kindle

General
October 25, 2011
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Amazon profit falls 73% in Q3 despite record Kindle launch

By on October 25, 2011 at 5:05 PM.

Amazon profit falls 73% in Q3 despite record Kindle launch

Amazon reported third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, noting net sales increased 44% from the same quarter last year to $10.88 billion. That figure is on a par with Wall Street’s revenue expectations of $10.93 billion. Amazon reported EPS of $0.14, which missed the Street’s estimates of $0.24 per share. Net income fell 73% quarter-over-quarter, however. Amazon reported net income of $63 million during the third quarter, down from $231 million in the second quarter. The online retailer said September 28th was its biggest day ever for Kindle sales, including during the previous peak holiday season. “In the three weeks since launch, orders for electronic ink Kindles are double the previous launch,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said. “And based on what we’re seeing with Kindle Fire pre-orders, we’re increasing capacity and building millions more than we’d already planned.” Looking forward to the fourth quarter, Amazon expects net sales to fall between $16.45 billion and $18.65 billion, 27-44% growth over the fourth quarter of last year. The company also confirmed better than expected demand for its Kindle Fire tablet, noting that it is building “millions more” tablets than it had initially orders. Shares of Amazon stock fell more than 14% in after-hours trading. Read on for the full press release from Amazon.

More →

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Tablets
October 19, 2011
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New Amazon Kindle Fire tablet expected in second half of 2012

By on October 19, 2011 at 8:35 AM.

New Amazon Kindle Fire tablet expected in second half of 2012

The Kindle Fire hasn’t even hit the market yet but the tablet’s successor is already reported to be set for a launch in the second half of next year. Reportedly, Foxconn has secured orders for the device and is working to get the tablet out of the door and onto store shelves during that time period, DigiTimes said on Wednesday. Quanta Computer is building the current generation Kindle Fire, although Amazon is largely believed to already have a second-generation quad-core “Hollywood” tablet in the pipeline. Early speculation has suggested the Hollywood tablet will have a 10-inch display and BGR exclusively reported in May that it will be powered by NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 chipset. Foxconn has not yet confirmed it received the orders from Amazon, but the report matches up with several rumors that suggested the tablet would ship later than initially expected. More →

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Business
October 5, 2011
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Join Amazon or go home, analyst tells Android tablet makers

By on October 5, 2011 at 11:40 AM.

Join Amazon or go home, analyst tells Android tablet makers

Android tablet vendors should follow Amazon’s lead and introduce lower-priced devices with Amazon content or exit the market altogether, one analyst recently suggested. Nomura International technology securities analyst Richard Windsor believes Amazon will dominate the cheap end of the tablet market with its new Kindle Fire, while Apple’s iPad will continue to own the high-end. Other tablet makers with iPad-like prices are still “living in denial,” Windsor said. “The main effect of the potential sea change triggered by Amazon could be a change in roadmap to cheaper products or possible tie-ups with Amazon,” Windsor argued in a recent research note. “With the advent of the Amazon Kindle Fire, many of the other tablet makers are in a bit of a quandary as they are left with expensive tablets without a comprehensive content offering.” Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be detailed on Tuesday, October 11th during a press conference in San Diego and Windsor also believes the new OS may help tablet makers compete better with the iPad. BGR will reporting live from the event. More →

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Business
October 5, 2011
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Leak suggests Amazon Kindle Fire may surpass iPad pre-sales

By on October 5, 2011 at 7:01 AM.

Leak suggests Amazon Kindle Fire may surpass iPad pre-sales

Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet is sure to be a hit according to purported internal figures leaked by CultofAndroid. A screenshot of Amazon’s availability look-up and SKU aggregator (ALASKA) reveals that there were already more than 254,000 pre-orders for the tablet at the time of the leak. To achieve that pre-order figure, Amazon must have averaged 50,000 unit orders per day, or more than 2,000 units ordered each hour. For comparison, Apple sold 300,000 iPad tablets on its first day of availability, which also included pre-orders and sales to partners and retail channels. CultofAndroid said Amazon has also received more than 20,000 pre-orders for its Kindle Touch and more than 12,000 pre-orders for the Kindle Touch 3G. While at least one analyst has argued Amazon’s Kindle Fire will “hardly be an iPad killer,” it appears Amazon’s strategy to price the device far below the iPad will help it compete quite well. Hit the break for a larger image. More →

24 Comments
eBooks
September 28, 2011
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Amazon Kindle and Kindle touch hands-on!

