Hasta La Gadget!

Epson has just made an announcement concerning its Connect printers which are touted to be able to synchronize sans wires with a couple of tablets from Amazon, namely the Kindle Fire HD as well as the Kindle Fire HDX. What does this mean for the end user? Basically, owners of either tablet will be able to print out their important documents without having to worry about the hassle of hooking up to the printer with a physical cable, which is a good thing since it would result in a whole lot less clutter around the table.

As the Epson Connect line will come with support for a couple of Amazon Kindle Fire models, the native printer support in Android 4.4 KitKat will in due time enable both tablets to play nice, sans wires, with other compatible printers, too. If you were to take the Nexus 5 as an example, it already features Android 4.4 KitKat right out of the box, where it can then detect the presence of an HP printer automatically, followed by downloading and installing the required software so that one can print straight from Google Docs on the spot. Just bear in mind that your Kindle tablet will need to be updated to Fire OS 3.1 beforehand.

Epson Connect Printers Synchronize Wirelessly With Kindle Tablets original content from Ubergizmo.

Oh, Amazon. You’re silly. But also very right.

In Amazon’s latest assault on the gadget establishment, the Kindle HDK 8.9 takes on the iPad Air, correctly pointing out that Amazon’s offering has a better screen and is lighter than its Apple counterpart. Plus, the Kindle HDX 8.9 is cheaper.

With this advert, Amazon joins Microsoft in selling their wares directly against Apple’s. This commercial, like some of the Windows tablet tv spots, is rather blunt, right down to a mocking tone of the voice-over narrator. But, arguably, unlike the Microsoft attacks, Amazon’s selling points are valid and worth considering for some buyers.

The Kindle HDX 8.9 is a worthy competitor against the iPad. The screen is more dense and generally higher quality. The HDX is lighter and cheaper. For a good chunk of buyers, as in, those looking to watch YouTube videos, play some older games, and shop Amazon, the HDX is a great option. The only thing the HDX lacks is access to Apple’s iCloud ecosystem that brilliantly syncs commonly used communication and productivity tools across Apple computers and mobile devices.

Amazon has steadily grown into a legitimate consumer electronic company. From humble starts with the original Kindle, the retail giant knows how to start small and scale into a major player. Is the Kindle HDX better than the iPad? Not really, but the gap is quickly closing. Plus, drones.

A report from TechCrunch based on a prototype viewing indicates that Amazon is making upgrades to the Paperwhite e-reader for release in spring 2014. Screen resolution is set to jump from 212 ppi to 300 ppi and the redesigned unit will supposedly be lighter than the current model.

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Welcome to Engadget’s holiday gift guide! Head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month.

Weighing your e-reader options isn’t as difficult as, say, deciding on a new smartphone. There are fewer models to sift through, for one, and your allegiance to Amazon or B&N could further narrow things down. Still, you have a range of options in every camp — from barebones devices meant for reading and nothing else to full-fledged tablets with the higher-end specs to match. Below, we make the case for some of our top picks.

Filed under: Sony, Amazon

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This week the folks at Amazon have released the first big update to their mobile operating system since the new wave of Kindle devices in Fire OS 3.1. This version of the OS is – as always – based in Android, but modified to make itself wholly Amazon-friendly. This update brings on new deep integration […]