Hasta La Gadget!

If you were waiting to see the strangest new innovation in the Kindle Fire universe this week coming from Amazon, you can bet that X-Ray is it. Here with a bit of a magic from a collection of 3rd party brands like IMDB, Amazon is able to offer you instant information about the media you’re working with. If you’re watching a movie from Amazon, for example, you can simply tap the film playing and IMDB will pop up with everything you need.

The same brand technology appears in X-Ray for Textbooks, with your ability to tap anywhere – or in a whole lot of places, at least, for more information at your whim. When you’re tapping a video, you get information not just about the video, but about everyone in the scene that’s identifyable. In a textbook, more educational information appears. This X-Ray technology is set to be shown on the Amazon Kindle Fire HD lineup first, and will certainly be expanded in the future.

It also exists on the Kindle Paperwhite, another ereader revealed this week. Here you’ll be able to tap anywhere on a page and get information on the characters in the story you’re reading. It’s like a glossary anywhere you need it in the book you’re up on. Stick with us here on SlashGear as the action continues all week – Amazon and Kindle tag portals are both ready for your tapping and are full to the brim with new Amazon action!

Amazon introduces X-Ray technology for Kindle lineup is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

At today’s Kindle Fire HD unveiling, Jeff Bezos claimed the Fire HD will download content up to 40 percent faster than either the iPad or the Nexus 7. Neat trick. But how will it pull it off? More »

If you ever sat there reading an e-book to yourself and thought, wow, I wish I could read this book out loud while Samuel L Jackson read it out loud with me – Amazon says you’re in luck. This week along with the new Kindle Fire HD line and refresh of the original Kindle Fire, they’ve shown off a technology called Whyspersync for Voice – this brings on Bimodal reading for those who have difficulty reading and for high-functioning readers alike. This technology, in a nutshell, syncs your audiobook and the text from the book you’re looking at so you can listen and read at the same time.

This technology was shown off on the new Kindle Fire HD series this week by Amazon with a couple of celebrities in tow. Both Anne Hathaway and Samuel L Jackson were shown up on the big screen, with Jackson specifically reading “A Rage in Harlem.” With Immersion Reading – here with Whispersync – you’ll be changing the way you read electronic books.

This new ability brings on what Amazon prosmises will be dual-sensory reading, this improving your understanding of the content. You’ll be hearing the words as they’re highlighted on the screen – and it will, if Amazon has its way, bring you another giant reason why it makes sense to pick up the newest Kindle Fire HD hardware – coming in October, on the way! Check out the rest of our Amazon and Kindle Fire content from this week’s big event in the timeline below, and stay tuned to SlashGear for more hands-on action as it appears!

Amazon Kindle Fire Whispersync introduced with Anne Hathaway and Samuel L Jackson is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

At last, the main event for today. The Kindle Fire HD has just been announced, rightfully taking its place as the rumored new Kindle Fire which does seem to flirt with iPad-like sizes as well. We are looking at an 8.8mm thin device that tips the scales at just 20 ounces, sporting an 8.9″ IPS (In Plane Switching) display at a whopping 1920 x 1200 resolution at 254PPI. There is also a 7″ display model for the Kindle Fire HD if that suits your lifestyle and budget.

The Kindle Fire HD will have an OMAP4470 processor to run proceedings from underneath the hood, where it is accompanied by dual stereo speakers for your ears’ enjoyment, not to mention having the distinction of being the first tablet to boast of Dolby Digital Plus support.

In terms of Wi-Fi connectivity, the Kindle Fire HD will carry a couple of antennas – the overcrowded 2.4GHz crowd, and also play nice with the 5GHz spectrum. For the record, dual band Wi-Fi can also be found in the new iPad, although the Kindle Fire HD has two antennas as opposed to the new iPad’s one. As for the Google Nexus 7, let’s just say it is nowhere close the Kindle Fire HD in this department. There is also a MIMO feature which in theory, allows the Kindle Fire HD to download data faster compared to its competitors – up to 40% according to Amazon, so we will take their word at that for the moment. Apart from Wi-Fi, there is also HDMI Out and Bluetooth connectivity thrown into the mix.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon Kindle press event round-up, Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE at $499,

Amazon has made the jump from small to big screens with its e-readers in the past, and its now done so again with its tablets. The company has just announced a new Kindle Fire HD with an 8.9-inch, 1920 x 1200 display (or 254 ppi). The device itself measures 8.8mm thick and weighs in at 20 ounces, and that high-res screen has a polarizing filter on it that promises to cut down on glare — the touch sensor is also laminated, which Amazon says offers better sharpness and contrast. As for internals, the Fire HD 8.9 (as Amazon has distinguished it) has a TI OMAP 4470 processor, dual speakers, a front-facing HD camera, and HDMI out. As the company is happy to point out, it’s also the first tablet with dual-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) MIMO technology, which Amazon says makes the device’s WiFi 41 percent faster than the latest iPad. Look for it to run you $299 for the 16GB version when it starts shipping on November 20th. Those looking for some added connectivity will also be able to opt for a Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE for $499 (also shipping November 20th). That buys you 32GB of storage instead of the standard 16GB (a 64GB option is also available), and you’ll get 250MB of data per month from AT&T if you shell out an extra $50 a year.

But that’s not all, Amazon has also announced a smaller, 7-inch Kindle Fire HD that will run you just $199 (also for 16GB). It boasts most of the same specs as its larger counterpart, the big exception being the screen resolution — you’ll get 1280 x 800 here, which puts it on par with the Nexus 7. According to Amazon, you can expect 11 hours of battery life from the 7-inch model, but it’s curiously not offering battery details on the Fire HD 8.9. Pre-orders for all three options start today.

Continue reading Amazon announces 7 and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDs, pricing starts at $199

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon announces 7 and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDs, pricing starts at $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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