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Amazon announces its first-ever Kindle for kids
If you want to get your kids to read more instead of watching TV, Amazon hasn't forgotten about you or your kid. Alongside the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition tablet the company announced today, Amazon took the wraps off the Kindle Kids Edition, its first-ever e-reader aimed at children. For an additional $20 over the cost of a normal Kindle, the Kids Edition comes with one of four colorful cases, a two-year worry-free guarantee and one-year of complimentary access to the company's FreeTime Unlimited service.
Amazon's Fire tablets and Kindles are on sale for Prime members
Amazon's next big hardware event is just days away, and it appears the tech giant is using that as an opportunity to provide hefty discounts for Fire tablet and Kindle models for Prime subscribers. Most notably, Prime members get $40 off the Kindle Paperwhite (down to $90), and $25 off the base Kindle (now $65) -- if you've been looking for an e-reader for the daily commute, it might not get much better than this for a while. It's also a good time to look for a basic tablet for young ones, as Amazon is lopping $40 off the price of both the Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet (reduced to $60) and its Fire HD 8 counterpart (down to $90).
Can this year's new Kindle compete with the Paperwhite?
This year's Kindle refresh gave Managing Editor James Trew a lot to like, including an illuminated display and a smaller design with smoother edges. Although the 2019 Kindle has only a single storage option and its recessed display tends to attract dirt, the improved contrast and touchscreen, as well as added Audible support, impressed James enough to earn it a solid score of 91. However, he noted that going ad-free bumped the price up to within $20 of the Paperwhite, which has more storage and waterproofing.
Best Buy’s weekend sale includes up to $500 off 12-inch MacBooks
Best Buy's three-day weekend sale includes a bunch of discounts on Apple and Amazon products, as well as cuts on laptops, TVs, smartwatches and smart home products. The sale runs through Sunday, and if you've been waiting to buy a new device, it's worth checking out.
Amazon previews Prime Day deals before the shopping frenzy
Amazon claims Prime Day 2019 will be a "two-day parade of more than a million deals." The action starts July 15th and new deals will drop as often as every five minutes for a full 48 hours. Today, Amazon released a preview of what's to come.
This week in tech history: Amazon's 25th birthday
At Engadget, we spend every day looking at how technology will shape the future. But it's also important to look back at how far we've come. That's what This Week in Tech History does. Join us every weekend for a recap of historical tech news, anniversaries and advances from the recent and not-so-recent past. This week, Amazon turns 25. Few companies have done more to shape the modern internet (and, some might argue, modern capitalism) than Amazon. CEO Jeff Bezos incorporated the company 25 years ago today, and it was another year before Amazon launched as an online bookstore. It was still longer before it became the internet Goliath it is now -- but the list of things that Amazon has significantly changed 25 years in is dizzying.
The new Kindle Oasis adjusts its screen color to the time of day
Finding the perfect reading light can be a challenge, no matter the time of day. Amazon's latest Kindle Oasis comes with a new color adjustable front light that can switch from cool to warm hues as the day progresses. Adjustable lighting isn't a new feature for Kindle (Amazon released a basic Kindle with an adjustable front-light earlier this year), but the ability to change the screen's color temperature is unique to the Oasis. Similar to the iPhone's Night Shift, readers can schedule lighting levels to change automatically at sunrise and sunset.
Amazon's Kindle now supports Traditional Chinese books
Amazon been expanding the number of languages and alphabets the Kindle supports over the years. This time, the company has given the Kindle apps and e-readers the capability to support books in Traditional Chinese. In fact, Amazon has launched a portal in the Kindle store with 20,000 Traditional Chinese titles you can download, including translations of popular books like George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series. You can now also self-publish ebooks written in the characters through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Amazon will close its Chinese platform for third-party sellers in July
Amazon is pulling the plug on its e-commerce marketplace for third-party sellers in China. The decision follows a long struggle by American e-commerce companies in the country, who have fallen behind China's faster shopping rivals.
Amazon Kindle review (2019): The Paperwhite gets a run for its money
Like many gadgets, the Kindle line follows the "good, better, best" marketing strategy. A few years ago, this would mean the difference between features like a touchscreen, better contrast on the display or a much-needed front-lit screen. Today, the distinctions between Kindle models are subtler. When Amazon recently announced that the "All-New Kindle" (that's the basic, non-Paperwhite, non-Oasis model) would come with a front-lit screen, the last big deal-breaker for the most basic e-reader was finally dissolved (unless waterproofing is a must have). For less than $90 (with "special offers"), there's finally a Kindle you can read in the dark, that has a touchscreen, and supports Audible over Bluetooth. I'd wager that for a large slice of Kindle readers, the reasons to spend extra on a Paperwhite are getting more specific.
Amazon releases a sub-$100 Kindle you can read in the dark
You don't have to shell out over $100 for a Kindle Paperwhite if all you really want is to be able to read your ebooks in the dark. Amazon has announced a new entry for its basic Kindle line, and unlike its predecessors, it comes with adjustable lighting. Simply called the "all-new Kindle," the $90 device also has an updated e-ink screen with better contrast and a glare-free capacitive touchscreen display like its more expensive cousins. Amazon has also freshened up its design, giving it more rounded corners and making it available in two color options: black and white.
