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We've clearly got a little bias on the subject, but Android has a long and storied history filled with its own triumphs and pitfalls. It's been well over a decade now since that first HTC G1 landed, the inaugural Android smartphone, and things have changed drastically since then. Being "first" might make you think the G1 was the most influential Android phone — but was it, really?
Kids like their tablets, mainly because they can use them to play games, learn, and watch content. Unfortunately, they also tend to be clumsy with these devices, which is why Amazon built a special offering for children: The Fire Kids Edition. The seven-inch tablet usually sells for $100, but it's now dropped to just $60.
Prime Day might not compete with Black Friday in terms of the sheer volume of sales, but there are some serious discounts to be had, especially when it comes to things like Chromebooks or tablets. There's even a few decent deals on gaming laptops if you're in the market. For your convenience, we've put together all the best deals we've spotted when it comes to the subject.
We didn't have a deals list for you on Monday (it was a slow weekend), but we're back at it with some real heavy hitters this afternoon. Today you'll find discounts on all kinds of cool stuff, including the HP's well-equipped Chromebook x360, Chromecast, and Amazon Echo Input.
If you're looking for a kid-friendly tablet for your youngsters, Amazon's Kindle Fire Kids Edition devices are amongst the best offering on the market. Their rugged-case, kid-specific content, easy-to-use parental controls, and guarantee against damages make them perfectly suitable for children. The company has just marked their prices down to the lowest they've ever been, with $40 off the 7" and 8" models, and a $50 rebate on the 10" version.All three tablets come with 2-year Worry-Free guarantee, which lets you trade your broken device for a new one at no extra charge. The included "kid proof" case should, however, limit the amount of damage the Fire will sustain in case it gets dropped.
Just a few days after Google's "Dump your valentine" discount, Amazon has come up with its own deals, in time for February 14. These offers are more relevant, though, and are worth considering if you're short of gift ideas. Most of the giant's connected home devices are on sale, including Echo speakers and smart displays, Fire TVs, cameras, and even Kindles.Amazon's speakers have been marked down several times in the last few weeks, including deals on the Echo Plus and Echo Input, but the retailer is going stronger now to rival Google's bundles. Among the most appealing deals, there's a $15 discount on the Echo Input so you can bring Alexa to any regular speaker or audio system for just $20. If you'd rather buy a smart product from the get-go, Amazon is taking some dollars off most of its Echo line-up.
Every deal season, one thing you can depend on is that Amazon will place its first-party Kindle, Echo, and Fire hardware on discount. It's such a regular part of Amazon's sales that we often overlook it as expected, familiar, and therefore uninteresting. But if you're in the market for an Alexa-powered smart speaker, cord-cutting Fire TV recast DVR, or an Amazon Prime-compatible streaming device, now is the time to pick one up.Amazon Hardware
You might have heard that Amazon disabled the option for software encryption in the latest version of its Android-based Fire OS for the Kindle Fire series of tablets. (This isn't new - Fire OS 5 has been rolling out to various tablets since last year.) And if you read news that isn't Android Police, you probably also know that it's not the biggest story involving encryption right now. After consumer backlash following the Apple-FBI encryption case, Engadget reports that Amazon says it will return software encryption in the next major update.
We interrupt your morning (it's morning here in Seattle at least) to bring you an important public service announcement. If you live in the UK or Ireland and own one of Amazon's affordable 7in tablets, then you need to request a new charger. Amazon has noted that a small quantity of the chargers bundled with these devices have had their housing detach when being removed from the wall, creating a risk of electric shock (no, they are not a fire hazard).
Amazon is slashing the price on its top-of-the-line Kindle Fire tablet right before Christmas, coincidentally on the last day you can order one with two-day shipping before the big day. All of the various Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 models are 30% off today. There are technically twelve different buying options for the HDX: 32GB or 64GB, Wi-Fi or GSM LTE or Verizon LTE, and with or without advertising on the screensaver. The cheapest model, 32GB Wi-Fi with Special Offers, is $299 ($130 off).
Update: Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath has been released on the Play Store, and glory be, it looks like it's not exclusive to anything. You can download it now on any Android 4.0 or higher device, and the Play Store version has the same external controller support and $5.99 price tag. Thanks to commenters step_jac and Amarus Kh for letting us know.
Until now, Amazon's Kindle and Fire devices have lacked one important feature that sets them far behind their Android counterparts: porn. Wait, that's not true, there's tons of porn on Amazon, you can hardly look on the bookstore without seeing self-published Harlequin-style short stories. But if you want to browse a bunch of sites on the less savory side of the Internet on your Kindle Fire without leaving a trail, you're out of luck.
If you've taken enough photos to fill up the storage allotment on both Dropbox and Google Drive, and you happen to be an Amazon Prime subscriber, you might want to check out the somewhat nondescript Cloud Drive app. Starting today, Amazon Prime users get unlimited photo storage via the company's branded cloud storage solution. The default free level of generic storage, for Prime members and everyone else, is still the standard 5GB.
Today Amazon popped its yearly Kindle Fire update unannounced, showing off no less than four new models of its customized Android tablet family. The Kindle Fire HD Kids is being covered in this post, but the main event is the refreshed versions of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, Fire HD7, and the "all-new" Fire HD 6. These will make up Amazon's new line, scheduled to go on sale in October.
Some lucky devices are getting their first official taste of that sweet, sweet CyanogenMod ROM action today with the addition of nightly support for the HTC One Max and the Oppo Find 7. The old Kindle Fire is also getting some love with a new platform variant for improved support going forward.
If you want a mid-sized tablet with a high-resolution screen, LTE connectivity, and you don't mind going with Amazon's ecosystem, but don't want to spend much money, today's Gold Box deal should be particularly compelling. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 LTE version (the previous high-end Kindle Fire model, from late 2012) is discounted by $80 today, bringing its price down to $219.
Amazon's Appstore now has access to Rockstar's PS2-era open world crime trilogy, Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas. Unfortunately, it looks like these editions are only for the Kindle Fire tablets and the new Fire TV set-top box. But if you do have any of those Amazon devices, and you buy Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for $6.99, you'll get a whopping 2000 Amazon Coins ($20 in Amazon Appstore credit) for free. You might call it a steal.
Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablets are very affordable, and the hardware is pretty compelling. It's just a crying shame that the Fire OS powering the device doesn't quite have the feature set that we enthusiast have come to expect. But that's nothing a little ROM action can't address, and CyanogenMod has just the solution - nightlies for the 2012 Kindle Fire HD 7" and 8.9."
Listen up, super-late Christmas shoppers: Best Buy has a pretty good deal going on seven-inch Kindle Fire HDXs today. You can score up to $82 off of various HDX models, and while they definitely won't arrive before Christmas (because, you know, that's today), they all have free shipping. Here's a full list of the options:
Frequent fliers breathed a sigh of relief when the FAA ruled that most electronics could be used from takeoff to landing, and Amazon was a big part of that decision. To celebrate they're having a one day sale on two 7-inch Kindle models, the new Kindle Fire HDX and the year-old Fire HD. Enter the code "ThnksFAA" (note spelling) at checkout and you can take 15% off the regular price.