Amazon Announces 4 New Kindle devices...

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by afv011

Sounds like you guys want a nook touch

If it's still around (with the same design) when my K2 buys the farm... I'm thinking the same thing.

*But I'd still like a little more real estate below the screen for palming.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by afv011

Sounds like you guys want a nook touch

No, I don't want to give my business to Barnes and Noble because they don't seem eager to deal with international markets.

I would buy a Kobo Touch if it had side buttons though.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by storm9

Which version of the android OS is the Kindle Fire using?

Rumor is it runs 2.1 (Eclair), which I think is a bit of a disappointment if true - 2.2 (Froyo) had a lot of improvements, and 2.3 (Gingerbread) is already a year old by now.

[Dulin's Books]

but its a "fork" or branch from 2.1 Built by/for Amazon, so it could be that it includes all of the improvements that Froyo brought

[vaughnmr]

Originally Posted by storm9

Which version of the android OS is the Kindle Fire using?

It's using a customized 2.3 Gingerbread.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by texasnightowl

Finally made up my mind...didn't really *need* a new Kindle as my K1 still works fine, but the hype made me anxious to upgrade. I've ordered the KKSO/WiFi aka Kindle Keyboard Special Offers WiFi version. And as a Prime member, Amazon says I'll get it via Saturday delivery, so we'll see. As soon as it arrives I'll take advantage of one of the special offers for 40% off a case. So that will save money right away! Plus I have 2 colleagues at work interested in giving me a few bucks for my K1.

Congrats on your new KSO. Generally, you're only eligible for offers that appear on your Kindle; not previous offers. The 40% off Covers is a previous offer, even though it's still active. Once you activate your new KSO, you'll need to contact Kindle CS at 1-866-321-8851 and see if they'll honor the offer for you. Others have done this in the past with varying degrees of success, but there's no guarantee it'll work for you.

Good luck and welcome to the KSO family

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

trunc(on_date_time,'HH24')

Well an eInk device you aren't using is in standby, the screen just happens to be showing an image. When you press a button it wakes up again, changes the screen, and then goes back to sleep. There isn't a distinct third state, like there is with LCD devices of: Off, Screen Off, On.

we're talking about battery life. if you want to put the tablet in sleep/stand by then go ahead. but then the reader has to be put in sleep/standby as well.

but the concern was that at 15 hours of reading time there isnt really much advantage in the eink display over the rival lcd device that can go 12 hours.

There is three hours advantage.

its like saying car A with a 5 gallon tank doesnt get any better gas mileage than car B with a 10 gallon tank because they can both go 300 miles on a tank. comparing how far they each go on a tank without knowing how much each tank holds is not actually comparing the efficiency .

I'm not trying to argue the merits of display technology. What matters is what the actual devices, as delivered to the users, can do. The battery life for LCD devices has improved, the battery capacity for eInk devices seems to be shrinking, as people see reduced weight as more important, and the difference is no longer as significant.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

It's using a customized 2.3 Gingerbread.

If so, tha'ts good enough for me. I was under the impression it was using Eclair or, at most, Froyo.

I still don't see a reason someone would pick a Kindle Fire over an iPad other than price, but maybe there are enough cost-conscious consumers out there to make the difference.

[texasnightowl]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Congrats on your new KSO. Generally, you're only eligible for offers that appear on your Kindle; not previous offers. The 40% off Covers is a previous offer, even though it's still active. Once you activate your new KSO, you'll need to contact Kindle CS at 1-866-321-8851 and see if they'll honor the offer for you. Others have done this in the past with varying degrees of success, but there's no guarantee it'll work for you.

Good luck and welcome to the KSO family

Yeah...I re-read the "fine print". Oh well, we'll see what the new offers are. I'll have to look at old offers, but I presume the offer for covers gets recycled now and then.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

but its a "fork" or branch from 2.1 Built by/for Amazon, so it could be that it includes all of the improvements that Froyo brought

It's a fork yes, but if it has "all of the improvements that Froyo brought", why isn't it Froyo then?

[kjk]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I like physical buttons for next/previous page. Touch is great for selecting things on the screen. Using it for simple next/previous is a terrible idea.

You are not alone:

I’m not against having a touchscreen on an ebook reader. Tapping on a book to open it makes perfect sense, even if it does mean that the screen gets dirty. But having a touchscreen doesn’t preclude you from also adding a hardware button that makes the one single thing people do the most often with your device as easy and seamless as possible.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

If so, tha'ts good enough for me. I was under the impression it was using Eclair or, at most, Froyo.

I still don't see a reason someone would pick a Kindle Fire over an iPad other than price, but maybe there are enough cost-conscious consumers out there to make the difference.

I'm sure many prefer a 7" screen and/or the Amazon ecosystem.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by afv011

It's a fork yes, but if it has "all of the improvements that Froyo brought", why isn't it Froyo then?

Amazon is taking great pains to avoid any mention of Android at all, much less the various code names/versions.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by kjk

Amazon is taking great pains to avoid any mention of Android at all, much less the various code names/versions.

Yes, I noticed that, I wonder why. Anyway, we will certainly find out when it's out. I reckon it will sell like hot cakes, a dual core at sub $200, and most likely rootable. Can you say Cyanogen?

[geoffwood]

Originally Posted by afv011

Yes, I noticed that, I wonder why.

They want this to be perceived as an Amazon device, not an Android device. It's a closed system, their OS, their App Store, It's a lot closer to the Apple model than it is to Android.

Shield the customer from the confusing technology and just give them something that works. Joe Public doesn't know Froyo from Gingerbread from Ice Cream Sandwich and doesn't need to.