This update allows, first and foremost, users like you to work with a Send to Kindle button on your desktop or in your web browser. When you’ve got this button in your web browser, it’ll appear above the fold with the rest of your bookmark links. If you’ve ever worked with a site like StumbleUpon or Pinterest, this is a very similar situation – one tap and you’re in.

If you’re using the Send to Kindle button from the desktop, you’ve got a bit more wide open array of options – so to speak. You can send all sorts of desktop-sitting materials at will – it’s so easy, your grandmother could do it!

Website creators will be able to implement a button that’s not unlike the Facebook “Like” button you see so often – the Google+ button and regular all-encompassing “share” buttons you’ll be familiar with already as well. If you’re a webpage creator, you’ll just have to head to the developer page and choose your size and color – grab it!

There’s also an Android version of the button which you can access in app form, then send from your phone to your tablet, or your computer to your tablet, or your web browser from whatever machine you’ve got to your tablet. Go wild!

Have a peek at the timeline we’ve got below for more information on the Kindle series and don’t forget to check our reviews of the last several devices to hit the market – it’s a sweet reading and media-loving festival of love!

According to TechCrunch, the sub-$100 tablet will come with a Texas Instruments processor and will feature a 1280×600 resolution display, so it looks like it won’t have anything too revolutionary, but we shouldn’t be expecting anything ground-breaking anyway, except for maybe the price, but as far as components are concerned, expect a bottom-of-the-barrel type of device.

Of course, you can grab a regular Kindle Fire for just $159, so a $99 Kindle Fire tablet seems pretty realistic. None of the major companies have outed a $99 tablet yet, so Amazon being first to the punch could be great news for the company. However, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the tablet will sell at a loss.

Then again, $99 Android tablets already exist, but they’re mostly from generic brands, and they feature components and specs that aren’t too desirable to most people anyway. However, if Amazon could pull off a decent tablet at $99, it could be the start of something greater for prospective tablet buyers, and with the company’s large and lucrative ecosystem, taking a loss on tablet sales wouldn’t be a big deal.

UPDATE: We received word directly from Amazon that there are no plans for such a tablet: “It’s not happening — we are already at the lowest price points possible for that hardware.”

[via TechCrunch]

Previously, the 8.9-inch version of the Kindle Fire HD was priced at $299, while the 4G version costed $499, which means that the WiFi-only model received a $30 price drop, while the 4G LTE model received a healthy $100 drop, making it even more tempting to jump with both feet in and grab the tablet at a good price.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 features a nice 1920×1200-resolution display, which provides 254 ppi of pixel density. The tablet comes with a Texas Instruments OMAP4470 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM. The WiFi-only version comes in 16GB and 32GB flavors, while the 4G model comes in 32GB and 64GB variants.

The Kindle Fire series of tablets are great companions if you’re particularly close with Amazon’s ecosystem. Prime members get a lot of exclusive features with the Kindle Fire software, including the ability to rent ebooks for free using Amazon’s lending library, something that normal Prime members can’t take advantage of.

Sadly, there’s not a lot of details available at this point, but the virtual currency will launch in the US sometime in May, and it will provide users with a secondary choice to buy apps or make in-app purchases. You’ll still be able to use a credit card like normal, but the new Coins system will also be an option.

Amazon plans to give away “tens of millions of dollars worth” of free coins to customers to celebrate the launch of the currency system. As far as developers are concerned, those who don’t yet have apps in the Amazon Appstore will have until April 25 to submit them in order for them to be compatible with the new currency system.

Since the new currency platform will allow you to use Coins for in-app purchases, as well as apps and games themselves, parents will have a bit more control over what their kids can buy on their Kindle Fire tablet, and it could be an a great alternative that would prevent you from having to put down your credit card information.

Amazon Student Members with an active Prime account (free six-month or $39/year plan) are only eligible for the deal. However, the company is letting students who aren’t Prime members sign up today to take advantage of the deal. In order to become an Amazon Student member, simply sign up using your .edu email address.

The offer is good towards either the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 WiFi-only model or the 4G LTE variant. The $50 discount means you’ll spend as little as $249 on a new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, which is the same price as the 7-inch 32GB model of the Fire HD. We have to say that’s a pretty good-looking deal for a great budget tablet.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 comes in four different flavors in all. The WiFi-only model comes in 16GB and 32GB sizes, while the 4G LTE version comes in either 32GB or 64GB flavors, all priced at $249, $319, $449, and $549, respectively, after applying the $50 discount. Read our full review of the device to learn more.

The deal includes $20 off a Kindle Fire (now $139), $25 off a 7-inch Kindle Fire HD (now $174), and $50 off an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD (now $249). Essentially, that same deal that we saw on Monday is back, as well as a little bit of savings for the other two Kindle Fire tablets. The Kindle Fire series is already a good deal, so these extra savings are pretty astounding.

It seems like Amazon is on an inventory-clearing spree this holiday season, and it seems since Monday’s deal didn’t quite do the trick, today’s deal looks to be a second effort to clear Kindle Fire stock. And while today’s deal is only targeted for mothers, it’s a great way to get kids in on the Kindle Fire fun.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is Amazon’s newest addition to the Kindle Fire family. It sports an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with a huge resolution of 1920×1200. On the inside, there’s a Texas Instruments OMAP4470 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz accompanied by 1GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of storage. We highly suggest checking out our full review of the device to learn more about it.

