Amazon opens pre-orders for Kindle Fire HD and Fire HDX in the UK and Canada
Amazon just announced its latest tablets are available for pre-order in the UK and Canada. While the updated Kindle Fire HD will begin shipping in both countries on October 24th, Canadian customers will have to wait until November 26th, almost two weeks later than their UK counterparts, to get their hands on Amazon's newest tablet flagship: the Kindle Fire HDX. The 16GB version HDX, will cost $254 CDN/£199 (with Special Offers). The 7-inch HD however is $254 CDN/£199. Both the HD and HDX come in 8.9-inch variants with more storage too, starting at $284 CDN/£229 for the HD. The only question now is if the super-glossy display, upgraded CPU and Fire OS 3.0 are worth the extra scratch.
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1 Million Pixels for a Breakthrough Price-The New Kindle Fire HD Now Available in Canada for CDN$149
New slimmer and lighter design, HD display, high-performance processor, dual speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio and Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito"
Kindle Fire HD comes with access to the exclusive benefits of the Amazon ecosystem and a vast selection of millions of apps, games and books
SEATTLE-Oct. 16, 2013-(NASDAQ: AMZN)-Today, Amazon.ca introduced the new CDN$149 Kindle Fire HD. Kindle Fire HD is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.ca/fire-hd.
"CDN$149 now gets you a 1280x800 216 ppi HD display, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, Fire OS 3.0, dual speakers with Dolby audio, vast selection and Amazon-exclusive features ," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "We're excited to offer customers this great hardware at a breakthrough price."
Here's what you get for CDN$149:
High-definition display with 1280x800 resolution and 216 pixels per inch, making videos, games, and books vivid and detailed. 66 per cent more pixels than the previous generation Kindle Fire.
Powerful, dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 60 per cent faster than the previous generation Kindle Fire.
Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio-the standard in high-end audio.
All-new slim design that matches the look and feel of the new Kindle Fire HDX.
Fast downloads and web browsing with built-in dual-band Wi-Fi.
Powered by the latest version of Fire OS-Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito"-with hundreds of new and upgraded features, platform updates and Amazon-exclusive services.
Stay connected and productive with all-new email, calendar and Silk web browser.
Millions of apps, games and books, including Angry Birds Star Wars II, FIFA 14, Plants vs. Zombies, Songza, and Netflix.
Goodreads integration- Join over 20 million other readers and see what your friends are reading, share highlights and rate the books you read with Goodreads on Kindle, available exclusively from Amazon. Available starting later this year.
The new Origami covers feature an innovative design that allows you to stand Fire HD in both portrait and landscape.
In addition to the new Kindle Fire HD, Amazon also today announced that the new Kindle Fire HDX tablets are coming to Canada.
The new Kindle Fire HD is available for pre-order starting today and will begin shipping October 24. Visit www.amazon.ca/fire-hd to learn more.
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Kindle Fire HDX Now Available in Canada-Powerhouse Tablets Built for Work and Play
All-new Kindle Fire HDX-stunning new 7" or 8.9" HDX display, quad-core 2.2 GHz processor with 3x the processing power, 2x more memory, 11 hours of battery life, and dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio
New HDX display goes beyond HD-exceptional pixel density, perfect 100 per cent sRGB colour accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrast and improved brightness for the best viewing experience indoors or out
Powerful quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2 GHz delivers over 3x the processing power for fast and fluid performance-the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz
Lightest large-screen tablet-Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" is startlingly light at 374 grams
Stay connected and productive with updated email, calendar and Silk browser, plus seamless integration with Facebook and Twitter
Enterprise-ready with support for encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure Wi-Fi connections and VPN integration
SEATTLE- Oct. 16, 2013-(NASDAQ: AMZN)-Amazon.ca today announced that the third generation of Kindle Fire-the all-new Kindle Fire HDX-is now available for customers in Canada. The new Kindle Fire HDX tablets combine groundbreaking hardware, the latest version of Fire OS and exclusive new features and services. Learn more about the new Kindle Fire HDX family at www.amazon.ca/hdx.
The new Kindle Fire HDX family features:
Stunning exclusive HDX display-beyond HD with exceptional pixel density (323 ppi for 7", 339 ppi for 8.9"), perfect 100 per cent sRGB colour accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrastand improved brightness for better viewing in any lighting conditions.