By on September 28, 2011 at 11:41 AM.

Amazon Kindle and Kindle touch hands-on!

We just spent a few minutes checking out the brand new Amazon Kindle Touch and all new Amazon Kindle, and we’re impressed. Both tablets were extremely light, though with the touch sensitivity being incredible on the Kindle touch, we could see ourselves opting for that with 3G over the regular Kindle. The backs of both are metal, like the previous Kindle, and the readability is fantastic on the E Ink displays, even with the touch capability on the Kindle touch. While the prices of both are insanely attractive, Amazon revealed to us that these prices are for the special offers versions of the Kindle devices, and that the non-special offer Kindles will be $109 and $139, respectively. Even still, the prices that Amazon is delivering these products for is incredible, and the new Nook just got a whole lot less attractive. Hit the gallery for all of our photos.

P.S. Which way are you leaning? Touch or no touch?

51 Comments
Breaking
September 28, 2011
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Amazon unveils $200 Kindle Fire tablet; $99 Kindle touch eReader, $79 Kindle

By on September 28, 2011 at 10:30 AM.

Amazon unveils $200 Kindle Fire tablet; $99 Kindle touch eReader, $79 Kindle


During a press event in New York City on Wednesday, Amazon took the wraps off of its $200 Kindle Fire tablet. The Kindle Fire is equipped with a 7-inch display and will have access to all of Amazon’s services including AmazonMP3, Amazon Prime, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Instant Video and the Amazon AppStore. The tablet is powered by a dual-core processor and weighs 14.6 ounces. Customers can pre-order the Kindle Fire today and it will ship in November. Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos also unveiled a brand new version of his company’s popular eReader, dubbed the Kindle touch. The $99 Kindle touch is equipped with an infrared layer on top of the E-Ink display to help avoid with any interference while reading. It also has Amazon’s EasyReach technology for turning pages by tapping the screen in specific areas. In addition, an X-Ray feature allows users to view where and when certain characters or places take place in a book. Amazon will also sell a separate Kindle touch 3G model for $149. Pre-orders for the Kindle touch eReader begin today and will ship by November 21st. Finally, Bezos announced a new standard Kindle for $79 that does not offer a touchscreen. It is available now and will also ship today. We are hoping to bring you hands-on photos with Amazon’s new devices shortly. In the meantime, be sure to keep your browsers pointed to our live coverage of the event. Read on for the full press release from Amazon. More →

38 Comments
Live Coverage
September 28, 2011
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Live from Amazon’s Kindle tablet event!

By on September 28, 2011 at 9:15 AM.

Live from Amazon’s Kindle tablet event!


We’re live and in color from Amazon’s Kindle tablet (Kindle Fire, it would seem) event here in New York City, and we’ll be bringing you all the action live as it happens. While the tablet itself has been leaking for months — BGR exclusively reported this past May that Amazon’s first tablet would be based on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and a larger device sporting a quad-core CPU will launch early next year — by there should still be a few surprises in store. At least we hope so. Stay tuned for the live coverage to start just before 10:00 a.m. Eastern, and don’t forget to refresh this page for the latest news as it breaks.

UPDATE: Make sure to check out our hands-on with the Amazon Kindle Fire!, Amazon Kindle touch, and new Amazon Kindle! More →

44 Comments
Events
September 27, 2011
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We’ll be reporting live from tomorrow’s Amazon Kindle tablet event

By on September 27, 2011 at 5:35 PM.

We’ll be reporting live from tomorrow’s Amazon Kindle tablet event

We’re less than 24 hours away from the unveiling of what many believe to be the iPad’s first real competition: a low-cost Amazon tablet with a customized version of Google’s Android OS that includes with deep integration with a variety of Amazon services. Kindle eBooks, streaming movies and TV shows, Amazon’s MP3 music store, videos on demand, streaming music via Cloud Player, Amazon Prime perks and more are expected from the 7-inch slate, which will reportedly be called the “Amazon Kindle Fire.” BGR reported exclusive details surrounding Amazon’s first tablet back in May — alongside early details surrounding Amazon’s upcoming second tablet, the quad-core 10-inch “Hollywood” slate — and we can’t wait to see the Kindle Fire finally get official on Wednesday morning.

Bookmark this link, which will go live tomorrow morning, and make sure to head there for our live coverage of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet unveiling! Coverage starts at or around 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

12 Comments
Tablets
September 26, 2011
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Amazon to reveal ‘Kindle Fire’ Android tablet on Wednesday

By on September 26, 2011 at 5:25 PM.

