Amazon shows off new tablets and e-readers

Amazon's been busy - the online retailer's launched a raft of new slates and a shiny new operating system to boot.

Tablets

First up are the new tablets include the Fire HD, the Fire HDX, and the Fire HD Kids Edition, the latter designed to take a beating from toddlers.

Amazon says its Fire HD slate is 'the most powerful tablet under $100.' Fighting talk aside, the 6-in tab shows off a 252 ppi display, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, front- and rear-cameras, and five spiffing colour options.

The Fire HDX is the Fire HD's meaner big brother, pricing up at a far heftier $379, and touting a 2.5GHz CPU, an 8.9-in 339ppi display, dual-cams, and the Firefly product recognition software.

 

The final tablet is the Fire HD Kids Edition, which comes with a 'no questions asked' worry-free 2 year guarantee that'll see Amazon swap out your slate should it get busted up by your child.

The Kids Edition costs $149 for the 6-in version, and promises a quad-core processor, a HD display, and a thick, blue, bonus bezel to add a bit of ruggedness.

E-readers

Next up, Amazon's also made two new additions to its e-reader line-up with the Kindle and Kindle Voyage.

The Kindle prices up at a wallet-coddling $79, with the update seeing a 20% nippier CPU, doubled storage, and a touch-screen display.

The Kindle Voyage is a slightly more jazzed up affair, sporting a $199 price tag and a promise of being the thinnest Kindle yet.

The 7.6mm svelte slate uses a 'next-gen' 300ppi Paperwhite display, a flush glass design, and most excitingly, a free 3G connection that Amazon foots the bill for.

New OS

Amazon's latest operating system, Fire OS 4, is tagged under the name 'Sangria', and will be available for free on all Fire HD and Fire HDX slates.

"When we think about Fire OS, we start with what matters to customers - ease of use and performance," says Dave Limp, Amazon's Senior VP of Devices.

"Fire OS 4 improves in both of these areas, and deeply integrates software, content, and the Cloud to deliver services that are only available from Amazon, including Family Library, Firefly, and free cloud storage for photos."