Amazon announced several new Kindle Fire HD tablets back in September and while the 7 inch version has been available for a while, the 8.9-inch didn’t start shipping until today. Pre-order customers should receive it here shortly and for everyone else, you can order only on Amazon by visiting this page.
If you ordered or want the LTE version, you’ll have to wait till next week for it to start shipping. For now, it’s just the WiFi version heading out. Here’s a quick recap of the specs:
- 8.9-inch 1920 x 1200 display (254 ppi)
- 1.5GHZ dual-core processor
- Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics
- 1GB RAM
- 16 or 32GB internal storage
- HD front-facing camera
- Dual-band, dual-antenna WiFi
- Dolby audio and dual stereo speakers
- Unlimited cloud storage for Amazon purchased content
Amazon has a weird pricing model with the introduction of “Special Offers” that displays ads on the Kindle Fire HD’s lockscreen. Here’s the pricing with and without Special Offers:
- 16GB with Special Offers – $299
- 16GB without Special Offers – $314
- 32GB with Special Offers – $369
- 32GB without Special Offers – $384
If you plan on grabbing the LTE version, here’s that pricing:
- 32GB with Special Offers – $499
- 32GB without Special Offers – $514
- 64GB with Special Offers – $599
- 64GB without Special Offers – $614
Although the Kindle Fire HD runs on a forked version of Android, if you’re an Amazon customer and consume a good amount of content from the marketplace, it could make for a good purchase. The whole Special Offers thing is a bit weird, but it is what it is.