Amazon's New Devices - 2012 Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite is a new e-reader that sports better resolution with 212 pixels per inch, improved contrast, a new illumination technology that is described as a "flattened out fiber optic cable" that is LED powered, improved battery life of 8 weeks (even with the light on), and many new features. Some of the features include "time to read" which tells you how long it will take you to finish the book you are reading, new author biographies, new parental controls, and ability to access the lending library.

Amazon had a press conference today that unveiled three new devices. One new e-reader and two new versions of the Kindle Fire. Check out the new devices below.

There are WiFi and 3G versions, both with or without special offers (advertisements). The least expensive is the WiFi version with special offers and costs $119. The 3G version costs $179, and you can add $20 to either model if you do not want any special offers. You can preorder now and it will begin shipping on October 1.

The new Kindle Fire is similar to the prior Kindle Fire but now has a better, faster processor with "40% faster performance", 1Gb of RAM (2x the old version), and longer battery life of 9 hours. The best part is that the price has been reduced to $159. You can order today and it will ship on Sept 14.

The Kindle Fire HD is a totally new tablet that comes in 7" and 8.9" versions. You can choose either 16Gb or 32Gb of storage. The 7" version has a display resolution of 1280x800 and the 8.9" display has a full HD resolution of 1920x1200. Both have IPS (in-plane switching) displays, advanced polarizing filter, and anti-glare technology. The 8.9" display has 254 pixels per inch.

The processors are new TI OMAP dual core processors that come in either a 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz flavors. Apparently these processors have 40% more memory bandwith than the Tegra 3 processors in many tablets today.

The sound is improved and is called Dolby Digital Plus and there are dual stereo speakers. There is also an HD front facing camera, HDMI out, and Bluetooth.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos put a lot of emphasis in his presentation on the improved WiFi technology in the new HD tablets. They are dual band (supporting both 2.4 and 5GHz bands) with two antennas and support MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) technology built-in. These are the first tablets with dual band MIMO and Amazon claims WiFi is 41% faster than the iPad3 and 54% faster than Nexus 7.

Some of the new features available on the new tablets include improved syncing of your content across devices. They call it Wispersync and it works for regular books, audiobooks, movies, and games so that you can pick up where you left off on any device. There is another feature Amazon dubbed as "immersion reading" that highlights the words of an audiobook in real time as it is being read to you.

There is an feature called "X-Ray" that will display relevant information such as actor biographies in movies or more information about characters, themes, and background in book.

Kindle Free Time is a new parental control that limits the amount of time kids can use the device. Multiple profiles can be made with different restrictions for each child using the device.

The 7" Kindle Fire HD starts at $199 for the 16GB model and $249 for the 32GB upgrade. The 8.9" Kindle Fire HD starts at $299 for the 16GB version and $369 for the 32GB device. You can preorder today and the device will ship on November 20th.

The new Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE has all of the features of the 8.9" Kindle Fire HD but also has a 4G LTE modem and offers increased storage space of 32GB or 64GB. The data plan cost $50/year for 250Mb/month and includes 20GB of cloud storage plus a $10 Amazon Appstore promotional credit. You may pre-order today and it will ship on November 20th. The 32GB version costs $499 and the 64GB device is $599.

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Top Kindle Fire Apps to Sideload

The Kindle Fire is an excellent tablet for consuming Amazon's content from videos, to music, to books.  But there are some limitations - one of the most frustrating is the inability to use any android apps, as mentioned in this review.

Fortunately, you can install some applications that are not available for the Kindle Fire in the Amazon App store by sideloading them. If you need help getting started, read this tutorial on how to sideload apps from an Android phone.

These are my top sideloaded apps that enhance the functionality of your Kindle Fire

Alternative Launcher Apps: If you do not like the stock Amazon launcher and would like a classic Android-like homescreen, as you would find on any other Android tablet, then try out GO Launcher EX.

Google applications: not all Google applications will work on the Kindle Fire, but these two work pretty well given the limitation of the Kindle Fire.  Google voice will allow you to get your voicemails and send and receive texts from your google voice number.  Note: the latest version of Google Voice broke functionality with the original Kindle Fire, however, older versions, such as 0.4.2.54 work well. You can find version 0.4.2.54 here. The Kindle Fire does not have GPS, so the Google Maps application will not be able to determine your location, but it works for directions or looking up addresses.

Cloud storage services: Dropbox is very popular, but unfortunately is not officially supported on the Kindle Fire.  But, the sideloaded apps works perfectly!  Dropbox makes it very easy to sideload - you can get the installation file directly from their site by going to https://www.dropbox.com/android, downloading the .apk file, and installing it. A new cloud storage service, called Copy, is very similar to Dropbox and works perfectly on the Kindle Fire. With Copy you can get an extra 5GB of storage for a total of 10GB of free storage by signing up using this referral link. Then refer others and get 5GB for each person who signs up! You can easily get a lot of cloud storage space compared to Dropbox considering that each Copy referral gives you 10 times the space that a Dropbox referral provides.

Browsers: One of the best alternative browsers, if you do not like the stock, silk browser, is Dolphin Browser HD.  It works perfectly on the Kindle Fire.  Also, you can try Opera, if you prefer.

Screen Filter: If you read on your Kindle Fire at night, you may notice that even at the lowest brightness setting the screen is still too bright. Screen Filter is a free app that allows you to dim your screen as much as you want. An alternative that does not have to be side-loaded (is available in the Amazon App Store for the Kindle Fire) is called ScreenDim Full and it costs $1.