[via Gizmodo]

To take advantage of the deal, you’ll have to be quick, since it only lasts for today and “quantities are limited.” All you have to do is head to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 product page on Amazon, add it to your cart, and type in FIREHD89 at checkout. From there, the deal will take affect and you’ll save yourself $50 in an instant.

Amazon announced the deal on their Twitter feed, noting that it’s a “special, one-day deal” on the new 8.9-inch tablet. And while you have all day to ponder over the deal, the company notes that you should hurry, since supply is limited. Even if they had an abundant supply of these tablets, we wouldn’t be surprised if they all sold out sometime today.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is the company’s latest tablet to add to their Kindle Fire lineup. It has an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with an impressive resolution of 1920×1200. On the inside, there’s an OMAP4470 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz from Texas Instruments and 1GB of RAM. It also has a front-facing 1.3MP camera for video chatting.

However, if you’re still thinking about ordering one off of Amazon instead of driving to your local GameStop, the brick-and-mortar store will give you a $25 Amazon gift card if you buy a Kindle Fire tablet from them, which would essentially bring the price of the non-HD 7-inch Kindle Fire down to just a measly $135.

The deal will only last until January 31, so be sure not to putz around if you’re thinking about grabbing a Kindle Fire tablet anytime soon. If you already happen to have an original Kindle Fire and aren’t getting much use out of it, GameStop will also buy it from you and give you in-store credit for up to $100. You might be able to get a bit more cash out of it on Craigslist or eBay, but this is a great way if you need cash quickly.

GameStop has been growing its business for selling non-gaming devices for a while now. Last year, they started a pilot program to sell tablets in 200 stores, and expanded the program to over 1,600 locations later in May 2012. Back in March, GameStop also began selling refurbished iOS devices.

The X-Ray feature is powered by Wikipedia and Shelfari (Amazon’s own community-powered encyclopedia), and it basically allows you to break a book down into different sections like people and terms, and then dig deeper into those individual sections to learn more about them. It’s a really handy for those who are really wanting to fully understand the book they’re reading.

The feature is only compatible with English titles at the moment, and not every single book supports X-Ray — it’s mostly just the popular titles that come with it. However, X-Ray is available for a select number of textbooks, and it gives you “instant access to all the most important terms and concepts, with glossary definitions, links to relevant textbook pages, and related content from Wikipedia and YouTube.”

You’ll need to be running iOS 5 or later in order to update to the newest Kindle app version, but the update is free and it’s available now in the iTunes App Store. We have to give it up for Amazon, though. Their business model is impeccable, and allowing anyone to access and purchase Amazon content, whether they have a Kindle tablet or not, is a good way to get as many customers as possible, no matter the platform.

Collectively, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2012 “were the best ever for the Kindle family.” The company had more than doubled last year’s sales numbers, and while they don’t disclose any specific figures, it’s not too hard to believe. The $130 Kindle Fire deal was simply too good to pass up for a lot of people.

Amazon did release a couple of statistics and facts that might prove interesting for you. First of all, the top four spots on the worldwide Amazon best sellers list are Kindle ereaders and tablets. Also, Amazon claims the Kindle Fire HD to be the most gifted and most wished for product on Amazon since its launch.

Sadly, the Kindle Fire deal is over, and you’ll have to go back to paying at least $160 for the last-generation tablet, but that’s still a decent price. However, for just a bit more cash, you can pick up the newer Kindle Fire HD for only $200. That’s probably a better bet if you’re wanting to get the latest and greatest.

For the past five years, the Kindle has been a staple in the book industry, and each year Amazon has improved on the device to make it better and easier to use for consumers. Putting Amazon’s latest Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite, next to the original Kindle side-by-side makes you shake your head at the strides that Amazon has made to the ereader throughout the past five years.

The first-ever Kindle featured an 800×600 e-ink display and had 250MB of internal storage, with the option to expand storage with a microSD card (the only Kindle that had a memory card slot). The device sold for $399 and ended up selling out within the first few hours of launch. It wasn’t until April 2008 when stock of the ereader was replenished.

Since then, Amazon has slowly been slimming down its Kindle ereaders and even adding touchscreens in order to eliminate all the buttons for a sleeker design. Last year was the first time Amazon introduced a touchscreen on a Kindle device, called the Kindle Touch. It came with 4GB of storage and retailed for as low as $99.

Starting today, you’ll be able to get your comic fix through the official stores of your respective devices. DC also reported that for the year to date, its digital comic sales are up 197% year-over-year. Hank Kanalz, DC’s senior vice president of digital, says that the addition of more digital content won’t detract attention from physical comic book stores, but will expand the audience instead.

Previously, DC Comics sold its content through apps from Comixology including its own DC Comics app in Google Play and iTunes. However, those were the only two places that users could buy DC-owned comics. Now, users can go through the official bookstores on various devices without having to download additional apps in order to buy comic books.

Today will see 70 titles available in iBooks, the Kindle store, and the NOOK store, including the week’s New 52 superhero books, several Vertigo issues, select “digital-first” titles that publish online before print, as well as some back issues. A combination of same-day new titles and backlist titles will be added in the coming months.

