Amazon Launches Kindle Fire HDX Tablets

New submitter casab1anca writes "In classic Amazon fashion, without much fanfare, a bunch of new tablets just popped up on their homepage today. The new range, dubbed HDX, is available in the usual 8.9" and 7" versions, with improved hardware and software, but perhaps equally interesting is the revamped 7" Fire HD from last year, which goes for just $139 now." Compared to the Kindle Fire HD, the new models feature a jump in display density (216 PPI to 323 PPI for the 7" and 254 to 339 PPI for the 9"), a switch from a dual-core TI OMAP Cortex-A9 (at 1.2/1.5GHz) to a quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon, and a bump from 1G to 2G of RAM. On the software side, Android has been upgraded from 4.0 to 4.2.2 and Amazon added a few new features to their applications. Businessweek has an interview with Jeff Bezos running today too (starting a bit down the first page).

Comments

Google Play Store

[Frankie70]

I was recently looking for a tablet and the Kindle 8.9" Fire HD ticked all my requirements. The only reason I didn't buy it was because you cannot access the Google Play Store from it.

Re:Google Play Store

[Archangel Michael]

You can. You just can't do it without sideloading the Play Store App. It does require gaining "root", in order to sideload the play store APP.

This alone should cause the"average" user to balk at Kindle anything. If you look at any other Android Tablet, and find one that uses Play Store, then you can add the Kindle App to it, and it becomes essentially the same thing (all other spec being the same).

Re:Google Play Store

[SJHillman]

Or if you don't need much tablet at all, get the older Nook Color for $50-$70. Dual booting is as easy as putting Cyanogenmod on a microSD card... returning it to factory settings is as easy as removing the microSD card. There's no microphone or camera, but it runs Netflix quite well and web browsing is snappy. I've had mine for almost 2 years and I think it hits the perfect balance of price, size and performance for a good majority of tablet users, although most Slashdot readers want something a bit more powerful than the average tablet user.

Re:Google Play Store

[SJHillman]

The Nook app doesn't feel as smooth or integrated as using the actual Nook Color/tablet and from what I've seen from store displays, the Kindle app vs Kindle Fire is much the same way. Not a big deal for casual readers, but hardcore readers will probably prefer the smoother experience of the Fire/Nook compared to the app on a generic Android device

Re:Google Play Store

[Archangel Michael]

But that is always the case. The specialized "reader" platforms will perform better than just "apps", because they can be tailored to reading. However, given that one could use a normal Android Tablet, and have all three (Android, Kindle, Nook) on one device, rather than a singular specialized platform, IMHO, makes all the difference in the world.

Re:Google Play Store

[afidel]

The 8GB NookHD is a better deal at $109 IMHO because it's got a significantly better screen. It's cheap enough that I'm seriously considering it now that they've added Playstore support despite the fact that I have a KindleHD, I figure I'll let the kids have the Kindle with FreeTime and keep the Nook for myself.

Re:Google Play Store

[Jason Levine]

Same here. My kids were buying tablet computers with saved up money and the Kindle Fire looked great. I especially loved the built-in parental control software. But locking into the Amazon store was a deal breaker. We got Galaxy Tab 2 tablets and supplemented them with apps for parental controls. I even added the Amazon App Store onto the tablets to take advantage of their free app of the day.

Death of the Desktop

[tuppe666]

If anyone is still wondering why the Desktop(Including Surface) is struggling...Hint its not the iPad; That is an incredibly powerful device for very little money. Why is nobody but Google reinventing the PC after Microsoft/Apple dropped the ball?

Screen resolution

[ardmhacha]

"Exclusive 8.9" HDX display (2560x1600)"

Dear Laptops

Please increase your screen resolution to something usable.

Thanks

Re:Screen resolution

[Russ1642]

They can't because people are still on Windows, which heavily depends on bitmaps. If you increase the screen resolution that much it screws up lots of existing applications to the point of being unusable.

Re:Screen resolution

[bill_mcgonigle]

Dear Laptops
Please increase your screen resolution to something usable.

True story: I've looked into building a head-mounted rig to hold an HD phablet 10" from my eyes. The current limitation is the refresh rate possible with screen sharing on 802.11n, but -ac might solve that and is only a year or two out on phablets.

I wound up needing to work on a 6-hour bus ride a few months ago, and was frustrated by the difficulty of seeing the screen in ever-changing light conditions, the power drain of the big screen, the low resolution, and the weirdo in the seat next to me who kept asking me about things on my screen. At first I thought about those polarizing filters, but then figured, why carry a big laptop in the first place when a small compute widget will do fine? My bag can certainly handle a bluetooth keyboard, and a wider one, even, than I can accept on my laptop.

