Amazon.com Inc. unveiled new Kindle Fire models on Thursday. They are the latest challengers to the iPad and come amid expectations that Apple will start selling a mini iPad soon.
Here’s a look at the key differences between a mid-range model closest to the iPad, along with the original Kindle Fire, the iPad and other leading competitors.
Amazon.com Inc.’s Mid-Range Kindle Fire HD
— Price: $299 for 16 gigabytes of storage
— Screen size: 8.9 inches diagonally
— Screen resolution: 1920 by 1200 pixels
— Weight: 1.25 pounds.
— Cameras: Front-facing camera.
— Battery life: Undisclosed.
— Operating system: Modified version of Google’s Android
Pros: Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store. Large high-definition screen. Dolby audio. Available with access to fast 4G wireless broadband networks, for $499.
Cons: Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. No rear camera for taking video and photos.
— Price: $199 for 6 gigabytes of storage
— Screen size: 7 inches diagonally
— Screen resolution: 1024 by 600 pixels
— Weight: 0.9 pounds
— Cameras: none
— Battery life: 8 hours.
— Operating system: Modified version of Google’s Android
Pros: Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store.
Cons: No-frills tablet lacks camera and microphone. Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.
— Price: Starts at $499 for 16 gigabytes of storage, goes up to $699 for 64 gigabytes, more for versions with cellular data access. (Apple still sells the older, iPad 2 for $399.)
— Screen size: 9.7 inches diagonally
— Screen resolution: 2048 by 1536 pixels
— Weight: 1.44 pounds
— Cameras: 5-megapixel camera on back and a low-resolution camera on front, for videoconferencing
— Battery life: 10 hours.
— Operating system: Apple’s iOS
Pros: Unmatched access to third-party applications, high-quality Apple software and the iTunes store. Unique high-resolution screen. Widest range of cases and accessories available. Available with access to fast 4G wireless broadband networks, starting at $629.
Cons: Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.
— Price: $199 for 8 gigabytes of storage, $249 for 16 GB.
— Screen size: 7 inches diagonally
— Screen resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels
— Weight: 0.75 pounds
— Cameras: Front-facing, 1.2 megapixel camera
— Battery life: 9.5 hours
— Operating system: Google’s Android
Pros: Access to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. More features than Kindle Fire at same price.
Cons: Integrates with Google Play store, which is still new and isn’t as robust as Apple or Amazon’s stores. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards. No option for cellular wireless broadband.
Read more: Huffington Post