Amazon puts former Kindle leader in charge of its pharmacy business
Amazon's entry into the pharmacy business might not have the leader you'd expect. CNBC has learned that the online retailer has picked Nader Kabbani, an executive who helped establish the Kindle self-publishing system and has worked in Flex and logistics, to head the pharmacy team. While he has supply chain and delivery experience, he's new to health care and pharmaceuticals -- an unusual choice given the frequent challenges involved in haggling drug prices and ensuring distribution.
Kindle Paperwhite review (2018): A classic, updated
Until now, the Kindle Paperwhite had three mortal enemies: water, airplane seatback pockets (just me that keeps leaving them on planes?) and book snobs. While there's no hope for the latter, one of those issues isn't long for this world, as this year's model is now waterproof. For lovers of audiobooks, there's more good news: Amazon added Bluetooth so you can listen on the go. Owners of older Kindles may remember there used to be a headphone jack; this is 2018, though, so forget about that and embrace the future. This at least means the Paperwhite is no longer the odd one out when it comes to an audio option. (The base Kindle and Oasis both already have Bluetooth.)
The Kindle Paperwhite is ready for the bath
Sometimes you just want to read a book. Or maybe all the books. That's the promise of the Kindle line. Access to thousands of books in a form factor that's mobile and won't distract you with a litany of notifications about the world being on fire or that someone liked your photo of last night's poke.
Kindle for Android gets split-screen now, Notification Center soon
Despite having an app simply ripe for multitasking as users pull up extra info related to the books they're reading, Amazon's Kindle app is just now delivering support for Android's split-screen viewing feature. It added support for split view on the iPad back in March, but with this update all of your Android 7.0 (and higher) devices should be ready to go. Also noted in the update is the tease of a Notification Center which should bring all the "fun" of constant updates. It isn't quite live yet, but hopefully Amazon can find a way to let user's know their favorite author has a new book out without increasing our levels of annoyance. It's due to start working "in the next few weeks."
The best mobile devices for students
There's no negotiating on this: You need a smartphone at college. Powerful flagships like the iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy S9 promise speedy performance, but even more affordable options like the Xperia XZ2 Compact and OnePlus 6 offer an impressive amount of bang for your buck. Though not necessary, you might also want a tablet for book-reading, or a smartwatch that double as a fitness tracker. While the Apple Watch is the most obvious choice for an iPhone user, other brands have offerings that are just as stylish -- stuff you won't be ashamed of wearing around campus. As for tablets, Apple's 9.7-inch iPad doesn't break the bank (at least before you add on accessories) and is now compatible with the Apple Pencil -- a tool once reserved for the higher-end iPad Pro line. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Pro offers laptop-grade power, though we recommend paying extra for the accompanying keyboard. Lastly, you'll also find a Kindle on our list, mainly because its e-paper screen can be much easier on the eyes than a phone or a tablet. Find all our picks in our 2018 back-to-school guide and while you're there, check out the other 13 categories we covered.
Amazon's biggest Prime Day sale starts on July 16th
If you're in the market for an Alexa-enabled product, it'll soon be the time to buy. Amazon says this year's Prime Day, starting on July 16th, is its biggest ever, with double the deals on its own devices and $100 off Echo Show. There will be more than one million other deals up for grabs, too -- so many that Amazon has extended the sale to 36 hours (compared to last year's 30).
Amazon Kindle finally supports Arabic language books
Arabic language authors don't get many opportunities in the e-book world, whether it's due to a basic lack of support for the language (which reads right-to-left, is written in cursive and includes pronunciation marks) or the complexities of distributing the books in the first place. Amazon may be making it easier, though -- it's launching support for Arabic language books on Kindle devices and apps, including a dedicated section on the Kindle Store. The texts support all the same font adjustment, search and highlighting features you'd expect in other languages, while over 12,000 books are available worldwide.
Amazon admits to labor violations at Echo speaker factory in China
Labor violations are an all too common reality in technology manufacturing, and Amazon just made that patently clear. In the wake of a joint exposé between China Labor Watch and the Guardian, Amazon has acknowledged that a Foxconn factory in Hengyang, China has been violating labor laws while making Echo speakers and Kindle e-readers. A March audit revealed that over 40 percent of staff were low-cost agency workers (who don't get holiday or sick pay and can be laid off without wages), or well over the 10 percent allowed in China. Moreover, employees who worked overtime were paid at their regular rate, rather than the time-and-a-half demanded by both Chinese laws and Amazon itself.
Amazon's gold Kindle Oasis reminds everyone how rich you are (updated)
The Kindle Oasis is a conspicuous display of wealth by its very nature (you have money to burn if you can spend $250 on an e-reader in 2018), but apparently Amazon didn't think it was ostentatious enough. The internet giant is taking US pre-orders for a Champagne Gold version of the Oasis that includes the same 7-inch screen, water resistance and Audible support of the regular black model, just in a slightly garish I-have-money color. Amazon pitches it as a stylish option ideal for "Mom or the fashionable traveler." Let's be real, though -- you're buying it because you want to be seen using it.