I'd love some goggles that would do it all for me, but those are still made of unobtanium. Occulus VR is on the right track, but their pixel density is too small and it's too close for LCD (windowscreening). Perhaps OLED can fix this. Besides, I don't need stereo.

Re:Screen resolution

[0123456]

They can't because people are still on Windows, which heavily depends on bitmaps. If you increase the screen resolution that much it screws up lots of existing applications to the point of being unusable.

Ah, I still remember the good old days when telling Windows you had anything but a 72dpi monitor would cause most of the applications to render incorrectly.

Re:Screen resolution

[Dimwit]

HDTV was the best thing to ever happen to laptop manufacturers. My CRT monitor in 1997 had a roughly equivalent resolution than my laptop today (1366/768). With the advent of HDTV, computer display manufacturers went out and rebranded everything as "True HD", implying to consumers that these are really high resolution displays because, well, HDTV is so much better than SDTV, a True HD monitor must be really great too! Hiding behind those letters made it easy to mislead customers about the actual resolution of their displays.

I would love to have a QHD laptop. Hell, I wish there were more than just a few 1080p laptops out there. The QHD laptops are finally starting to arrive, but they're slow coming. I wish I could get a Chromebook Pixel without the, you know, Chromebook part.

Re:Screen resolution

[geekoid]

Dear Consumers:
Stop being a bunch of cheap asses and buy them when we put them out.

Thanks.

Re:Screen resolution

[Sqr(twg)]

The macbook pro has 2880x1800, which is ok, and other laptop-makers are going to have to follow suit sooner or later.
On the other hand, how come a $2000, 27-inch iMac, or a $1000, 30-inch monitor doesn't have more pixels than a $400 tablet?

Re:Screen resolution

[Teckla]

On the other hand, how come a $2000, 27-inch iMac, or a $1000, 30-inch monitor doesn't have more pixels than a $400 tablet?

It's because of viewing distance and lack of demand in the marketplace.

Re:Screen resolution

[Anonymous Coward]

You're talking about strapping a Kindle to your face and some stranger making conversation on the bus is the weirdo?

Re:Screen resolution

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello tablets? It's laptops. You win!

Re:Screen resolution

[Anonymous Coward]

You're nothing but a damn troll. The text on Windows is Fisher-Price gigantic. It's too big for adults. I had one of the old Latitudes. The text size was perfect for a professional. I set my right margin with Eclipse to 450. That makes for much more productive programming when you can see all of a line on the screen at the same time.

Re:Screen resolution

[Russ1642]

Now, not all applications will 'break' in the traditional sense but I consider text too small to read, or having to position your mouse within a 1 pixel wide area to move something like a divider, a broken application. Windows applications just aren't resolution independent.

Re:Screen resolution

[bored]

They can't because people are still on Windows

Yawn, I've heard this before, and its not that big a deal with to change the scaling and it mostly works. I have a laptop with a 180PPI display running windows XP from ~2006 and it works fine with display scaling. Te problem is the removal of exactly x2 mode in win7 (added back with 8.1).

Heck an OEM could probably rig a deal with the GPU manufacture to produce a driver that 2x scales the display to windows same as Apple does and white-list applications that understand higher resolutions displays with a GDI hook even without Microsoft support. With Microsoft support adding a HIGH DPI flag in the applications manifest or similar to allow native scaling can't possibly be that hard. In fact I bet there is a way for an application to bypass the windows scaling today (if nothing else you detect it enabled and resize components as necessary).

Re:Screen resolution

[sylvandb]

And Microsoft could fix windows apps to work with very high pixel densities in a way similar to how Apple fixed OSX and iOS apps and the way hardware upgrades have been hidden from applications for decades now: 'Aware' applications must call a new API to get the high-resolution. If they do not call the new API, the OS will scale everything for them when they use the old APIs. It's a trivial and obvious fix at least for applications. Making those scaled apps look decent is a bit harder task for the OS implementer but such is life.

Re:Screen resolution

[stenvar]

Apple had the same problem; if the resolution is high enough, you can just double the pixels.

Re:Screen resolution

[ArcadeMan]

I don't like when weirdos on the bus keep asking me questions about the hentai movies I'm trying to watch.

