Amazon’s Latest Kindles, Fire HD Tablets Boast More Speed, Storage

by Todd R. Weiss

These are the new Fire HD models, including (from left to right) the 7-inch Fire, the 6-inch Fire, the HDX 8.9 and Kids Edition tablets.

The new Kindle Voyage e-reader sells for $199 and includes a new Paperwhite display and free 3G wireless capabilities, which lets users download and read ebooks in more than 100 countries, even when they can’t find a WiFi hotspot.

The new Voyage has a side profile that’s only as thick as a pencil, which makes the e-reader lighter and easier to hold for reading. Plus, it features a new page-turning system called PagePress, which lets users turn pages by a light thumb press.

The all-new Kindle sells for $79 and will hold some 2,000 books, which is more than twice the storage of the previous model.

With their purpose-built electronic ink screens that look like paper, the Kindles fight glare and are easy to read, even in bright sunlight, according to Amazon.

The Fire HD tablets feature 6-inch or 7-inch screen sizes, quad-core processors running at up to 1.5GHz, front- and rear-facing cameras, and HD displays covered by Gorilla Glass.

The new Fire HD tablets each come in five colors: black, white, cobalt, magenta and citron. The 6-inch Fire HD retails for $99 for the 8GB model and $119 for the 16GB model, while the 7-inch Fire HD retails for $139 for the 8GB model or $159 for the 16GB model.

The latest HDX 8.9 tablet with WiFi retails for $379 for the 16GB model, $429 for the 32GB model and $479 for the 64GB model. The 4G-capable versions sell for $529 for the 32GB model and $579 for the 64GB model.

The HDX 8.9 tablet, which includes a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor and Dynamic Light Control that makes the pages resemble real paper in different lighting conditions, also offers an optional $59.99 detachable Fire keyboard with a trackpad.

This all-new tablet has a quad-core processor, an HD display, front and rear cameras, and a soft, protective casing that can take bumps and bangs caused by younger users. The 6-inch Kids model retails for $149, while the 7-inch model retails for $189.

The Kids Edition even includes a two-year, no-questions-asked warranty replacement policy that covers breakage, as well as a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited service, giving young users free, unlimited access to 5,000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps and games.