Amazon hasn’t officially announced anything about the discontinuation of the Kindle Touch, but it seems that’s a trend of theirs now, as they didn’t say anything about the Kindle DX either. Currently, the Kindle Touch is “currently unavailable” from Amazon’s website, and it directs users to a “newer model” of the item, which is the Kindle Paperwhite.

This isn’t a huge deal per se, but those who are wanting a Kindle ereader are left with very few options at the moment. The Kindle Paperwhite is still back-ordered by “4 to 6 weeks,” and that may even change in the coming weeks if or when Amazon re-evaluates their inventory. That’s enough to make holiday shoppers a little nervous if they plan on buying a Kindle Paperwhite for a loved one.

The only Kindle ereaders currently available are the regular Kindle starting at $69, and the Kindle Keyboard at $139. Both models are barebones and come with only a fraction of the features of the Kindle Paperwhite, so we’re guessing not a lot of people will want to jump for those models. In any case, the Kindle Touch is dead. Long live the Kindle Paperwhite.

[via Paid Content]

One caveat Amazon mentions is the lack of audio or Text-to-Speech on the Paperwhite. The feature can be found on the Kindle Fire series, but in order to make the Paperwhite as small and light as possible, Amazon was forced to leave out the audio features for now. Maybe we’ll see them in the Paperwhite 2?

A lot of users have also been complaining about the uneven lighting from the LED front light, where the display would seem darker towards the bottom than at the top. However, Amazon says this is normal and that the illumination is better than a normal book light anyway. We’d have to agree there, since the Paperwhite’s lighting is certainly better and more convenient than any fancy book light around.

Amazon also brought up the limitation of only 2GB of storage in the Kindle Paperwhite, as opposed to other Kindle models that had 4GB. The company actually didn’t explain why they limited the storage to 2GB, but they noted that it’s enough to hold over 1,000 books. Plus, users also have free cloud storage that they can use.

However, users don’t really need to be worried if they’re thinking about buying a Kindle Paperwhite. They sold out fast, and it seems a majority of customers are seeing the Paperwhite as a huge step up from previous Kindle generations, so if you’re in the market for a new ereader, the Paperwhite may be a good option for you.

[via The eBook Reader]

The Kindle Paperwhite has only been available for a few days now, and there’s already a jailbreak for it. Then again, it seems that hackers were able to break into it pretty easily from the looks of things. It turns out the exploit is similar to the hack that was initiated on the Kindle Touch, so half the battle was already complete.

Installation is quite easy as well. It only requires you to upload a certain file to the root directory of the Kindle Paperwhite and then restart the device. When it boots up again, your Paperwhite should be completely jailbroken. From here, you can do a lot of cool things that you normally wouldn’t be able to do, including displaying different information like the weather, or hooking it up to a Raspberry Pi for some extended fun.

Despite how easy this certain jailbreak works, we obviously want to warn you that jailbreaking anything is not for the faint of heart, so if you’re not sure you have the capabilities or even the guts to do such a thing, it’s probably best to just let it be. If you’re giving yourself the green light, just be aware that there’s always a chance of bricking your device no matter how experienced you are — things just happen in mysterious ways. Good luck!

[via Hack A Day]

It’s really no surprise that Amazon‘s new Kindle device was a big hit. It comes with an all-new e-ink display that shows whiter whites and blacker blacks, as well as featuring a front-lit LED display that makes it easy to read in the dark, but doesn’t go so far as to cause eye strain like a traditional back-lit display would.

It also has a higher-resolution display, so the image is a lot more crisp than past Kindle models, and the performance is about as good as it gets for an ereader. Plus, at only $119, it’s about the best performance to price ratio you can achieve from an ereader at this point. Read our full review of the device for more details.

With all of the new features that are in the new Paperwhite, it seems customers have responded more positively to the device than Amazon was expecting. With the device already sold out and put on backorder for 4-6 weeks, it proves that Amazon definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of a turnout. However, it’s still a good sign when your products are in demand, and it’s even a better sign when you can’t even keep up with demand.

[via TechCrunch]

Earlier this month along with the Kindle Fire HD tablets Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos took to the stage and announced this new and improved 6-inch Kindle reader. Being the first of its kind (from Amazon at least) we’re giving it a thorough look. With an improved experience, better hardware, and of course a front-lit screen this is worth a second glance.

Hardware

The Paperwhite display aside, not much has changed from the previous Kindle Touch in terms of overall hardware. The design is for the most part unchanged and it still is an impressively light device being just 7.5 oz and only 9mm thin. The hardware has improved with a slightly smaller bezel, a nice matte black casing, and of course the dedicated buttons have all been removed. This can be a good thing, or bad thing depending on the user, but the on-screen controls with the improved capacitive touch display certainly is easy to use.

Under the hood we still have 2GB of internal storage (1GB usable) and sadly we don’t get an micro-SD slot for expanded storage, but you’ll be storing everything in the cloud with Amazon anyways. Then of course we have a dedicated power button, LED notification light, and micro-USB for the odd occasion you need to charge the eReader. Last but certainly not least is the 3G and WiFi connectivity. WiFi models start at $119, while the 3G model that works worldwide thanks to AT&T will run you $179. Oh and lets not forget those “Special Offers” and sponsored screensavers.

Personally, we are big fans of the changes to the hardware. The home button wasn’t exactly needed with such a simple user interface, and the improved soft-touch black matte backing certainly is nice. Although the concave back on the NOOK is still something we favor. Overall impressions on the hardware are excellent. Build quality feels top notch, and screen durability seems improved over its predecessor too. Take a peek at our hands-on and software overview video below.