Re:Screen resolution

[Sqr(twg)]

The viewing distance of a 30-inch monitor is not three times that of a 9-inch tablet. Most often, it's not even two times, so the monitor should have at least twice the number of pixels to give the same angular resolution.
"Lack of demand in the marketplace" is just an assumption. Nobody has actually tried selling a high-res monitor at a reasonable price.

I don't see the appeal

[Drew617]

Now that we can get very good devices with unmolested Android (Nexus 7) for similar money.

The original Fire made sense, and I considered one, a couple years back when most options in the price range were compromised in some way.

These days I don't get it, though. Even assuming some Amazon lock-in - books, music or whatever - don't they have apps that make those things work on any Android?

Re:I don't see the appeal

[SJHillman]

There are Kindle/Nook apps for generic Android, but the Nook/Fire gives a much more integrated experience. So if you're looking for tablet that can also do ebooks, get an Android tablet and use apps. If you're looking for a (color) e-reader that can also do tablet things, get a Kindle/Nook tablet. The Fire/Nook still make more sense if your primary use of the device is as an e-reader because the integration makes it much smoother than their respective apps.

Re:I don't see the appeal

[walterbyrd]

I agree completely. For $200 you buy a Nexus 7, and not bother with all the proprietary junk.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[geekoid]

Is it safe to assume you don't own a microwave, TV, and car becasue there not easy to change the boot?

Ownership is being able to modify

[cervesaebraciator]

I'll not complain that my truck has no unlocked bootloader since it doesn't boot. But I wouldn't buy a truck that had only proprietary, locked bolts that no standard set sockets could turn.

While my truck does not boot, it does start up and I can change the starter motor or anything else as I please. I can swap out the engine entirely, convert it biodiesel or electric, or take it apart and sell its components as spares. That's how I know I own it: however it may have come, I can make it as different as I want.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[MightyYar]

Your truck almost certainly has a computer running the show, and that computer is almost certainly not open.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[cervesaebraciator]

Yes, quite. That's part of the reason I added the bit about being able to change out the engine.

Indeed, I'm not terribly happen that vehicle computers are often locked down. But relative to, say, and iPad, the vehicle computer is one small, closed, replaceable part on a far more open system. In other words I was saying OP was not irrational or inconsistent in wanting an unlocked tablet, even if he/she happened to own a car.

But, then, now that I put it that way I don't know why anyone would object to someone wanting a more open tablet. Likewise I can't see why one ought to be regarded as hypocritical for wanting an open platform if he happens to own some things which are closed. It's a rather odd response to OP's post really.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[coinreturn]

...the vehicle computer is one small, closed, replaceable part on a far more open system.

Wait, you're under the illusion that you could replace your vehicle's computer with some other computer? So your manufacturer gives you all the specs and protocols to control the engine, transmission, ABS, entertainment system, airbags, climate control, etc? Wow, nice.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[cervesaebraciator]

There's no illusion at all here. The engine control computer in my vehicle has more than one aftermarket manufacturer. In other words, it's replaceable. I didn't say it was replaceable with a Raspberry Pi, only that it was replaceable. As a matter of fact, I can drive out to the nearby bypass and find multiple stores that stock or order by tomorrow options from several different manufacturers. That's more than one can say for most components in most consumer electronics. For some vehicles, including my brother's early mid-life crisis car, one can buy aftermarket computers which can be set to give different performance profiles. Do either of these add up to an open system? No. Notice I said it was both replaceable and closed. Do both give the end-user more options to modify than he have will with most locked-down tablets? Yes. Can one go further and change the engine or large parts thereof entirely? Yes. Can analogous modifications be made practically some consumer electronics today? No. Is OP wrong to prefer relatively open consumer electronics? No. Is OP a hypocrite if he happens to own other goods that are less open? No.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[coinreturn]

The engine control computer in my vehicle has more than one aftermarket manufacturer

Interesting. What make/model is your car?

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[MightyYar]

That's part of the reason I added the bit about being able to change out the engine.

You can't do that without voiding the warranty, though. If you are going in that direction, then you can just root the Kindle HD. You can't unlock the bootloader, but AFAIK that is not a real impediment, since you have root you just boot "twice" and load whatever code you want.

I don't know why anyone would object to someone wanting a more open tablet.

I don't object to that. I object to every story about a proprietary toy getting polluted with "but it's not open!". Yeah, we know, but if it doesn't impact our use of the tablet then it isn't even a mark in the "negative" column. And historically, the Kindles seem to get rooted so it REALLY is immaterial.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[cervesaebraciator]

S-10. Most you'll find out there are remanufactured and most of them are from Cardone, but you can find ACDelco and some other brands which, frankly, I've never head of, but you have to look.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[cervesaebraciator]

I don't object to that.