Amazon to reveal ‘Kindle Fire’ Android tablet on Wednesday

Amazon will unveil its Android-powered “Kindle Fire” tablet on Wednesday during a press event in New York City. The Kindle Fire will begin to ship during the second week of November and, with a similar-sized 7-inch screen, the device looks very much like the BlackBerry PlayBook according to reports. GDGT explained that the device was built by Quanta, the same manufacturer that built the PlayBook, and the firm played a big role in designing each of the slates. While recent leaks have created a lot of buzz about the potential tablet, GDGT suggested the tablet might not be that exciting. Reportedly the Kindle Fire is “pretty poor” and was rushed out the door so that Amazon had a product on store shelves for the holiday season. TechCrunch argued the Kindle Fire is better than the PlayBook, however, thanks to Amazon’s content and a “custom version of Android.” The Kindle Fire is powered by a TI dual-core OMAP chip but the processor speed is still unclear. Amazon is expected to price the device between $250 and $300. BGR will covering Amazon’s press conference live on Wednesday, so be sure to tune in for more details. More →

23 Comments
Tablets
September 23, 2011
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Amazon may unveil Kindle tablet during September 28th media event

By on September 23, 2011 at 1:25 PM.

Amazon may unveil Kindle tablet during September 28th media event

Amazon sent out media invites on Friday for a press event that will be held in New York City on September 28th. The invitation does not provide a hint toward what will be unveiled during the presentation, although we expect the company to finally take the wraps off of its first Android tablet. The most recent rumors have suggested that Amazon will undercut the price of the iPad by hundreds of dollars, and Amazon could price its tablet in the $250 range. We exclusively reported that Amazon was working on an entry-level dual-core “Coyote” tablet and a quad-core “Hollywood” tablet this past May. Recent rumors have suggested the company’s first tablet device will offer a 7-inch display and will run Android with a custom Amazon user interface on top. BGR will be at Amazon’s event to cover all the action as it unfolds, so be sure to tune in!

22 Comments
mobile
September 21, 2011
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Amazon Kindle Library Lending now live; more than 11,000 U.S. libraries participating

By on September 21, 2011 at 10:25 PM.

Amazon Kindle Library Lending now live; more than 11,000 U.S. libraries participating

Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service, first announced in April, is now live in the United States. The service allows Kindle users to borrow eBooks from more than 11,000 participating libraries across the country. Here’s how it works: simply visit the website of a U.S. library with support for OverDrive and then, provided you have a library card, check out a Kindle book by clicking “Get for Kindle.” The eBook will then be delivered to your Kindle via Wi-Fi or USB. Library Lending is supported on any device that has Amazon’s Kindle application installed, which means it is available for multiple platforms including the PC, Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone. There are no limitations to titles borrowed from a library, and users can still view real page numbers and synchronize notes, highlights and more across multiple devices. More →

3 Comments
Tablets
September 14, 2011
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Amazon Kindle tablet sales projections cut in half, still likely to be No. 1 Android tablet

By on September 14, 2011 at 10:20 AM.

Amazon Kindle tablet sales projections cut in half, still likely to be No. 1 Android tablet

Even with sales estimates that creep closer to reality, Amazon’s Kindle tablet is poised to become the best-selling Android tablet to date when following its launch later this fall. In a note to investors, Barclays analyst Anthony DiClemente offered up what is seemingly a more realistic sales projection than prior estimates: 2 million units in 2011. An earlier report claimed Amazon is looking to sell 4 million Kindle tablets this year, and Forrester went even further to project sales of up to 5 million units. With most other tablet vendors thought by some to be spinning their wheels, Amazon’s tablet could quickly become the top contender in a market dominated by Apple’s iPad. Read on for more. More →

36 Comments
General
September 12, 2011
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Amazon readying Netflix-like service for eBooks, report claims

By on September 12, 2011 at 8:01 AM.

Amazon readying Netflix-like service for eBooks, report claims

As Amazon prepares to launch its first tablet offering this fall, the tech press seems to be in agreement that the device will give owners deeply integrated access to the company’s suite of digital services. It will download books from Amazon’s Kindle book store, stream music from the company’s Cloud Player service, pull down movies from Amazon Instant Video, and provide a window into Amazon’s numerous additional services. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is also working on a new service its tablet offering might take advantage of down the road: Netflix for books. Read on for more. More →

8 Comments