E-readers

Kindle Fire an iPad killer? Yes. It's the price, stupid

commentary Amazon, not Apple, just mainstreamed the tablet market.

The company's new Kindle Fire tablet, a 7-inch touch-screen device powered by Amazon's content ecosystem and priced at just $199, may be an orange to Apple's iPad apple, but I'd argue that it's an iPad killer all the same.

On paper, the Kindle Fire has half the features of the iPad. In fact, it's almost literally half the features--here's a handy comparison chart so you can see for yourself. There's no camera, front or rear; the 8GB of onboard storage is half the … Read more

Kindle Fire vs. Nook Color spec breakdown

Update (11/07/11): You can find a comparison between the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet on CNET's Android Atlas. The following piece compares the Kindle Fire to Barnes & Noble's older touch screen reader, the Nook Color.

In the aftermath of Amazon's Kindle Fire announcement, the world of budget-priced Android e-reader tablets just got a whole lot more interesting. If you're curious to see how the Kindle Fire stacks up against its closest competitor (the Barnes & Noble Nook Color), here's a handy spec-by-spec breakdown.

Here's the holiday question everyone will be asking: now that Amazon has an Android tablet that can play movies, games, music, and color e-books for less than half the price of an iPad, is Apple's tablet in danger this holiday season?

In short: no, not yet--at least, that's my opinion.

However, I would expect Amazon's super-Kindle to be one of the most compelling tablet purchases next to Apple's own iPad, and the reason has to do with comfort. Here's why.

Brand recognition Amazon has a big thing going for it with the public's identification with the Kindle. However, Apple's iPhone/iPad recognition is even bigger. Amazon's branding alone will comfort the tablet-apprehensive and lead more people to consider color tablets as e-readers.

Price This is obvious, but the Kindle Fire's barn-burning price of $199 is $300 less than an entry-level iPad, which could be a huge factor for cash-pressed shoppers--or any shopper, really. We don't know the full extent of what the Fire can do, yet, but its apps, games, media playback, and portability could offer up more than enough value for the dollar for many.

Changing the definition of tablet Amazon will likely continue what Barnes and Noble started with the Nook Color: labeling tablets as evolved e-readers rather than laptop alternatives. It's a fine point, but $199 is more of a gadget impulse buy than the computer-level $499 start price of an iPad. If Amazon's Fire succeeds, then in a year or two we may be defining tablets in terms of a different price expectation.

However...keep in mind these considerations, too, which still play in Apple's favor. … Read more

Amazon unveils trio of Kindle e-ink readers

Amazon today showed off three new versions of its Kindle e-ink digital book reader.

The company unveiled the Kindle Touch for $99. It also showed off a 3G version, which will sell for $149. A cheaper and smaller non-touch-control Kindle will sell for $79, and will be supported with ads.

Amazon unveils Kindle Fire tablet for $199

Amazon unveiled the Kindle Fire, an Android-powered tablet that acts more like a color e-reader on steroids and will retail for $199.

"We're building premium products at non-premium prices," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos during the presentation.

The Kindle Fire will be available on November 15 and is available for preorder now. Bloomberg earlier reported the $199 price point and details on the device.

The Kindle Fire marks Amazon's first foray into the tablet market, which has so far been dominated by Apple's iPad. But with its low price--most tablets retail for around $500--and the established Kindle brand, analysts believe Amazon's product could represent the first legitimate competitor in an area where many other high-end Android tablets have missed the mark.

"We believe that the launch of an Amazon tablet will significantly boost the tablet market and inject a much needed competitor to Apple's iPad," Adam Leach, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said ahead of the event.

The specifications, however, are lower than other comparable high-end tablets. While it has a dual-core processor, it lacks many of the other typical features found in a tablet, such as a camera, microphone, and 3G wireless access. It also only has 8 gigabytes of storage space. The device is more intended to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, which is essentially a stripped down Android tablet. … Read more

The 404 912: Where we're trashing your rights (podcast)

Wilson's out sick today, but CNET's Bridget Carey steps up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth and knocks it out of the park with a full story rundown that includes Facebook iPad announcements, the next iPhone's killer app, Google's 13th birthday, camera lens thieves, and more! Did I use that baseball metaphor correctly?

The 404 Digest for Episode 912

Sprint to launch own 4G LTE network in early 2012 (scoop). New Amazon tablet called the Kindle Fire? Facebook's iPad app launching with new iPhone, report says. Apple holding iPhone 5 event on October 4. iPhone 5 to offer 1GB RAM and voice control? Facebook: We do track logged-out users, but trust us. Spotify users steamed over Facebook requirement. Google doodles into its teenage years. Canadian throws 4,800 messages in a bottle, gets 3,100 responses back. Doritos creator Arch West takes his cheesy legacy to the grave. Crafty thieves go for the lens rather than the camera body. Follow Bridget Carey on Twitter. Bathroom-break video of the day: A fat cat struggles to lose her weight.

Episode 912 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

What to expect from Wednesday's Amazon event

In case you missed it, Amazon.com is having a big press event this Wednesday in New York to roll out something new. OK, maybe it's not Apple kind of big. But it's big enough, especially with the smart money on Jeff Bezos unveiling Amazon's much-anticipated Android tablet (leaks suggest it may be called the Kindle Fire), which a lot of anti-Apple folks hope can slow down the iPad juggernaut.

Will we see two tablets--a 7-incher and a 10-incher--or just one? If it is a tablet, will it really be branded the "Kindle Fire" or something else? Will there be a new e-ink Kindle? After all, it's been over a year since Amazon introduced the Kindle 3--isn't it time for a new model?

Lots of questions remain, so with that in mind, here's a short preview of what we could see on Wednesday and the odds of each option actually coming to fruition. … Read more

How to get free library books on your Kindle

Kindle users looking to save money on their book-reading habits will enjoy Amazon's latest perk, which allows you to borrow books from your local library and wirelessly download them to your Kindle device.

Users have been able to do this for some time using the Overdrive Media Console, but today's announcement brings branded Kindle integration with your local library.

The update cuts out the time-consuming process of downloading and transferring borrowed e-books manually.

Around 11,000 libraries in the U.S. are participating in the program, and you can start borrowing the books immediately. Just remember that like … Read more

Speck launches FitFolio case line for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iRiver e-readers

Speck's FitFolio is one of our favorite iPad 2 cases. Now the company is bringing the line to the e-reader arena, with FitFolio cases for the Kindle, Nook, Kobo Touch, and iRiver Story HD.

The FitFolio for Kindle 3 is already available for $29.99 (in multiple colors), but the cases for the other e-reader models aren't set to ship until next month, company reps told us at an event last night in New York, where we got a sneak peek at all the new cases.Two other Kindle 3 cases, the WanderFolio (see above picture) and BookShield … Read more

Tablet shipments jump 304 percent in second quarter

The tablet market is growing faster than expected, new research released today by IDC has found.

According to the research firm, 13.6 million tablets were shipped worldwide in the second quarter, representing an 88.9 percent gain over the first quarter of 2011. Even more impressive, that figure was up a whopping 303.8 percent compared to the second quarter of 2010.

Such strong performance has prompted IDC to revise its PC shipment forecast up. The research firm now believes that 62.5 million tablets will hit store shelves this year, rather than its previous projection of 53.5 … Read more