New Kindle Fire HD: What is new in Amazon’s flagship tablets? – Part 2

The new HD versions have also received a makeover in the shape. One of the comments on the 2011 Fire was the bulky design. The new devices are now slimmer and lighter with a bevelled back like the iPad. It skin is plan and smoother, which is less grippy than original Fire. However, the light weight and slimmer design pretty much overshadow the grip factor.

Another feature, absent in the original Fire, was the physical volume rocker sitting in the middle of the power/sleep and headphones jack. This addition, though not exceptional, is a welcome in the HD versions.

High definition videos were not support in the 2011 model but the new slates not only boast HD screens but also have support for HD videos up to 1080p resolution.

The 4G LTE version, though starts at $499 for the base 16 GB model, was the most eye-catching in the bundle. It directly competes with the new iPad. The Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE works on AT&T’s faster LTE network. Amazon has also offered a lower data plan than the competitors at $49.99 per year. However, the user can only consume 250 MB in month on the pre-initiated plan. To spice up the package, Amazon throws in 10 GB of cloud storage for every purchase of the device.

In terms of media features, the new tablets support HD videos and the built-in sound system is powered by Dolby Digital Plus. The speakers at the rear are small for Dolby to make a different but despite the size, the sound they reproduce is quite astounding.

There is a front-facing camera, another feature absent in the original Kindle Fire, that will make good use of Skype for video chatting.

Overall the new devices have received some major upgrades and the prices are quite suitable for the specs. The only constraint will be the screen size in the $499 and above devices that mostly are 4G LTE. However, compared to iPad they are still cheaper for a price-sensitive market segment.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Sep 7 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.