Fair enough. But my original reply, the intent of which I reiterated for context in my response to you, was to one who seemed to do so.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[davester666]

Unless it's a fairly old truck, it certainly does have a computer that 'boots', and if it is at all recent, good luck with modifying it to run different code.

If you are lucky, your manufacturer will have 'blessed' specific third-parties with ability to modify specific parameters.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[coinreturn]

S-10. Most you'll find out there are remanufactured and most of them are from Cardone, but you can find ACDelco and some other brands which, frankly, I've never head of, but you have to look.

If the parts are remanufactured or from ACDelco (owned by GM since 1944), you really are just able to replace a broken component, which is much different than being able to substitute an alternative. The fact that you can have some parameters altered is much like buying apps for it. Before you bang out more rant, I am not the poster that claimed anything about irrational, inconsistent, or hypocritical.

Re:Ownership is being able to modify

[cervesaebraciator]

If the parts are remanufactured or from ACDelco (owned by GM since 1944), you really are just able to replace a broken component, which is much different than being able to substitute an alternative.

Note what I said:

[...] one small, closed, replaceable part on a far more open system.

And again:

In other words, it's replaceable . I didn't say it was replaceable with a Raspberry Pi, only that it was replaceable .

If by "substitute an alternative" you mean anything other than replace, at least as far as my own vehicle is concerned, I never claimed as much except insofar as I claim and maintain that you can replace the engine entirely, including with things other than a gasoline engine.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[KingSkippus]

That logic would be fine if all the OP wanted to buy is just a proprietary Amazon front-end, which means that the value of the device is significantly lower than what would justify the price. But assuming that he wants a "tablet" in the traditional sense of the word, a general-purpose device that he can customize to suit his particular needs that can be obtained from other companies at comparable prices and that can also run the same Amazon-available applications but also other stuff as well, then he is correct in that he should continue to avoid these.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[h4rr4r]

My car will take me where I choose, the microwave will cook what I want, and the monitor will display what I want.

This tablet is not like those. If I could buy bootloader unlocked versions of all of those I would as well.

Where is my Amazon Streaming Video app?

[CosaNostra Pizza Inc]

Nice but when are they going to release an Amazon Streaming Video App for Amazon Prime customers who use Android (other than Kindle) devices?

Re:Where is my Amazon Streaming Video app?

[bmh67wa]

They just announced today that they added AirPlay support. http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/17/amazons-instant-video-app-adds-airplay-support-for-streaming-to-apple-tv/ and that their UK customers can stream purchased albums from the Amazon Cloud Player to their Sonos systems. http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/audio/1302640/sonos-gains-amazon-cloud-player-to-instantly-stream-your-purchased-albums I think other devices and OS choices are in the making. We should be able to stream all Amazon content to a variety of devices soon if these early steps are any indication.

Re:PDF reader

[larry bagina]

Yeah, one of Bozo's quotes is "Your margin is my opportunity." Which is true, but it's also true for amazon 3rd party sellers and their app store.

Slashdot likes to complain about Walmart's business tactics but Amazon is just as bad if not worse.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[coinreturn]

And it's priced accordingly. Amazon is willing to accept meager profit on hardware under the assumption you will buy software from them. It's like the wireless providers subsidizing phone prices, except the contract never ends.

Re:Paperwhite?

[radio4fan]

The new Paperwhite starts shipping on September 30th.

Says it right there on Amazon.com.

Re:Where is a tablet with no lock in?

[wonkey_monkey]

Apple locks you in, but Amazon and Google don't. You can install apps from any source on a Kindle Fire and most (all?) other Androids with the tick of a box. Admittedly, I haven't found a way to replace the home app on an unrooted Kindle Fire, but it's not like Apple's prison.

Re:Paperwhite?

[wonkey_monkey]

They just did: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2013/09/06/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-2013-review-first-look/

Is it still just Amazon content consumption?

[water-and-sewer]

I have a Nexus 7 and like it, so after a year of playing with an Android tablet, I figured I knew what all tablets were like. Then a friend let me try his Kindle and I was bewildered how locked down and confusing it was.

It was great for downloading books and movies from Amazon but from no where else, and I wasn't overly impressed by its other features. It was also freaking HEAVY.

I concluded it was simply a window/screen through which you send your money to Amazon, and not good for much else. Give me a stock Android tablet any day. On my Nexus I've got a Nook app, but I've also got several other ebook readers (Aldiko is great). And I guess I could put a Kindle app on it if I wanted.

