Hasta La Gadget!

When you cast a glance at your $159 Kindle Fire 2, what do you see? Some visionaries out there see unfulfilled potential, at least until today as you can transform your Kindle Fire 2 into a full fledged Android-powered tablet thanks to the wonder that is called CyanogenMod 10.1. This custom ROM will feature tight integration with Amazon services and digital content stores, not to mention letting you run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean instead of the stock customized Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich experience, in addition to gaining full access to the Google Play Store. In a nutshell, you can more or less run just about any app that works on the Android platform without breaking the bank.

The thing is, the Kindle Fire 2 is not the fastest tablet on the block, so that kind of defeats the purpose, but at least it opens up options to the masses. Be warned though, CyanogenMod 10.1 for the Kindle Fire 2 will not support hardware video acceleration, meaning you cannot stream HD video from YouTube and Netflix, and you will also experience a higher battery drain during sleep while your headset microphones remain gimped.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft’s HelpBridge App Is Here To Help When Disaster Strikes, T-Mobile Supports HSPA+ Nexus 7, Expands Nexus 4 Availability To Retail Stores,

Amazon has officially unveiled the 2012 vintage of the Kindle Fire, which is reportedly 44 percent more powerful than its predecessor. The service-orientated slate (as opposed to a gadget, which CEO Jeff Bezos claims nobody wants) comes with a bigger battery, a new processor and 1GB RAM — double that of the 2011 model. The only other change comes in the form of a front-facing camera, unlike its closest rival.

Internally, the device is called the Kindle SD as it now plays second-fiddle to a pair of Kindle Fire HD devices with 1,920 x 1,200 displays, but will be called the “new” Kindle Fire in public. Amazon has also slashed the price of the hardware, which at $159 is $40 cheaper than Google’s Nexus 7 — as well as competing with e-book tablet adversaries Kobo Arc and the forthcoming Nook Tablet replacement with an “incredible” 243ppi display, unless Barnes & Noble are also producing SD and HD hardware. It’ll begin shipping on September 14th, with pre-orders expected to begin very soon.

Continue reading Amazon unveils new Kindle Fire with doubled RAM, 44 percent better performance and $159 price

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon unveils new Kindle Fire with doubled RAM, 44 percent better performance and $159 price originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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About a week ago, a photo of a Kindle e-reader was leaked which many speculated is the upcoming Paperwhite device. Well it looks like the device can be semi-confirmed thanks to a couple of new videos Amazon uploaded onto YouTube where the Paperwhite was not only spotted, but possibly a new Kindle Fire device as well. While footage of the alleged Kindle Fire in the videos appears to be similar in dimension and shape of the current-gen, it is possible that it could be the newer model especially since the Paperwhite was outed in the video.

Of course we could be reading too much into things, but given that Amazon’s event will be taking place later on today, it’s not a huge stretch of the imagination to think that the leaks and rumors have ramped up with only a few hours to go! You can check out the video above and see it for yourselves!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Kindle Paperwhite leaked?, Kindle Fire 2 to come in at least three new models,

Rumors and scuttlebutt are already afoot: Amazon is ramping up to release a Kindle Fire successor later this year. It certainly seems reasonable enough; come November the original $200 slate will be a year old, outpaced by the young Nexus 7. According to AllThingsD, however, Amazon aims to keep things fresh — updating the tablet with a thinner profile, a 1,280 x 800 resolution display and a built-in camera. According to sources “familiar with Amazon’s plans,” the tablet is slated for a late Q3 launch, agreeing with its previously rumored July / August debut. The finer details — like the unit’s price and internal specs — are still MIA, but we’ll let you know if the rumor mill churns out anything new.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

AllThingsD: New Kindle Fire will feature 1,280 x 800 resolution, ship in Q3 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew that there would be another Kindle Fire at some point, but we didn’t know when it would arrive, or exactly what it’d look like. If the latest report from the China Times is true, however, we can expect Amazon’s new slate to ship around August 7th. Like the first Fire, this new version will be built by Quanta, with a metal chassis and displays provided by LG and Panasonic. Other details, like its size or the contents within said metallic frame, are still nowhere to be found. What we can tell you is that the new tablet can’t get here fast enough for Amazon given the Fire’s declining sales numbers and its fresh competition from Mountain View.

Update: Looks like something was lost in translation — it turns out the China Times report actually states that the new Kindle Fire is set to make its appearance in July or August, not specifically on August 7th.

Amazon’s new Kindle Fire set to debut in early August? (update: maybe July) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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