Paperwhite

Now the big thing here is obviously the “Paperwhite” display. The best way to explain this would be from Amazon themselves in this post. Essentially what we have here is a front — or side-lit display — instead of a backlit screen that will strain your eyes after an extended period of time. What makes the new Paperwhite that much better than the Touch is not just the built-in light on the screen, but the 6-inch display has 62% more pixels (221PPI) with a 1024 x 768 resolution too. The screen looks better, text is crisp, vivid, and easy to read, and of course the light makes the reading experience top notch.

The Paperwhite uses Amazon’s new patented light guide technology that actually guides the light across the screen and down, away from the eyes. Using only 4 LED’s you’ll get awesome options with lighting without suffering in the battery life department — but more on that later. The display isn’t all about the light either. The Paperwhite screen is 25% better in terms of contrast for sharper and dark text. Add the better contrast to a crisp screen, then toss in the Paperwhite lighting technology this reader is excellent during daily use as always, but also great in low-light conditions as you can clearly see below.

In use, it’s certainly better that using an actual tablet for extended reading periods, and since this is still e-ink you won’t be lighting up the entire room if you’re reading in bed. This is the best for both worlds if you ask us. As you saw in our video above, adjusting the “Paperwhite” lighting is as simply as sliding your finger. Tap the top of the screen for the toolbar drop-down, then just tap the light-bulb to adjust as needed. For those worried about this new light and capacitive touch technology to hinder the reading experience, it’s safe to say that isn’t the case. Reading is simply awesome and we’ve loved our limited time with the new Paperwhite — and you will too.

Software

There really isn’t much to talk about regarding software, since the user interface is so basic. Everything you’ve grown to love about the Kindle line is in-tact — and they’ve even added a few awesome additions to make things even better. We have time to read, x-ray, and tools for readers all available with ease. X-Ray lets you instantly find any and all details of any character, place, or moment in a book. Amazon explains this as letting you explore the “bones of the book” with a detailed breakdown, and so far we love it. Seeing and jumping to exact points in a 400 page read with ease is an awesome new feature for those diehards.

Time to read is another great new improvement. It’s nothing special but just adds that extra level of polish to the experience. This tool helps readers know the amount of time it will take them to finish the chapter, or the entire book. It personalizes the time based on each person’s speed, and constantly updates as their reading habits change. While interruptions change the output, this has generally been quite accurate for us. Last but certainly not least is the built-in dictionary. Just long press any word while reading for a detailed definition. We also have instant translations by simply highlighting a section for easy translation.

Being E-Ink the software is still only as fast as the hardware and the refresh times, which while improved — still take time out of usage. Nothing worth docking points for, as Amazon’s always had some of the better refresh rates on their Kindle readers. The seamless sync of books across multiple devices, and all the new features added makes this the best Kindle reading experience yet.

Battery

Battery, which we stated above we’d talk more about — can’t really be talked about too much. Amazon estimates 8 weeks of battery life. Yes, that was 8 weeks. Even with the new light and built-in 3G you’ll still rarely need to charge the Whitepaper. Amazon states the 8 week claim is with limited 1 hour of daily reading and wireless being turned off — but either way that is still extremely impressive. Offering nearly the same battery life as before while delivering a lit display and tons of new features makes us plenty happy.

Leave WiFi or 3G enabled and this battery life drops down to about 5 weeks — which is still impressive and beats the Nook Glowlight across the board. So far I’ve read a little daily for the past week and a half and haven’t seen the battery meter drop one bit — so take it as you will.

Wrap-Up

Overall what’s not to like here? You get an improved experience across the board with a better, crisper, clearer display, the option to read in any lighting situation, and all of this for only $119. While they’ve dropped the original Touch down to $79, we feel the $40 premium for the Paperwhite is crucial and an excellent choice. Sadly those “special offers” or ads as we call them will be noticeable every time you open this book. You can opt out by spending $139 instead of $119 for the WiFi model, and the same increase is present for the 3G $179 model.

There’s no doubt that the Paperwhite feature works, and works great. For those that want the best possible reading experience across the board the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is certainly worth your dollar, and it’s available now at Amazon — shipping tomorrow. However the Kindle Fire HD is a great alternative for those seeking to do a little more with their tablet for a slight increase in price. Obviously if reading will be nearly the only function the Paperwhite is the clear (and bright) choice in our book.

The first is obviously that gorgeous “Paperwhite” display. Amazon has upped the resolution of the screen over previous versions of the Kindle, and as a result, the text you see on screen is sharper than what you’ll get with other eReader displays. That’s helped along by the fact that you can change the font and its size with the Kindle Paperwhite, which is definitely an appreciated addition. Then we have the backlight, which is one of the more predictable features, but still nice to have along nonetheless. You can adjust the backlight strength depending on your surroundings, so you can always have the perfect amount of light to make sure that what’s on screen is easily readable.

