kindle fire hd

Today only: Amazon offers $50 off Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch

Amazon's 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is a bit cheaper today.

When customers check out the tablet on Amazon's site, a pop-up is displayed, informing them of a $50 deal. After placing the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD in their shopping cart, customers can input the promotional code "FireHD89" at checkout to get the deal.

Amazon is only offering the deal for today, and it's limited to one unit per customer. Only U.S.-based customers can take advantage of the deal.

Amazon launched the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD line earlier this year, helping … Read more

Always On Torture Test Giveaway Extravaganza! iPod Touch, ThinkPad Carbon X1, and Kindle Fire HD

It's been a while since we had a good gadget giveaway here at Always On, so in honor of the holiday season, we're having a giveaway extravaganza! Enter in the comments for a chance to win one of three devices we've recently put through the wringer.

First up, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop. This one boasted rugged construction, but had trouble with our torture gantlet: mainly the heat test and the part where I spilled a cup of hot coffee on its otherwise outstanding keyboard. It comes on, but the keyboard and touch pad are unresponsive. … Read more

Tablet display shipments jump, top laptops in October

Only days after a report anticipating a surge in tablet shipments, it's official: Tablet display shipments topped laptops in October, said NPD DisplaySearch today.

"In a milestone for the global industry, in October tablet PC panel shipments exceeded those of notebook PC panels," NPD DisplaySearch said today in a research note.

Because display panel shipments are always the leading indicator for device shipments, "it can be seen that tablet PCs are threatening to overtake notebooks," DisplaySearch said.

So, is this a snapshot of the laptop in decline or just a fluke?

Here's how DisplaySearch … Read more

iPad Mini vs. Kindle Fire HD 8.9 vs. Nook HD+

Life in the tablet category used to be simple. There were 7-inchers and 10-inchers and comparisons only occurred within each tablet's size category. This year however, Apple, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble have successfully muddied the once-clear waters by respectfully releasing 7.9-inch, 8.9-inch, and 9-inch tablets.

So how do they compare? Let's find out.

Screen The iPad Mini's 7.9-inch, 1,024x768-pixel screen has wide viewing angles and good color reproduction, but when it comes to resolution, it can't hold a candle to either the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 nor the Barnes & Noble Nook HD+. … Read more

Tablet shipments to top laptops: Thank Nexus 7, iPad Mini

Tablet shipments will eclipse laptops for the first time in North America, driven by price and variety, says NPD DisplaySearch.

Popular $199 models and a wider variety of sizes will propel fourth-quarter tablet shipments to 21.5 million units, "far exceeding" the 14.6 million laptops that are expected to ship in the same period, according to a forecast today by DisplaySearch's Richard Shim.

And starting in 2013 in North America, tablet shipments are expected to exceed notebook shipments on an annual basis for the first time; 80 million tablets versus 63.8 million notebooks, he said. … Read more

16GB Kindle Fire HD costs Amazon $207 to make

Amazon spends $207 to build a Kindle Fire HD, which means the company is still losing money, but not as much as it did with the original Kindle Fire, according to the results of a teardown by research group IHS.

The company broke down the cost of a low-end $199 Kindle Fire HD -- which has a 7-inch display, 16GB and is Wi-Fi wireless only -- in its report. The report says materials and production costs Amazon $147. IHS estimates that the added cost of other expenses like software, licensing, or royalties, would put the device's cost at $207. … Read more

Apple: The iPad Mini has stereo speakers

Apple's new iPad Mini does have two stereo speakers, despite Amazon's attempt to fudge the facts.

On Sunday, the retail giant unveiled a comparison chart on its home page pitting its own Kindle Fire HD against Apple's iPad Mini. With all the stats stacked in favor of the Kindle, Amazon said that its tablet offers dual stereo speakers while the iPad Mini is stuck with just mono sound.

Though Amazon has since taken down the chart from its home page, another chart contrasting the two 7-inch rivals now says the iPad Mini has a single speaker.

But … Read more

Amazon pits Kindle Fire HD vs. iPad Mini

Amazon is understandably partial to its Kindle Fire HD. And it surely wants you to feel the same way, especially given the splashy arrival of a new kid tablet in town.

The e-commerce giant with the tablet business sideline today spruced up its home page with a big, blatant comparison of the Kindle Fire HD against the iPad Mini, unveiled just days ago by Apple. There's no mistaking the conclusion Amazon wants to leave in your mind, what with the supersize typeface proclaiming "Much More for Much Less." That would be the Kindle Fire HD, of course.… Read more

Apple CEO Cook: We will never make a 7-inch tablet

But seriously, Tim Cook, how do you really feel about smaller tablets?

The Apple CEO let loose on 7-inch tablets during a conference call with investors, insisting that the company would never build one. "We would not make a 7-inch tablet," he said today. "We don't think they're good products."

Cook, of course, is staying true to the late Steve Jobs' proclamation that a tablet that's smaller than the original 9.7-inch iPad was too uncomfortable, and that consumers would have to shave off parts of their fingers to actually use it.

But … Read more