Amazon’s next-generation Kindle was unveiled this morning in NYC. Priced at just $199, it could prove to give Apple’s iPad 2 a run for its money.
The Kindle Fire is capable of streaming video and storing 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books. The company boasts free cloud storage for all Amazon content. The Android-powered tablet has a 7-inch color screen and WiFi connectivity. It weighs 14.6 ounces, compared with the iPad 2 at about 1.33 pounds.
The Kindle Fire does not have a 3G connection, however, CEO Jeff Bezos introduced Amazon Silk at the unveiling, a split-browser that he says “partially lives in Amazon EC2, partially lives in Kindle Fire,” according to the Washington Post. The company calls Amazon Silk ultra-fast web browsing that uses the cloud to take over some computing in order to speed the process.
Kindle Fire lacks a camera or a microphone, unlike the popular iPad 2. However, it’s price point could make it an attractive option for the college crowd, especially compared to the iPad, which starts at $499.
