launch) to be $999 as a STARTING price.
Show me a better value 9.7" tablet than the iPad at $499 please.
Re:So... (Score:5, Interesting)
Show me a better value 9.7" tablet than the iPad at $499 please.
http://www.amazon.com/ARCHOS-101-Internet-Tablet-8GB/dp/B00422W5QO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317228887&sr=8-1 [amazon.com]
And Archos 10.1 tablet for $259. Now it's just a matter of nitpicking if it's a better value or not. I can do all the things most people with an iPad do and I could almost buy 2 of them for the cost of 1 iPad.
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IR touch input on the touch Kindle. So really you shouldn't have to touch the screen at all. FWIW the matte display on the original Kindle isn't exactly a fingerprint magnet anyway, and it's all tap-based rather than smear-inducing swipes.
The ads are culled from Amazon's local ads system.
People stereotypically read books on holiday. Amazon's target market is people who read books. Do the maths.
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The other funny part, is true to form, the amazon web page has the tired and stereotypical "woman reading at the beach" photo. Its hard to predict, but if there's one thing this era will be laughed at for, it MIGHT be the "we're gonna get rich by only selling e-readers to women at the beach".
Last I checked, the biggest-seller by far on Kindle was romance novels. So I think it's safe to say that a large fraction of the Kindles sold are used by women on vacations.
Theif! (Score:2)
Cruchpad idea and price point stolen!
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Stanza and the Kindle app are two of the most used apps on my tablet.
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Sounds like same specs as the B&N nook color. The stock price on that is $250....but can be found on craigslist or ebay for like $150. Easy to root and put cyanogen mod7 on it, and have a full blown Android tablet.
I'm gonna be VERY interested to see this amazon kindle get rooted, how long it will take and a comparison.
I'm also wondering, if on future Amazon kindle releases, if they'll offer t
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No, it doesn't require you to be chained to a crappy cellphone in order to use it.
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I want to know if you can sideload it and such. the Nook has been good about allowing this.
I've pre-ordered a Fire regardless - even if you can't load your own custom OS, it's worth it to me to have a wifi tablet for surfing for only $199.
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"Customized" in the same sense as the Apple App Store is "customized" (I.e. "Shut up and give us your money!"). Expect Amazon to take their cut of everything installed.
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Same as Home Depot. I bought some things in Home Depot in Charleston, SC and they didn't even try to collect the sales taxes for the state and county I live in (Texas). Bastards!
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One of the reasons I like buying from them is that they are fighting internet taxation.