The hottest online tech news in September 2011 is Amazon’s soon-to-be-launched of the tablet device – named Kindle Fire – which is not anything like Apple iPad and not Google-birthed.
It offers a user-friendly easy two finger multi-touch with an accommodating, full color (first time), touch screen, leverages Amazon Android Appstore and is Kindle OS all the way. Compact at just seven inches compared to an industry regular 10″, the tablet stands to be a staple in every pouch, purse, and case for business, students, or just for fun.

Image Source: Gizmodo
The Kindle Fire is said to be available as early as the middle of 4th quarter 2011 in time for holiday shopping no matter what country, religion or lifestyle. According to Commercial Times, Taiwan’s ILI Technology was the lucky group to complete the first Amazon touchscreen controller order of over 5 million units.
Extremely positive points include that it is half the standard first rollout price of any iPad, with Amazon Kindle’s at just $250, the compact size, full color, back lit feature, and the fact that it uses Android but is not a Google clone tablet at all. Because it will use Amazon’s Android Appstore, users can be more assured that everything they download from that point will work quite seamlessly.
In fact, the Amazon Appstore enables application developers to market apps to tens of millions of customers using Amazon’s popular marketing and merchandising capabilities. The exciting potential, in other words, with the new Kindle is not just for consumers but for developers and businesses involved in mobile applications for Kindle.
“It is like Amazon has given Google, Apple and Microsoft real competition, adding or keeping its own unique elements and specialities such as Kindle books, Amazon Prime video, Amazon MP3 store, Amazon Appstore, Amazon Checkout, Amazon Mechanical Turk human intelligence services and its related colossal ecommerce options for daily deals like GoldBox, Woot and MyHabit. First, we can’t wait to hold one of the new Amazon Kindle tablets in hand, and second, to start playing and working with it. It takes advantage of cloud computing which is perfect for frequent travelers like us,” commented Jonathan Sowah, CEO of AstraQom, summarizing a daily AQ HR talk among team around the world.
“M.G. Siegler at TechCrunch is also quoted that possibly the first purchases will include a one year free subscription to Amazon Prime which we like. We hope the tablet is available before December, so we can buy for some of our clients and family.”
The browser, search, cloud computing, storage and Internet access options on the Amazon Kindle tablet are obvious and convenient. The Android WebKit browser included is noted in various reviews on the web as fashioned in a way that matches the look of the Amazon Kindle user interface with tabs and Google Search as default and a choice to use Kindle Search. Storage may be on the device mainly for applications and books; whereas, movies and music would be stored for online access any time. Internet access will be WiFi only to start, but very likely that Amazon is developing possible agreement with carriers for 3G-enabled releases.
“Since the back of device has a rubbery feel according to M.G. Siegler, TechCrunch writer, it should grip surfaces which is important for road warriors, multi-tasking users, and special event associates (especially with athletic and other active venues). Its tiny size coupled with ease of communicating and manipulating one’s way online and offline is ideal for people like me who are involved in officiating or assisting in Triathlons, IronMan events and other running, biking and swim races,” adds Michael Bowen, F.A.S.T. coach and previously Road Runner Club of America officer in the southeastern area of the US.
“And… it is ready to be a compact library of books, music, movies, applications, shopping, and other forms of education, entertainment, and communication in color, non-slip, and Android-based Amazon style.”
For those who truly are immersed in the world of Kindle books, Amazon’s new Kindle will have a social media feature called @author (now in beta). It enables readers to interact with authors. Readers will be able to ask questions directly from their Kindle two fingered touches while they are reading any Kindle book. Those questions will go directly to the writers’ Twitter feeds and to their Amazon Author pages. Other tablets do not appear to be able to compete with Amazon Kindle’s appeal to book aficionados.
The iPad’s marketplace share in late 2010 was 90% according to Steve Jobs when he unveiled “iPad 2.” According to Strategy Analytics, iPad had shipped 7.3 million, Android 2.1 million and others 0.3 million. The first set of Amazon tablet to be shipped is a whopping 5 million. The math is not too difficult.
Bloggers and analysts will share with the online world expert opinions as to the advantages of the Amazon’s very own Kindle tablet. It ultimately is up to individual or organizational consumers as to how popular the tablet will become.
As the market waits anxiously for the release of Amazon’s Tablet, additional or surprising features may still be underway before, if any, the official announcement. Read more…