Powerful quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2 GHz provides over 3x the processing power compared to the previous generation, plus the latest graphics engine and 2x more memory for fast and fluid performance. These are the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz.
Startlingly light design-at just 374 grams, the 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX is the lightest large-screen tablet.
Powered by the latest version of Fire OS-Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito"-with hundreds of new and upgraded features, platform updates and Amazon-exclusive services.
All-day battery life-up to 11 hours of mixed use and 17 hours of reading.
Updated email, calendar and Silk browser to stay connected and productive.
New enterprise features including hardware and software-encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure Wi-Fi connections, VPN integration and wireless printing.
Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio and virtual 5.1 multi-channel surround sound-the standard in high-end audio.
Front-facing HD camera makes it easy to stay in touch with Skype, plus a new 8 megapixel wide- aperture rear-facing camera on the 8.9" Fire HDX offers crisp photos and 1080p HD video.
Deep integration with the Amazon content ecosystem-millions of apps, games and books.
New Origami covers feature an innovative design that allows you to position Fire HDX in both portrait and landscape.
"It's been just two years since we introduced the first Kindle Fire, and we are grateful for the overwhelmingly positive response from customers. The team is innovating at an unbelievable speed, and we're excited to bring our new Kindle Fire HDX to Canada," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "2.2 GHz processor, 339 ppi display, new 34 per cent lighter design, Fire OS 3.0 and new exclusive features and services. We've worked hard to pack this much hardware, innovation and customer obsession into these prices."
Here's what reviewers in the US have to say about the new Kindle Fire HDX:
"As it is, the Kindle Fire HDX is a lightweight, sharp-screened, superfast pleasure." – New York Times
"HDX hums with nary a hiccup or UI stutter." – Wired
"It's got a sleek redesign, blazing fast guts, and a few new tricks. Most of all, though, it's the best small tablet you can buy." – Gizmodo
"Spending the weekend with Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch tablet, it's easy to see why Amazon has built a commanding lead in the Android tablet space." – Mashable
"There's a lot to like about the Kindle Fire HDX. The screen is superb, the form-factor sober but sturdy, and the processor cutting edge for the market." – SlashGear
"For the first time, truly, the company has made a product that won't make some users feel like they're compromising an excellent user experience for a cheap price tag. Because now, Amazon's tablet line has both." – Fortune
World-Class Hardware
First-Ever, Exclusive HDX Display-Beyond HD
Amazon's exclusive HDX display brings together exceptional pixel density (1920x1200 at 323 ppi for 7", 2560x1600 at 339 ppi for 8.9") and perfect colour accuracy (100 per cent sRGB), resulting in images and videos that display as the photographer or videographer intended. The new display also features dynamic image contrast, a unique algorithm that adjusts the colour of each pixel depending on the ambient brightness in order to maximize contrast. This makes images and videos even easier to see in any lighting conditions, including outdoors. See a video: www.amazon.ca/display.
2.2 GHz, Quad-Core Processor and 2x the RAM
Kindle Fire HDX tablets are the first tablets powered by the most advanced quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. These are the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz-the four cores can each run at 2.2GHz, providing 28 billion instructions per second-over 3x the processing power of the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. Fire HDX also doubles the RAM to 2 GB, resulting in faster app launch times, faster website load times, smoother multi-tasking and better overall performance.
New Graphics Engine Perfect for Gaming
The new Adreno 330 graphics engine on Kindle Fire HDX delivers 4x the graphics performance of the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. This combination of a new graphics engine, HDX display, quad-core processor and 2x the memory creates a more immersive, high-frame rate HD gaming experience.
Lightest Large-Screen Tablet-374 grams
Amazon integrated the capacitive touch layer directly into the glass display on Fire HDX, leaving a lighter single layer instead of the typical 2-layer display stack. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" frame is a single-piece of machined magnesium with a blend of glass and nylon molded onto the unibody to create openings for the antennas and maximize signal strength without sacrificing sturdiness. The result is the lightest large-screen tablet-at just 374 grams, it is 34 per cent lighter than the previous generation large-screen Fire HD tablet.
11 Hours of Battery, Up to 17 Hours for Reading
Even with all this additional power, Fire HDX still delivers 11 hours of mixed use battery life. When you are reading, Fire HDX automatically powers down the CPU and any unnecessary system components and stores the displayed text in dedicated, low-power memory-the result is up to 17 hours of battery life for reading.