One of the most exciting announcements Amazon made in relation to the Kindle Paperwhite is that its battery can last up to 8 weeks. That’s with the backlight kept on the entire time, which is absolutely nuts. There are few key features that come packed with the Kindle Paperwhite too, including X-Ray, “Time to Read” and Whispersync. X-Ray implementation in the Kindle Paperwhite serves as something as an on-demand glossary, giving you information on the characters in your story with a simple touch. Time to Read displays the amount of time you have left in your book at the bottom of the page you’re currently on, and the Whispersync feature syncs your audiobooks to your text books, allowing you to listen to the narrator as you read along.

There are two versions of the Kindle Paperwhite. The standard version is $119, while there’s a version with free 3G for $179. Like most eReaders, the Kindle Paperwhite is very lightweight, coming in at only 7.5 ounces and 9.1mm thick. The Kindle Paperwhite looks great, and with that bump to resolution – Amazon is touting 212 PPI – it sounds like the company has a winner on its hands.

So there you have it – even though a lot of attention will be on the Kindle Fire HD, the Kindle Paperwhite is by no means a slouch. It’s definitely one of the most impressive eReaders we’ve seen, and at $119 for the standard version, Amazon will have no problem winning over the eReader crowd. Both are available starting October 1 and are up for pre-order today, so if you want one, you won’t be left waiting long. Expect to hear more from the Kindle Paperwhite in the very near future.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also took some time to talk about the success of Kindle Direct Publishing, which allows authors to self-publish their books on the Kindle Store and receive 70% of the profits. That sounds a lot better than having to deal with publishers who are less willing to take chances these days, and indeed authors seem to have realized that too. The program has been a success, plainly speaking, with 27 of the top 100 Kindle books being published through KDP.

With these new devices, Amazon is obviously interested in expanding Kindle’s services for authors and those who are looking for more aside from just novels. We’re likely to see both Kindle Singles and Kindle Direct Publishing expand at a faster rate now that Amazon has a brand new line up of Kindles to offer consumers, so we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for that. Keep it right here at SlashGear for more information from Amazon’s Kindle event!

That “Paperwhite” display lends to a number of improvements in the eReader field. Amazon says that the Kindle Paperwhite offers 25% more contrast, whiter whites and blacker blacks. The high-resolution screen provides 212 PPI and 62% more pixels, a significant improvement over Kindles from the past. Even better? Amazon says that the Kindle Paperwhite boasts a 8 week battery life, even with the light turned on the entire time. Any way you slice it, that’s pretty impressive.

Like most eReaders, the Kindle Paperwhite is pretty lightweight and easily portable. The entire unit sports a thickness of 9.1mm and a weight of just 7.5 ounces. It’s no surprise that Amazon has announced a new Kindle with a backlight – doing so lines it up to be a direct competitor with Barnes and Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light – but these additional features and that sexy display might just make it the eReader to have this holiday season. Stay tuned for more news direct from Amazon’s Kindle press event!

Apparently, Amazon has been considering introducing glowing screens to its Kindles for awhile as it had quietly purchased Oy Modilis, a leading company in light-guide technology, back in 2010. The company has several patents for display lighting technology, one of which appears to be the one that will be used in the new Kindle.

From what could be seen on the prototype, the illumination of the next-gen Kindle is a soft glow compared to the harsher brightness of back-lit LCDs. The light is turned on by tapping the screen and dragging a slider to the right. At this point, the color is still bluish white rather than a warmer off-white associated with books being read under lamp lighting.

It’s not clear what other changes will be made to the new e-ink Kindle, but the addition of the illuminated screen isn’t expected to add much thickness. The refreshed e-reader should arrive later this year.

Apparently, Bezos encouraged his designers to find inspiration from his then beloved BlackBerry, which must have been a BlackBerry 8700 like the one shown above. There’s definitely a resemblance.

“Jeff Bezos would come into our design meetings and say he loved his BlackBerry and the ease with which he could find e-mails and respond to people,” explained the former Amazon designer. “That’s why the first Kindle was so boxy, had the funky square keyboard and that strange scroll wheel on the side; it was all inspired by Jeff’s BlackBerry.”

The design of the Kindle gradually changed over time, becoming increasingly influenced by Apple’s aesthetic. The second- and third-generation Kindles took on thinner and more rounded designs akin to Apple’s iPod. And now we have the Kindle Fire tablet that is once again based off of a RIM creation, the BlackBerry PlayBook, which was luckily based off of Apple’s iPad.

Shown in the photo above, we have the Kindle Touch on the left (top) with the new Kindle Fire and its IPS display on the bottom. One thing I do want to note first is Amazon has always touted their e-ink and awesome Kindle displays for working great in any light condition, especially outside. It will be interesting to see how the Kindle Fire and the IPS panel handle the direct sunlight, but for now all we have is some video comparing text on the two so give it a look and let us know what you think.

Kindle Fire IPS vs Touch E-Ink screen comparison

As usual with e-ink you have this sort of “refresh time” as the display loads the content, this has always been a fast process and still works just as smooth and quick as any Kindle thus far. With the Fire we no longer have that issue, instead we have instant and smooth text, as well as great animations while flipping through the pages. The IPS display truly has an amazing set of viewing angles thanks to the IPS panel and can be seen at 178° and more. Sharing text and showing off stories or magazines will be easier than ever on the new Kindle Fire.

Even though the Fire only has a screen resolution of 1024 x 600 the text looks crisp, and vivid and will be easy on the eyes. Some may opt for the e-ink but this will ultimately come down to user need, and preference. Feel free to look over the rest of the images in the gallery provided, then let us know what you think in the comments below. For the rest of the Amazon Kindle coverage today just check out our Kindle portal.