Amazon has a great book store and lots of other media too. But if the new Kindle is just a better version of their last Kindle, they can keep it - give me stock Android and a choice of apps any day of the week over a device that's been locked down to be a simple content consumption (hate that word) device.

Re:Is it still just Amazon content consumption?

[Optic7]

Exactly, I came on here to say basically the same thing. The new Kindle Fire HDX 7" is the same price as a Nexus 7 of the same configuration (16GB, WiFi): $229. Why on earth would anyone buy a hobbled, locked down thing that does nothing beyond what the more open option does (in fact, it does a lot less)? In fact, that price on the HDX is for the "special offers" version, which forces you to have ads. If Amazon was subsidizing it to be under $100 to compensate for all the shortcomings it would be a different story, but at the same price? I just don't get it.

Ok, so I just did a search for a comparison between the two, and apparently the HDX has an upgraded CPU and GPU vs. the Nexus. Big flipping deal. They should still make it $100 or less if they want us to put up with major lockdown and ads. Talk about one being born every day.

WTF, where is my laptop with a 9"

[bored]

2560x1600 display.

Dell, Hp, Asus, etc????? Hello!!!!!!

Idiots.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[MDMurphy]

It's safe to assume:

The microwave will cook food no matter what store it was purchased from.
The TV will play programs from any cable, satellite provider or appropriate OTA station.
The car will work with fuel purchased from any station.

I own all of the above but do not own a Kindle or iDevice specifically because part of their reason for being is to limit the owner's choice in apps or media content. Generic Android also limits apps to those coming from the Google Play store by default but has an option to remove that restriction that's no more difficult to change than adjusting your backlight brightness.

If there was a new Kindle that had a combination of features and price that was so compelling I wouldn't mind getting it and hacking it then I'd be tempted. But it would have to be a very attractive combination of factors.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[PraiseBob]

Just for the record, there is a checkbox in the settings for "Allow 3rd party software", and you can download and install any reasonably compatible android program you want. I've done it many times, there is no need to root the device, etc.

You can also play almost all types of media with the free players available on the amazon marketplace. It is trivial to download/copy whatever media files you want onto the device, and watch or play it. I really don't understand where this perception of it being "locked down" comes from.

Kindle Fire Root

[BaerGriggs]

The Kindle is really easy to root and make nearly the same as every other Android tablet. The screen is beautiful on my Kindle Fire HD 8.9" right now and I'm sure it's even better with the HDX. They've nearly automated the whole process of rooting and installing the Play Store now with the Kindle Fire Utility or with the Bin4ry Tool. At the price you pay for it and with a little bit of work it's hard to beat what the Kindle brings to the table.

Re:Where is a tablet with no lock in?

[Godwin O'Hitler]

You get cool reader, that's how.

Can the connection to amazon be turned off?

[smoothnorman]

I've got an ~series2 Kindle that i use for pdf etc viewing; but the catch is that I often have review articles on it that must not be accessible by anyone but me for the time that I've got them (or else the lawyers start to parachute from black helicopters). A Kindle with the wifi off is an great solution for me and my colleagues for this purpose; but color would be *sweet*... so my question: if one buys one of the new Kindle Fire models can one be tolerably be sure of turning off all external access? Is there still a wifi *off* option? ...doesn't really sound like it.

Re:Can the connection to amazon be turned off?

[bakes]

Yes, you can turn the Wifi and Bluetooth on/off (independently) whenever you like. There is also an aeroplane mode, I guess this stops you turning on Wifi accidentally (??).

For your purposes, I suppose you might potentially leave the Wifi off all the time, and just load files on through the USB cable.

Re:Can the connection to amazon be turned off?

[smoothnorman]

Thank you! that's exactly the information that i was seeking, (and not finding via any of the 'official' specs). huzzah for devices that can, at least, have the fenced-garden fenced off.

Re:bootloader still locked?

[exomondo]

Is it safe to assume the bootloader is still locked and I should continue to avoid these?

Really these days the product is the combination of hardware and software so it's about whether that product serves your needs, an unlocked bootloader is just a means to an end, it's nothing on its own so the question really is: what is the task you want to accomplish? If the product isn't capable of that task you have 2 choices:

-Modify it, which in this case would be along the lines of cracking the bootloader, flashing the ROM chip or some other hack
-Buy a product that can help you accomplish the task without modification

Re:bootloader still locked?

[h4rr4r]

The point of an unlocked bootloader is to do what I want.

If those things did not meet my needs I would.