Hasta La Gadget!

If you had your heart set on a Kindle Fire, Fire HD 7 or Reader, you can now plunk down your plastic and receive one as fast as your shipper can wheel it over. The 1,280 x 800 Fire HD 7-inch model, which we recently put through the wringer, is available in a 16GB version for $199, and Amazon says the 32GB version will arrive October 25th. As we noted, it carries a new dual-band WiFi system for greater surfing speed, dual speakers, a front HD camera and a TI-made dual-core ARM Cortex A-9 processor. The updated Kindle Fire can be had as well for $159, with double the RAM of the last version, a new processor and a bigger battery. Finally, the new Kindle Reader is also up for grabs at an ad-supported cost of $69, while the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD should be along in November at $299 ($499 for a 4G version). So, if you’re already looking ahead to a certain holiday, check the sources to see how to get one.

Filed under: Tablets

PSA: Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 7, new Fire and Reader now stocked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow. Judge Denise Cote certainly knows how to put a spring in the step of mega corporations. Mere days have passed since she ordered HarperCollins to let retailers to set their own e-book prices, and yet already Kindle bestsellers from that publisher are selling for around $9.99 — in some cases that’s $15 off the list price. Under the same settlement, Hachette Book Group and Simon & Schuster must also give retailers like Amazon greater flexibility over prices, so we may well see more lowered prices soon. The one place you won’t find such discounts, however, is the iBookstore, since Apple has opted to fight the Justice Department and go to trial alongside Penguin and MacMillan next year.

Filed under: Misc

E-book discounts appearing at Amazon following publisher settlement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toys R Us has posted a listing for a new 7-inch child’s Android slate priced at $150 called the Tabeo, saying it will go on sale October 1st in stores only. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company will announce more details later today, but pictures on the site indicate it will be more conventional in design style and not as “kiddified” as the toy store’s previous offering, the Nabi. Technical specs include a 1GHz processor, 4GB of built-in storage, upgradeable to 32GB, HDMI-out, 50 pre-loaded apps and — brace for it — it’s own native app store offering around 6,000 more. That might mean it’s aimed at older kids than the previous tab’s six-year old and up target, but it better have some killer features for the younger set — it’s up against a spate of similar products that have already hit shelves.

Update: This looks very much like an Archos Child Pad with different colors and $20 added to the asking price. Thanks all who spotted the similarity.

Filed under: Tablets

Toys R Us 7-inch Tabeo kids tablet coming in October for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 01:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a certain amount of self-contradiction going on if you’re visiting a brick-and-mortar store to pre-order a device that’s all about e-commerce. If you relish the irony, Best Buy will gladly let you reserve Amazon’s $69 Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, upgraded Kindle Fire and both sizes of the Kindle Fire HD (including the LTE model) at both regular locations and Best Buy Mobile. The retailer isn’t as specific with its in-stock dates as Amazon: beyond the $69 Kindle’s September 14th date, we’re only promised a generic October release for the Paperwhite and 7-inch Kindle Fires, while the 8.9-inch tablets will be available “before Christmas.” Not the quickest path to getting a new Kindle in your hands, then, but it may be the best way to get a hands-on before clinching the deal.

Continue reading Best Buy takes 2012 Amazon Kindle pre-orders for those that hate online shopping, appreciate irony

Filed under: Tablets

Best Buy takes 2012 Amazon Kindle pre-orders for those that hate online shopping, appreciate irony originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already had a hunch Amazon’s tablets would move to Android 4.0 behind the scenes, and that’s just what’s happened. An Amazon spokesperson has confirmed to Engadget that at least the Kindle Fire HD’s 7-inch and 8.9-inch forms have had a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich to go with their new interfaces. We don’t know yet if the sped-up original gets the same treatment, although it’s using an older and only slightly tweaked interface. Similarly, there’s no word on any upgrade path to Jelly Bean; it’s not something to count on, knowing the conservative path for the original slate. We’re just glad that Amazon is keeping up with the times where it matters the most.

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon confirms Kindle Fire HD models use Android 4.0 under the hood originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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