The dimensions on paper – 6.8 x 4.7 x 0.4 inches – belie how the Kindle Touch actually feels in your hands. It’s an ounce lighter than the freshly-christened Kindle Keyboard (aka the old Kindle 3) but the best thing we can say is that you quickly lose sight of the device itself and focus on the screen.

The touch navigation – with the majority of the display used to move forward through ebooks, and a narrow strip on the left of it to move back – works well, and page refreshes are fast (for E Ink technology, anyway). The on-screen keyboard is no worse than the underwhelming buttons were on the Kindle 3, and the UI has been cleaned up a little too.

In short, it’s what we like about Kindle – the focus on reading – with less of the surrounding clutter. Check out the hands-on gallery for more.

According to the sources, the Amazon tablet will be called the Kindle Fire, to help differentiate it from Amazon’s e-ink Kindle e-readers, since Amazon plans to maintain sales for the e-readers instead of replacing them with the new full-color tablet. The tablet is still expected to be a 7-inch device with a backlit display that looks similar to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Despite this similarity to the PlayBook as it is produced by the same contract manufacturer, Quanta, the Amazon tablet is said to offer much better software and a much more complete ecosystem of services and content. The software is developed from a fork of Android and is integrated with Amazon’s own Appstore for Android.

When it comes to the ecosystem of services that will attract customers to the Kindle Fire, Amazon has it pretty much covered. In addition to Amazon’s own Appstore, which already has plenty of big name Android apps and some exclusives, its other services include Amazon Prime for streaming movies and TV shows as well as its Cloud Player for MP3s.

Although the slate likely won’t be an iPad-killer, it will certainly pose a great threat to the Barnes & Noble NOOK Color. However, its suspected that Barnes & Noble will be releasing a NOOK Color 2 next month, so it will be interesting to see how the two go head to head this holiday season.

Instead of going through the full shebang of rumors we’ve had over the past year or so, let’s just get into the most recent, a set of what’s probably the most accurate set of possible factoids. First, there’s the invite we received today that’ll more than likely be the source of the actual announcement, this leads to an event on the 28th of September. This tablet, perhaps most importantly of all, is very possibly going to be undercutting the price of the iPad by hundreds – cheap tablets with high quality construction are a market not currently being accessed, if you know what I mean. It’s called being a loss leader in this case, and it’ll probably be a big deal for Amazon.

Another point that seems pretty clear is that the orginal Kindle will not be replaced. There will be a reader and then there will be this lovely new do-more tablet. This bigger more versatile tablet will have, MAYBE, an Eink display, though this idea seems less and less likely as time passes by. There’s another rumor which says Amazon will be getting subscription-based ebook rentals working for this new tablet.

This tablet is rumored to be released inside November, this seeming rather likely if the announcement it set for next week. Another rumor says that the tablet may not ship until 2012, but that there will be two tablets, not just one, the smaller of the two shipping first, the second contingent on the success of the first.

Then there’s the biggest drop yet – mister MG Siegler, a journalist of some note, reported that he’d had some limited hands-on time with the smaller tablet, saying that it had a 10-finger touchscreen, no Eink, a 7-inch display, and price point at $250.

Look like the battle-ready contender for the current tablet market to you?

What Amazon registered today was KindleWave.com, this further fueling notions of another new Amazon service if not a full blown device. What we’ve got here is a bunch of speculation of course, though a couple of indicators point toward simple legal defense instead of early purchasing for the sake of future naming. KindleScribe.com and KindleWave.com both recently expired and were released from their former owners: Scribe registered to a Los Angeles company, Wave registered to a Tennessee company.

The entire world, if I may be so bold, is hoping that the tablet we’re thinking about here, whatever it may end up being called, should look like the NoteSlate concept we saw earlier this year. Also note that the last time we spoke directly about the Amazon tablets, we heard that they’d be loss leaders for the group – cheap tablets ahoy!

[via Domain Name Wire]

The Kindle 3G is the quintessential eReader, with its eInk display and non-glare surface. And it comes with Whispernet (on some models) so Mom can download books from anywhere, with no monthly fee. Before you ask, no, I don’t get kickbacks from Amazon, I just own a Kindle and am a big fan of it. The Kindle is $114 with special offers, or the 3G model for $189 which comes with a $25 Amazon gift card.

Another eReader choice, a bit more pricey, but really an Android tablet living in an eReader’s body, the NOOKcolor for $249. This tablet (er, eReader) lets Mom surf the web, and even play Angry Birds. Note: unless you root the tablet, the apps you have access to are very limited. WiFi only.

Getting deeper into tablet-land, there is the new Asus Eee Pad Transformer, the tablet with an attachable keyboard that also charges the battery. Chris Davies gave it a great review here on SlashGear. There have been reports of shortages, but some Amazon sellers have it in stock (right now) for $549.00.

Another tablet choice is the Acer Iconia 10.1 inch tab, selling for $599.99 at Amazon.

How about the Droid Incredible 2? I love this phone, and no matter if Verizon thinks we need a “woman’s phone”, this one is perfect for me. It’s fast, thin, responsive, and with an 8mp camera. Hey, and it’s now selling for only $79.99 on Amazon through Verizon with new 2 year contract.

