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Here are four new tablets from Amazon, and an entirely new Fire OS

By Koh Wanzi - on 19 Sep 2015, 11:53pm

Here are four new tablets from Amazon, and an entirely new Fire OS

The new US$50 Amazon Fire tablet. (Image Source: Amazon)

Last week, we heard that Amazon might be releasing a US$50 tablet in time for Christmas, and it looks like it’s happening way sooner than we expected. Amazon has now unveiled a new lineup of Fire tablets and Fire OS 5 “Bellini”, the latest version of the operating system used by its tablets.

The new budget addition to the Fire tablet lineup is simply called the Fire, and it will come with a 7-inch screen instead of the rumored 6-inch one. That’s probably for the best, as it’s probably not in Amazon’s interest to encroach upon phablet territory. It is also available for purchase as a six-pack for US$250, essentially a buy-5-get-1-free deal.

The Fire tablet is available in a family-friendly package of six. (Image Source: Amazon)

In addition to the Fire tablet, Amazon also announced three other tablets – a child-friendly Fire Kids tablet based on the Fire, and more powerful Fire HD8 and HD10.

The Fire HD8 is available in black, blue, magenta, and tangerine. (Image Source: Amazon)

Here’s a table summarizing the key specifications of the new tablets:

  Fire Fire Kids Fire HD8 Fire HD10
Screen size 7-inch 7-inch 8-inch 10.1-inch
Resolution 1024 x 600 1024 x 600 1280 x 800 1280 x 800
Processor Quad-core 1.3GHz Quad-core 1.3GHz Quad-core up to 1.5 GHz Quad-core up to 1.5 GHz
Internal storage 8GB 8GB 8GB/16GB 16GB/32GB
Expandable storage (SD) Up to 128 GB Up to 128 GB Up to 128 GB Up to 128 GB
Cameras

Front - VGA, 2MP 

Rear - 720p video recording

Front - VGA, 2MP

Rear - 720p video recording

Front - 720p HD, 5MP

Rear- 1080p video recording

Front - 720p HD, 5MP

Rear- 1080p video recording

Audio Mono Speaker, Built in Mic Mono Speaker, Built in Mic Dolby Audio Mono Speaker, Built-in Mic Dolby Audio Mono Speaker, Built-in Mic
Price US$49.99 US$99.99 US$149.99 US$229.99

Incidentally, the Fire Kids tablet is a cheaper version of the Fire HD Kids Edition, which was released last year at US$149. It comes with similar kid-friendly features like an updated kid-proof case, one year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited parental controls, and a custom web browser offering controlled access to over 20,000 curated, age-appropriate You-Tube videos and websites.

The Fire Kids tablet ships with a special kid-proof case. (Image Source: Amazon)

And now on to the new Fire OS that all the new Fire tablets will ship with. Dubbed Fire OS 5, it  features an all-new user interface that’s intended to emulate the look and feel of a magazine. Changes have also been made to make it easier to browse through and search for content, with separate pages for things like books, games, movies, TV and music.

Fire OS is based on Android Lollipop, and Amazon says that Fire OS 5 will run any Android app with little work needed on the part of developers. Like previous versions of Fire OS, it’s also been modified for deep integration with Amazon’s content and cloud services.

In addition, users will gain access to Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store where all the content is entirely free. Games are also included in the store, and things like extra levels and add-on packs are free as well.

There will also be new features in the coming months via an over-the-air update, where something called On Deck automatically stocks the Fire tablets of Prime subscribers with popular Prime movies and TV shows. Content is downloaded onto your tablet itself, but it uses a special shadow mode that is able to automatically make room for content you download yourself, saving you the need to manually delete files.

Another new feature is Word Runner, a speed-reading tool that helps you read faster by bringing individual words to the center of the screen where your eyes are already focused. It uses what Amazon calls Dynamic Pacing, which allows it to gradually adapt to your preferred reading speed and slows down for longer, more complex words and punctuation and paragraph breaks. If you find it getting ahead of you, tapping and holding down on the screen will pause it and let you scroll back.

Pre-orders for the devices are already available now, with shipping to begin on 30 September.

Source: Amazon (1), (2), (3)

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