8MP Rear-Facing Camera for Kindle Fire HDX 8.9"
Both the 7" and 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX feature a front-facing HD camera to help you stay in touch with friends and family with Skype. Fire HDX 8.9" features an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera that allows for high-resolution photos and 1080p HD video, plus an LED flash, Electronic Image Stabilization and a wide-aperture 5P f2.2 lens that lets in more light, reducing exposure times and producing sharper images. See a video: www.amazon.ca/fire-camera.
New Origami Covers
New origami-style cover design provides a simple stand for both portrait and landscape positions, and attaches magnetically so it's easy to take on and off. The cover for the 8.9" Fire HDX features a custom slide feature that quickly exposes the rear-facing camera and automatically launches the camera application so you won't miss a great photo opportunity. See a video: www.amazon.ca/origami.
New Features and Services
Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito"
Kindle Fire HDX is powered by the newest version of Fire OS – Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito", which introduces hundreds of new and upgraded features, Amazon-exclusive services, platform updates and more. Fire OS starts with Android and adds cloud services, a content-first user interface, built-in media libraries, productivity apps and low-level platform enhancements to integrate Amazon's digital content and improve performance for Kindle Fire tablets. If an app runs on Android, it can run on Fire OS. Fire OS includes new features like Quiet Time, which lets you mute all incoming notifications or calendar reminders, and can be tied to a particular activity such as reading. Fire OS also adds a grid view in addition to Carousel view, plus Quick Switch which makes it easy to go between multiple apps and unlike standard Android, works with individual content items like different books without navigating home. Read more: www.amazon.ca/fireos.
Display Mirroring
You can now wirelessly mirror apps, games and photos from your tablets to your big-screen TV with Miracast-enabled accessories or TVs.
Stay Connected with Expanded Email, Docs and Printing
With the new email on Fire HDX, it is easier than ever to set up your accounts, group conversations by subject, sync your email and more. Reading and managing documents on Fire HDX is simple: email them, sync them from a computer with Cloud Drive, clip them from the web with Send to Kindle, or transfer them via USB. Coming mid-November as part of the free, over-the-air Fire OS 3.1 update-print documents, photos, emails and calendar events directly from Kindle Fire to compatible wireless printers.
Complete Enterprise Support
Fire HDX is ready for work, with support for encryption of the user partition of the device to secure data; support for Kerberos authentication so corporate users can browse secure intranet websites; the ability to connect to secure enterprise Wi-Fi networks as well as corporate networks via a native or a 3rd party VPN client; and Mobile Device Management solutions from 3rd party vendors like AirWatch, Citrix, Fiberlink, Good Technology, and SOTI. Some of these features will be delivered as part of the Fire OS 3.1 update.
Cloud Collections
Organize your books and apps in customized collections for easy reference and Amazon's Whispersync technology synchronizes the collections across your Kindle devices and reading apps so they're available on all of your devices. Cloud Collections will be available as part of the Fire OS 3.1 update.
Goodreads on Kindle Fire
Join over 20 million other readers and see what your friends are reading, share highlights and rate the books you read with Goodreads on Kindle, available exclusively from Amazon. Goodreads will be available as part of the Fire OS 3.1 update. See screenshots: www.amazon.ca/kindle-goodreads.
All the Content
The Kindle Fire family offers a wide selection of digital content-millions of apps, games and books-including:
The most popular apps and games including:
Games: A variety of customers' favourite games including Asphalt 8, Angry Birds, Star Wars II, FIFA 14, Plants vs. Zombies and Temple Run 2.
Entertainment and Social Apps: Get the must-have apps including Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, as well as enjoy music, movies and more with Songza and Netflix.
Personal Organization Apps: Stay organized with popular apps such as Evernote and Jamie's 20 Minute Meals.
Millions of books, including hundreds of thousands of titles that are exclusive to the Kindle Store including titles from bestselling authors such as Stephanie Bond, Deborah Geary and Thomas Benigno.
Over 900,000 titles are CDN$4.99 or less, over 1.7 million are CDN$9.99 or less.
Apps are tested for the Amazon Appstore and Kindle Fire.
Pricing & Availability
The 7" Kindle Fire HDX is CDN$254. It is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.ca/hdx-7 and it will begin shipping November 26.
The 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX is CDN$399. It is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.ca/hdx and it will begin shipping on November 26.