What Mother’s Day gift list is complete without a camera? But this is not just any camera, it’s a video camera with BlueTooth that you wear around your ear, and record video from a first person perspective. Very cool. The Looxcie Bluetooth camera sells for $200.

How about an iPod? Best Buy has all iPods on sale right now, most for about $25 off, plus a free 8×8 photo book from Shutterfly with purchase.

Is your Mom sick of all the charging cables cluttering up her desk? I sure am. Get her a WildCharge Pad, and charge everything cordlessly. This charger sells for just $49.

Who doesn’t need more storage? This Buffalo Technology Mini Station has 500GB worth, and only measures 1.8 x 5.1 x 6.7 inches. Find it on Amazon for $54.99.

And to help Mom get even more organized, there is the Neat Scanner, with which she can cut down on paper clutter and scan in all those reciepts. The desktop version is $379, and the smaller, mobile version is $178. Also available for Mac.

And last, sometimes the best thing to give Mom is something to keep the kids busy for a while. One of the best apps I’ve found for young kids is the Zoodles Kid Mode app, free on the Android Marketplace and on the App Store. There is lots of free content, but there is also a premium version that you can upgrade to for $59.95 annually.

Happy Mother’s Day!

According to a report by Forrestor analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, an Amazon tablet would be the ultimate iPad 2 competitor because Amazon has the ability to compete on price subsidized by its content offering, and the ability to compete on distribution. And over the last few months, Amazon has indeed been quietly building up its arsenal to battle against Apple and the other tablet makers.

Amazon recently opened doors to its Amazon Appstore for Android apps, even scoring an exclusive deal with the popular Angry Birds Rio title. Modeling itself after Apple’s Appstore, the Amazon Appstore aims to elevate itself above the Android Marketplace by providing a less spammy experience with a $99 charge to developers for listing and with a review and approval process.

But certainly Android apps are only a small portion of the content Amazon can now distribute to its own tablet. Amazon already has a popular e-books delivery platform for the Kindle (soon to add library e-book borrowing support), but also recently switched on a video streaming service for its Amazon Prime subscribers. And further add to that their Amazon Cloud Player streaming service announced late last month, which is an online digital media locker that can store and share music, video, documents, and photos.

They have quite a lot going for them and if it all pans out with Samsung, the tablet could be a good kick in Apple’s arse and a mighty threat to all other Android tablet makers. Whether or not Amazon will go with a vanilla Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS is another question folks are pondering. Talks of tightening up the Android tablet OS has people thinking that Amazon could possibly attempt to develop its own platform. Although, developing its own interface layer atop of Android seems more likely—something similar to what HTC has done with their Sense 3.0 would be pretty awesome. Amazon has recently been hiring on Android developers, but have stayed mum on any such Android tablet developments.

However, could an Amazon tablet possibly arrive by end of Summer? That’s what veteran tech editor Peter Rojas seems to think over at Gdgt. What are your thoughts about an Amazon tablet?

[via Business Insider]

The update finally optimizes the Google Books app for iPads, letting you view two pages at a time and browse through the 2-million-book library all in landscape mode. Searching within an eBook is also improved, letting you find all matches as you scroll down the pages.

Additional improvements include being able to use your existing Google Books username to sign into your Google eBookstore account by tapping on “Get eBooks” from within the app. A clear no-network error message alert has been added and the magnifier has been removed.

Other enhancements include minor bug fixes and improved overall performance for faster app speed and better eBooks downloading. And lastly, they tossed in a new 3D page turning effect for the iOS 4.3 iPad version. The app is available now at the iTunes Appstore.

Users requested to borrow a book, and each request had to be approved by the lender. Amazon let Lendle know on Monday, via a no-reply email, that Lendle didn’t “serve the principal purpose of driving sales of products and services on the Amazon site.”

Jeff Croft, Lendle’s cofounder disagrees. “As a published author, it was very important to me personally to build the system in a way that was good for authors and publishers,” Croft said. “Our site requires that you be willing to lend books before you can borrow them. We even went so far as to allow users to sync their Lendle accounts with their Kindle accounts, so that we could ensure anyone who borrows books on Lendle has previously purchased lendable books from Amazon. Our philosophy is: You can’t borrow if you don’t lend, and you can’t lend if you don’t buy.”

Another service, BookLending, has reported to ArsTechnica that its API access has not been interrupted. But that may not last long. Amazon has been very cautious with its lending policies, no doubt motivated by publishers who don’t really want e-book files being passed around for free. Amazon only started the lending program late in 2010, and even now doesn’t widely promote it.

We will keep you informed on any further developments. We’re sure that the various book lending services will be trying their best to change Amazon’s mind.

[via ArsTechnica]

The Kindle commercial also accentuates the fact that their device can run up to a month on one battery charge and comes at you with a relatively affordable price point of $139. These advantages plus their overall feel-good message of “The Book Lives On” should appeal to the true book enthusiasts. And for those book lovers considering an iPad instead, Amazon warns you again in this commercial of the imminent glare.

You can’t blame them though for really emphasizing glare as it may be the only thing it can still compete on. With all the new tablets coming on the market that can consume media and perform a whole slew of other tasks along with higher resolution displays for more comfortable viewing and reading, its less and less likely that consumers would choose to buy a separate device just for reading. It will be interesting to see what happens, should an anti-glare display ever be implemented on an iPad or other tablet device.

