Amazon Introduces $50 Fire Tablet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Fri Sep 18, 2015, 08:48 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: PC magazine

The e-retail giant is also launching new 8- and 10.1-inch slates, as well as a Fire tablet built specifically for kids.

By Stephanie Mlot September 17, 2015 11:31am EST

Amazon today introduced a new lineup of Fire tablets, including a $50 slate with a 7-inch display, updated user interface, and Prime perks.

With a quad-core processor, front- and rear-facing cameras, up to 128GB of expandable storage, and more, the new device costs half the price of Amazon's current 6-inch Fire HD tablet.
....

For $49.99, consumers get an ISP display, 1.3GHz processor, and up to seven hours of battery life, as well as the Fire OS 5 Bellini platform, Amazon Underground's app store, and Activity Center for tech-savvy kids.

Fire Six PackHalf price doesn't mean half the features, though: The new Fire comes with exclusives like ASAP, X-Ray, Second Screen, Amazon FreeTime, Family Library, Word Runner, Mayday Screen Sharing, and On Deck offline viewing for Prime members.

Read more: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2491420,00.asp

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Full disclosure: I do not own stock in Amazon. I have no financial stake in this.

I don't know anything about this. I finally broke down and entered the 21st century in August, when someone gave me a Samsung tablet.

I do not know what sort of apps you can get for the $50 Amazon Fire. If you can download magazines or e-books from the library, then it might be a nice thing. Also nice would be some sort of astronomy app like Google Sky Map.

Amazon's cheap new tablets: Buy six, get one free!

Amazon dangles $50 tablet computer to hook more consumers

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer Published: Sep 17, 2015 at 10:08 AM PDT



Amazon's new $50 Fire tablet is displayed in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Amazon is dangling a $50 tablet computer in its latest attempt to lure consumers who can't afford or don't want the more expensive Internet-connected devices made by Apple and other rivals.

The 7-inch Fire tablet unveiled Thursday marks Amazon's most aggressive attempt yet to undercut Apple, which has been the market leader since its first iPad went on sale five years ago. The least expensive iPad Mini, which has an 8-inch screen, currently sells for $270.

[SoapBox]

1. I would just want it to be able to get to

DU and BernieSanders.com!



...a whole mess cheaper than my iPad Mini.

[LiberalArkie]

2. I am all Apple in my house and I am thinking about getting the FireTV.

I think Apple missed the boat by not supporting HEVC and h.265. Hell they were one of the inventors of it. But I have 4TB of movies and TV shows. I want to convert them to h.265 which will save me at least 50% of the space sometimes more on some of the tests I have run. The Firetv box will support it and Apple could have very easily, but didn't. I have been talking to a lot of folks and we are extremely happy with Amazon. They may start getting my business now. I wish Apple would hurry up.

[olddots]

3. In other news

do you know where there is a bookstore ?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. They're out there.

I read books (by which I mean those things made of paper) on the bus on the way to work. I get all mine secondhand at yard sales, the Little Free Library, or secondhand book stores.

But I just can't take the clutter anymore. From now on, no more magazines, other than the ones I download from the library and put on my tablet. When I've finished with them, off they go.

Wait: I take that back. I buy old copies of Paris Match for my sister-in-law.

[Codeine]

5. I was like you. "The feel of books." "The smell of paper."

"Real books."

Then my fiancee got me a Kindle e-reader about three years ago. To my great shock it changed my reading life immediately and permanently -- I always read an awful lot, but now I read even more. I have stacks of books in my pocket at all times, and I never lose my place in nay of them. I can read in bed more comfortably, keep books at my desk more easily, and can switch between books with a thumbclick, all without a pile of books getting beaten up in the footwell of my car or making the coffee table creak under their accumulated weight like the old days.

I even get magazines; Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, the Nation, The Progressive, Military History Quarterly, Archaeology, 2000AD, and Judge Dredd Megazine are always at my fingertips but they're no longer cluttering up the living/dining/bed/bath/family rooms.

I even find the Kindle e-ink reader display to be more soothing on my eyes than regular print.

Try an e-reader; I bet you'll be a convert.

[beam me up scottie]

6. Me too!

I still love my paper books but since my s/o bought me a Nook I've become a convert.

Thinking about asking for the Kindle tablet for my birthday.

[Codeine]

7. I even went digital on my comics.

No more mounds of DC and Marvel everywhere, just all my comics in bright shiny digital perfection in my iPad -- no muss, no fuss, no longboxes.

[PoliticAverse]

10. How do you find reading magazines on the smaller screen? n/t

[Codeine]

11. I do color magazines with photos on the ipad mini

and it's never been an issue. I normally wear reading glasses (I have a disease called "being over 40&quot so that may make it easier.

On the Kindle e-reader they read just like a normal book. I do news and fiction magazines this way.

[awoke_in_2003]

12. "(I have a disease called "being over 40")"

I find that beer helps

[kentauros]

15. Sure. Amazon Kindle Store ;)

Personally, I was extremely happy eBooks became a reality, and an affordable one. I've had my Kindle Keyboard for about four years now, and still love it. Plus, were I to convert all of the books on it to physical ones, I'd need a dolly just to cart them around, and to cart them everywhere, just in case I want to read one or two of them.

If you've never see e-ink technology and read a book on one of those superior displays, you really have no idea how close it is to a "real" book (other than the lack of bent and broken spines...)

[LiberalElite]

8. I'm considering this but I

already have a free Kindle app on my Android phone.

[gordianot]

9. I have had a Kindle fire for a year and sold my iPad mini.

Kept my ancient iPad 1. Kindle is tied pretty close to Amazon but runs about anything on android. Apps and books were cheap, I am addicted to my iPhone overall 36 year Apple customer.

[GOLGO 13]

13. Hmmm...Will I be able to put my own content on here or forced to

Only buy Amazon content? It will be a deal breaker for me if it's only Amazon purchased content.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. You should be able to download e-books and magazines, right?

I'm not anyone who would know. Your friendly local librarian probably has the answer to that.

[gordianot]

16. No you can put your own content from other sources,

Not wanting to be a shill for Amazon often they have a version of most android apps that work on their version of android cheaper not every non fire app works. For what it is the whole thing seems at times it is one big advertisement for Amazon. At least they do NOT use pop ups. The support for these devices is live and excellent. Email and browser work well.