Amazon new Kindle Fire and Silk

Amazon has finally revealed its new Kindles and its first step to grab a hold in the growing tablet market. A step that is strategically done without confronting the current market leader... Apple's iPad.

But first: there are new Kindles coming. The basic Kindle model will now be available for just $79 (ads included, I'm sure - though I don't think you won't mind much)!

Next up the line, a more interesting new model pops up: the new Kindle Touch, which keeps using the same eInk display we all known and love, but adds a IR touchscreen frame (unlike resistive/capacitive layers, this method won't "interfere" with the eInk pearly paper look).
Starting at $99, and being just $20 more than the "basic" model, I'm guessing this will be the one most people will choose! (There's also a Kindle Touch 3G model, for $149.)



But, the one everyone was curious to see it the new Kindle Fire.

With a price of $199.99, this is the one Amazon will use to cleverly position itself in the tablet market.

Being a 7" tablet, and having no camera nor microphone, it can't be compared to the iPad, and that's exactly how Amazon wants it. Its simply a "new kind" of Kindle that gives you instant access to the entire Amazon platform in a very attractive and useful way.

Contrary to what you'd might expect at this price range, you'll find the Kindle Fire to have a high-quality IPS LCD 7" screen (although its multitouch screen can only detect 2 touch points), 8GB memory, and it's WiFi only. Inside, there's a dual-core CPU that makes its completely revamped interface (it's based on Android, but you won't really notice it) fly around without any lag or hesitation whatsoever. Amazon really made its point in creating a pixel-perfect user experience rivaling the iPad's smoothness, as you can see in the following video... [via This is my next]




Unfortunately, you'll only get a 30-day free trial for Amazon Prime - not the 1 year some rumors talked about...


To make it's user experience even faster, the Kindle Fire uses a new Amazon developed browser called Silk. This Silk uses Amazon's own EC2 cloud to speed up the browsing process, letting the immensely powerful cloud to do most of the work and leaving the Fire to just "show" the results.
Opera Mini and SkyFire already use a similar concept, but this Silk seems to push it to the next level, and it will certainly be something to keep an eye on - although, as expected, there are already those that remind us that could potentially become a huge privacy risk, as Amazon will be able to log (and even interfere) what you're doing around the web.



... And let's not forget that a Kindle Fire XL, with iPad like dimensions is expected to pop up soon!