Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 available today, LTE version coming next week

The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD was announced nearly two months ago, and now finally Amazon is launching it for the juicy price of $299. The device comes with a very high-res 1920 x 1200-pixel LCD display and at 1.25 pounds is lighter than other slightly bigger 10-inch tablets.

A 4G LTE-enabled 8.9-inch Fire HD will start shipping next week on November 20th, but for that you would need to pay a much pricier $499. It’s still cheaper than a similar LTE iPad selling for $629, though.

The 8.9-inch tablet runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4 processor, has 1GB of RAM and 32 gigs of internal storage. 

source: Amazon

Press Release

Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Ships Today
Kindle Fire HD 8.9" ships today-features a stunning 1920x1200 HD display with 254 ppi, exclusive Dolby audio, a powerful processor and graphics engine and dual antenna, dual-band Wi-Fi with MIMO-just $299
The top-of-the-line Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G ships next week-comes with the groundbreaking 4G LTE data package, just $49.99 for the first year

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2012-- (NASDAQ:AMZN)-Amazon today announced that Kindle Fire HD 8.9"-the large-screen version of Amazon's best-selling HD tablet-ships today, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Customers can order their Kindle Fire HD 8.9" at www.amazon.com/kindlefirehd for $299. Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is also available at Best Buy starting tomorrow as well as additional retailers like Staples and Radio Shack in the coming weeks. Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G will ship next week.

"Kindle Fire HD has been Amazon's best-selling product worldwide since launch, and that was before we even started shipping the best tablet we've ever built," said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "With the holiday season upon us, we're excited to make our $299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" available early-we think customers are going to love web browsing, email, gaming, watching TV shows, reading magazines, and more on the large, stunning HD screen, with fast Wi-Fi and exceptional audio."

Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is the top-of-the-line Kindle Fire. Features include:

A vibrant 8.9", 1920x1200 resolution display at 254 ppi.

Dual antenna, dual-band Wi-Fi with MIMO technology for faster streaming and downloads.

The latest generation TI OMAP 4470 processor and Imagination SGX544 graphics engine capable of over 12 billion floating point operations per second.

Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio-the standard in high-end audio-available exclusively on Kindle Fire HD.

Exceptional battery life-Kindle Fire HD 8.9" gets 10 hours of battery life.

Front-facing HD camera for taking photos or making video calls, including a custom Skype application for free video calling from around the world.

New Amazon-exclusive features like X-Ray for Movies, X-Ray for Textbooks, Immersion Reading, Whispersync for Voice and Whispersync for Games.

Kindle FreeTime, a free, personalized tablet experience just for kids and exclusively available on Kindle Fire. Parents can set daily screen limits and give access to appropriate content for each child.

World's best content ecosystem-over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, audiobooks and magazines.

"Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere" with Amazon apps available on the largest number of platforms so customers can use their Amazon content on any of their devices.

Amazon's top-rated, world-class customer service.

The new Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G, with groundbreaking 4G LTE data package, starts at $499 and will begin shipping on November 20. Amazon worked closely with AT&T to offer the most affordable 4G tablet data package. The 12-session AT&T 4G data package includes 250MB a session of data, a $10 Amazon Appstore for Android credit and 20GB of Amazon CloudDrive, all for a one-time payment of only $49.99. There are no monthly fees or annual contracts. The $49.99 package is only available for the first year of service. Customers can also choose to upgrade to 3GB or 5GB data plans from AT&T directly from the device. Kindle Fire HD 8.9" features the latest 4G LTE technology for ultra-fast mobile broadband, letting customers connect to the internet, stream, and download at speeds even faster than Wi-Fi. Unlike some 4G devices, Kindle Fire HD includes support for 10 bands, so even when a customer is in a place with no 4G LTE network they'll fall back to the fastest available network and won't lose coverage. All this with no compromises to battery or weight - Kindle Fire HD combines the most power-efficient LTE chipset available with a custom-designed 4G wireless modem that's only 2.2 mm thin.

Customers can learn more and order at www.amazon.com/kindlefirehd. Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is also available at Best Buy starting tomorrow and will also be available at additional retailers like Staples and Radio Shack in the coming weeks.

About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine-and it is available in two display sizes-7" and 8.9". The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.