Kindle - 3/4 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Nov

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How To: Root, Enable 3rd Party Apps, And Establish ADB Access On The Kindle Fire

Posted by Charles Beel in Amazon, Applications, Development, Gingerbread 2.3, Kindle Fire, News, Tablets

The Kindle Fire, Amazon’s content-subsidized tablet, has been arriving to the delight of people all across the U.S. The heavily-skinned Gingerbread Android device has left many questions in the minds of the Android and Gadget community. For instance, will we be able to install apps outside of the Amazon Appstore? How about using adb? And, of course, the most important question of all - can the Fire be rooted?

If you remember, Amazon said it wouldn't do anything special to prevent rooting or interfere with those who want to customize their devices in other ways (although the status of the bootloader is unknown at this time).

Oct

Barnes & Noble Having A Breakfast NOOK Event On November 7th, But How Will All Those Journalists Fit In One Room?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Barnes & Noble, News

It seems earlier suspicions that Barnes & Noble would be unveiling a replacement for the NOOK Color on November 7th have been all but confirmed by an e-mail invitation the company has sent out to major tech outlets:

There has been no reliable information about the next NOOK Color leaked at this point, though with a week to go, we won't be surprised if the device gets an unauthorized blurrycameo before its official unveiling.

What do you think, can B&N out-Kindle Amazon with the next NOOK Color? Amazon's extremely narrow (read: negative) profit margin on each Kindle Fire will make them hard to undercut, or even match, with any kind of comparable hardware.

Oct

[Weekend Poll] Will the Amazon Kindle Fire Light Up The Tablet World?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Amazon, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see How Many Apps Have You Purchased In The Last Month?

The first of Amazon's two new Android tablets has officially been revealed (the second one is rumored to be coming out towards the end of the year), and features a 7" 1024x600 display, 1GHz dual-core CPU, 8GB of storage, and a heavily modified Android experience with an emphasis on Amazon's cloud services - all for just $200.

Given that the price of similar (but larger) tablets is still in the $400+ neighborhood (unless you want to compare it to the Nook Color or original Galaxy Tab, though both are substantially less powerful), will the lower cost yet powerful specs be enough to make the Fire the de facto standard in the tablet world?

Sep

Rumor: A 10-Inch Kindle Tablet Is Probably Coming In Time For The Holidays

Posted by David Ruddock in Amazon, Kindle Fire, News, Rumors

When we reported that Amazon was working on a number of Android devices earlier this year, shortly thereafter, reports began surfacing that the company would release two Android tablets before year's end, one 7", the other 10". The 7" device, now known as the Kindle Fire, is obviously for real.

But what about its supposed big brother? At this point, it seems almost imminent that it will be released. It also sounds very much like Amazon will unveil this bigger, better, Fiery-er device in time for Christmas in the US, and now we've got at least two reasons to think this is happening.

Sep

Editorial: Amazon's Kindle Fire Has Just Made Every Other Android Tablet Manufacturer Look Bad

Posted by David Ruddock in Amazon, Android OS, Editorials, Kindle Fire

All I could think after reading the announcement for Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet this morning was: "this is what we've been waiting for." Because it is. Amazon gets tablets, believe it or not. And despite the flagging success of the Amazon Appstore, the company has done what no other tablet manufacturer has even come remotely close to: matching access to Apple's curated content library (iTunes + App Store) at a price nearly everyone can afford.

Living In The Amazon Ecosystem

I buy my music from Amazon. I buy episodes of TV shows. I rent movies. I buy Kindle books - and I don't even own a Kindle.

Sep

[Update: More Details] Amazon Officially Announces The Kindle Fire, Available For Pre-Order Today For $199

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Kindle Fire, News

It has been a long time coming, and even though we already knew basically everything about the device, Amazon just officially unveiled its very own Android tablet: the Kindle Fire.

The Fire is a 7-inch tablet/e-reader with an IPS display running at 1024x600, powered by a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP4 processor and a heavily modified version of Android. Of course, it will be lacking any and all Google Apps, including the official Android Market. As expected, the Fire's go-to app store will be Amazon's official Appstore, which will run alongside other Amazon-specific apps like Cloud Player (Amazon MP3), Prime, Kindle (of course), and Amazon Instant Video.

May

Barnes And Noble Unveils The Next Nook: 2 Months Of Battery Life, Android, E-Ink, And More For $140

Posted by David Ruddock in Barnes & Noble, News, Nook

It seems Barnes and Noble gave everyone a bit of a surprise today. It was expected that the bookseller would be launching a 3G version of its wildly popular NOOK e-reader (or maybe even a 3G NOOKcolor), but instead, B&N went straight for the competition's throat, launching the 6-inch e-ink display sporting, Android-powered (albeit Android 2.1) NOOK Simple Touch Reader. And all for the low, low cost of $140 - a price suspiciously reminiscent of a certain other e-book reader.

Look mom, no buttons!

Anyway, as I said, the screen is e-ink - so you're only getting black and white. But you're also getting absolutely ridiculous battery life: B&N claims 2 months on a single charge with Wi-Fi turned off.

Apr

New Version Of Kindle App For Android Plays Nicer With Your Tablet

Posted by Brad Ganley in Applications, Apps/Games

We just got word from Amazon that there is a new version of the Kindle app for Android available that brings numerous optimizations for tablets running Honeycomb, effectively making a Kindle out of your non-Kindle tablet. Here's the full press release:

SEATTLE, April 21, 2011 – (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Today Amazon announced an update to Kindle for Android that brings new features and adds support for tablet computers running Android’s Honeycomb, including the Motorola Xoom. The latest version of Kindle for Android includes an integrated immersive shopping experience tailored for tablets, a new layout for newspapers and magazines designed for the unique interface of Honeycomb, and dozens of other new enhancements that take advantage of the larger screens. Like all Kindle apps, Kindle for Android includes Amazon's Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes a customer's books and bookmarks across their Kindle, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android-based phones and tablets. Customers can learn more about Kindle for Android at www.amazon.com/kindleforandroid and download the app from the Amazon Appstore for Android or Android Market.

Apr

[Editorial] Will Amazon Create A New Walled Garden Out Of Android?

Posted by Jared Spurbeck in Android OS, Editorials

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A major national bookseller decides that they want to make "The Reader’s Tablet." So they grab the Android source code, and they don’t bother to get their device approved by Google so that it can run their apps. Instead, they charge full speed ahead, with not just a custom UI layer but a complete reimagining of what an “Android” device should look like.

The app drawer? Gone. Pull-down notification area? Canned. Hardware keys have gone the way of the dustbin, except for a single iPad-style button. Even the concept of the home screen has been done away with, to be replaced with a bookshelf and a store.

Apr

Exclusive: Amazon To Introduce 4.3-Inch Dual-Core "Blaze" Smartphone This Summer [Leak, Pictures]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in AT&T, News, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

Update: If you haven't caught on yet, you should probably check out the date on which this post was published.

This special Android Police project was brought to you by:

The amazing Grant Garrison, who tackled the design side
Jaroslav Stekl, who came up with most of the rest
Artem Russakovskii, who made sure everything went and looked perfect

Amazon's been making waves in the Android blogosphere recently with such new products as the Appstore and the Cloud Player, but it looks like they're not done yet; in fact, they're only just starting. According to the same source who tipped us about the Appstore a few months back, the company will be launching the Blaze, which looks to be a smartphone of pretty high caliber, come August - and in a sentence, there's a lot to look forward to.