$50 Fire
The details are a reminder of just how cheap electrical components have become. For $50, Amazon has included a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage and a seven-hour battery life. Those specs aren’t going to set the world alight but they are definitely acceptable given the ultra-low cost.
The display is likely to be the weakest point of the tablet, boasting a measly 1024×600 resolution. Digital Spy writes that hands-on usage suggested the panel produces “decent visuals” and is actually “surprisingly” detailed giving the very-low pixel count but blurring of small text and the finer elements of images and videos is inevitable.
The Fire includes unlimited free access to Amazon Underground, offering over $10,000 of paid apps, games and in-app purchases. Kitting out the $50 tablet should be simple and afterwards there are over 38 million films, songs, books and apps to enjoy in Amazon’s digital store.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said: “Today, we’re taking another step in our mission to deliver premium products at non-premium prices. The all-new Fire features a quad-core processor, is incredibly durable, and is backed by the Amazon content ecosystem, the new Amazon Underground, and Amazon customer service with Mayday Screen Sharing. Fire sets a new bar for what customers should expect from a low cost tablet.”
The target audience of the new 7-inch Fire is people looking to enjoy entertainment on an ultra-low budget. The tablet is capable of being used to watch movies and read books with but can also easily power gaming sessions because of its quad-core processor.
Launching before Christmas means that Amazon is likely to see lots of sales over the next few months. It is even offering a pack of six for $250, getting the bulk buyer one tablet for free. It could be an easy way to buy presents for an entire family.
Fire Kids Edition
Amazon has a way of ensuring any children present can get one too. The new Fire Kids Edition costs $99.99 and includes a Fire tablet, “kid-proof case”, a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited and access to 20,000 websites, videos and apps approved as suitable for children by human curators. Amazon says it’s “a real tablet, not a toy” and has just been customised to ensure it always provides the best possible experience for its young user.
Fire HD
For people who aren’t looking for a budget option, Amazon has also announced a new version of its Fire HD premium tablet. It costs $149.99 for the 8-inch version or $229.99 for a larger 10.1-inch display.
Word Runner is designed to gradually improve reading speed by bringing words into the centre of the display, where the eyes naturally focus. It changes the speed at which each new word appears based on word difficulty, paragraph breaks and punctuation usage, deploying algorithms that progressively improve reading ability.
All of the new Fire tablets use Amazon’s Android-based Fire OS 5 software, known as Bellini. The Fire HD will be available in black, magenta, blue and tangerine while the $50 Fire will be restricted to black only. The Amazon Fire, Fire Kids and Fire HD will start shipping on September 30 and will support accessories including a protective cover with built-in kickstand.
