Amazon Opens “Fire” On The iPad

It has happened.  Amazon has launched the new Android-based Kindle reader and it is called the Kindle Fire.

Already this $199 (wow!) tablet is making waves.  That’s because Amazon already has a huge library of content available.  This one device release puts Android in a position to compete with the iPad – despite some hype, none of the other offerings have counted for much.  Amazon’s tablet is different because it leverages a very successful database of content and Kindle brand.

The machine is small at 7 inches and 1024 * 600 pixels (making it a nice high res for the size).  They’re going primarily for the reading or mobile audience.  It has just 8 GB of storage (“That’s enough for 80 apps, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books”) but that’s a lot of books, and probably enough space for movies/apps for most users.  Not everyone has a gigantic library of apps.  But it is supplemented by Amazon Cloud Storage.  The battery should be good for 7.5 hours of playback with a 4 hour charge time.  And yes, it has USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi (no 3G). 

I bet the Kindle Fire is a winner by one minute to midnight on Black Friday (the first day of Christmas shopping in the USA after Thanksgiving).  It’s cheap, it’s got a huge library of content to sell, it’s based on a known and liked brand name (Kindle), and did I mention that it is cheap?  So cheap, that Amazon might just be selling it at a $50 loss … just to get you to buy it and lots of content!