[via TechCrunch]

Steve Jobs said in a statement Tuesday: “Our philosophy is simple — when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30% share, when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100% and Apple earns nothing.”

Kindle app users can still purchase books outside of the App Store, on Amazon’s web site or through a non-Apple Kindle app, and then have them loaded onto the device. Apple has not specified a deadline for developers to modify their existing apps.

[via Computerworld]

Quite a varied group of analysts are still suggesting that Amazon will sell a number closer to 5 million Kindles this year: Citigroup, Barclays Capital, BGC Partners LP and ThinkEquity LLC. Close to these are Caris & Co. predicting 4.8 million, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are deciding to be that one guy on The Price is Right calling it somewhere between 4 and 5 million.

The only mathematical figure released by Amazon itself has been a report back in October (2010) which said that the new lighter, faster Kindles released in July had surpassed their total sales in the fourth quarter of 2009, the busiest time of the year for sales. It may be important to note that Barnes & Noble and Sony don’t release numbers for their e-reader sales either. I think they’re all just shy.

[Via BusinessWeek]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Patriot Memory to Offer Class 10 microSDHC Memory Card
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ASUS E600 Windows Phone 7 Smartphone Make an FCC Appereance
Gingerbread OTA Update For Nexus One Available In A Few Weeks

Android Community
Add the new Gingerbread keyboard to your Android 2.2 device with these steps
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SlashGear
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iPad 2 shipping Feb 2011 for April release tip insiders
Honeycomb Motorola Android tablet previewed by Andy Rubin

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

R3 Media Network

Android Community
Bootlace creators to bring Froyo to iPhone 4 and iPad [STRAP EM UP!]
LG Vortex due Nov 18; 1m Optimus One smartphones sold in a month [LIKE HOTCAKES]
Swedish firm outs world’s first Android TV [WATCHIN STAR WARS]
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SlashGear
Beatles hit iTunes as Apple announce gets early reveal [FEATURED]
LG “Star” Tegra 2 Android phone leaks: 8MP, 1080p & HDMI [LEAKY]
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Dell Inspiron Duo hybrid netbook on sale November 23? [FLIPPY SCREEN]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

Amazon announced today that they are planning on releasing the ridiculously popular Kindle application for the BlackBerry PlayBook. They point out in the press release (which you can read below), that current BlackBerry owners can already download and read eBooks from the Kindle application they can already download. They go on to point out all of the standard, yet necessary features of the application, which will be available in 2011.

You’ll be able to utilize Amazon’s WhisperSync technology, which means you’ll be able to read your books from the plethora of other devices that the Kindle is supported on (like the iPad, iPhone, Kindle itself, and Android devices), and keep your place along the way. You’ll also be able to download books while on the go, without having to buy them from your PC first. And as usual, while the majority of books available to download will cost you, the application itself will be free.

Press Release

Amazon to Launch Kindle App for New BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Computer

Amazon adds to its growing list of Buy Once, Read Everywhere Kindle apps that let readers choose from over 700,000 Kindle books and read them across a wide range of devices

SEATTLE – Sept. 27, 2010 – Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that it will launch a Kindle app for the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer. Customers can already enjoy the free Kindle app on their BlackBerry today. Like all Kindle apps, the Kindle app for the new BlackBerry PlayBook will let customers Buy Once, Read Everywhere—on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Android-based devices, and in the coming months, the new BlackBerry PlayBook. Amazon’s Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. For more information about the free Kindle apps, go to www.amazon.com/kindleapps.

“When you buy a Kindle book, you can already read it on iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and of course on your Kindle, Kindle 3G, and Kindle DX,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. “We’re very excited to add the new BlackBerry PlayBook to that list. As with our other Kindle apps, the BlackBerry PlayBook app will be free and will incorporate our WhisperSync technology so you can seamlessly switch between devices. Our vision is ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere.’”

With Kindle devices and Kindle apps, customers can choose from over 700,000 books in the U.S. Kindle Store – the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read—including New Releases and 108 of 111 New York Times Bestsellers. Over 575,000 of the books in the Kindle Store are $9.99 or less, including 80 New York Times Bestsellers. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

Customers can learn more about the free Kindle apps at www.amazon.com/kindleapps.

As for the updated software and what it brings to the latest generation Kindle device, Amazon says that it offers “Web browser and general performance improvements.” It’s not a laundry list of improvements or feature additions, but any kind of fix is a good one. All you need to do is drag and drop the file onto your Kindle, and then go through the steps to manually update your Kindle. After you wait a few minutes, your Kindle will be on a version number from the future, and you can show that off to all your friends.

[via A Kindle World]

Announced last week, the third-generation Kindles mark a lower price point for the Amazon ereader together with boosting connectivity options and other functionality.  The entry-level model is WiFi-only and priced at $139, while the $189 version gets its predecessors inclusive 3G access (along with WiFi too).

Sales of the two versions continue, with shipments being prioritized on a first-come, first-serve basis.  More details at amazon.com/kindle

[via Twitter]

According to the Kindle 3 user guide, “the microphone is not currently enabled but is provided for future use.”  The exact nature of those “future use” applications is unclear, but suggestions include voice navigation (useful for those with sight-problems who might be taking advantage of text-to-speech), shared audio annotations and even a phone option for making voice calls.

[via TeleRead]