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How to Wirelessly Sideload Apps to a Kindle Fire Without a Computer

If you have a Kindle Fire and an Android phone, you may have noticed that some of the apps on your phone cannot be downloaded to the Kindle Fire from the Amazon App Store.  Or, if you bought apps from the Google Play Market for your phone, you might want to use them on your Kindle Fire.  Check out the video below or read on for detailed instructions.

Fortunately you can "sideload" apps by installing their apk files on your Kindle Fire. This does not requiring rooting your device. Some apps work on the Kindle Fire even though they are not officially supported, but others do not. For example, some of my favorites I was unable to download directly from the Amazon App Store to my Kindle Fire were Dropbox, Business Calendar, WeatherBug Elite, Google Voice, ADW.launcher EX, and Google Maps. I attempted to sideload all of these, but Business Calendar and WeatherBug do not work.  The others worked great!

Step 1: Let us start with your Android phone and install 2 applications:

1. Install SugarSync Amazon cloud drive - it is free, supported on the Kindle Fire, and every time you want to add an application you can do it via wifi instead of needing to plug in your phone and kindle into a computer.
2. Install App Backup and Restore - it is also free and very easy to use. It will create the .apk installation files that you need to install on your Kindle Fire.

Step 2: Get the .apk files you want from your Android phone:

1. Open App Backup and Restore and select the apps you want to install on your Kindle Fire.  Then press "Backup Selected Apps" at the bottom of the screen.  This will save them to your phone's SD card in a folder called, "App_Backup_Restore."
2. Automatically create .apk files for any new updates (this step is optional):
1. Press the up arrow in the right lower corner (or the menu button on your phone) and select "settings."
2. Check "Auto Backup" and "Auto Backup Notify" - now the new apk files will be automatically updated on SugarSync whenever new versions are installed and you will be notified to reinstall them on your Kindle Fire.

Step 3 - Sync the backup folder to SugarSync and your Kindle Fire:

1. Now open the SugarSync app on your phone.
2. Under the "My Devices" section select your phone.
3. Scroll down until you find the folder "App_Backup_Restore" and tap the circle with the arrow in it on the right.  Now select "Sync" and then "Yes" at the next dialog.

Step 4: Enable the Kindle Fire to install the .apk files you backed up:

1. Set aside your phone, and grab your Kindle Fire. Tap the settings/wifi/battery icon in the upper right corner.
2. From the drop down menu tap "More." 
3. Scroll down and tap "Device." 
4. Then turn "ON" the "Allow Installation of Applications From Unknown Sources."

Step 5 - Download and install your apps

1. Install Sugarsync Amazon cloud drive on your Kindle Fire.
2. Open SugarSync and tap "Magic Briefcase" then "Mobile Folders" and finally "App_Backup_Restore" as shown below.
3. Now select any of the APK files you uploaded - they will download and you will receive a prompt to install them. 
4. Install your apps and enjoy!

Please note that some applications will not work with the Kindle Fire as mentioned above. ADW.Launcher EX works and will create a normal Android home screen if you prefer the classic Android home screen as mentioned in my Kindle Fire review.  Other apps that I have found that work are Dropbox, Google Voice, and Google Maps (without GPS). You can try any apps you have to see if they work... if they don't, just uninstall them by holding down on the application icon, then selecting "remove from device."

Update 1: Check out my post, Top Kindle Fire Apps to Sideload, to learn about some apps you can sideload to really increase the functionality of your device.

Update 2: The newer Google Voice app no longer works with the Kindle Fire. Version 0.4.2.54 works well and can be found here in the 2nd post at XDA developers.

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Refurbished Kindle Fire Review - An Excellent Tablet for the Price

The Kindle Fire is an excellent tablet for the price. I purchased a refurbished Kindle Fire when it was the Gold Box deal of the day for $139 and have been very happy with it overall with a few small caveats.

Should you buy a refurbished Kindle Fire? I highly recommend it.  You get the same 1 year warranty as a new one, and I honestly could not tell that mine was refurbished.  When it arrived it was packaged as if it was new and there were no signs of use whatsoever - it looked brand new, and has worked perfectly ever since!
 Pros:
+ Inexpensive
+ Excellent, intuitive user interface
+ Nice high resolution IPS display
+ Performance - applications, media, and web browsing are fast
+ Tight integration with Amazon media services (video, music, books, etc.)
+ Minimalist design

Cons:
- Some applications in the Amazon App Store are not available for the Kindle Fire
- Besides music, Amazon Cloud Drive is not fully integrated into the OS
- No "advanced features" such as GPS, bluetooth, or wireless 3G (honestly, you can't really expect these at such a low price point)


Design:
The design is minimalist - the only thing on the front of the tablet is the display.  There is only 1 button (the power button) on the bottom of the tablet next to the micro-usb charging port.  There is a headphone jack on the other side of the micro-usb port.  There are two small speakers on the top of the device, but are barely noticeable as they are incorporated into the bezel. The back is made out of rubberized plastic which feels soft in your hands and is not slippery.

Hardware:
If you are reading this review you have probably already looked at the specifications - I won't rehash the processor speed, RAM, storage space, etc.  I will say that the processor and RAM are more than adequate for anything that I have done - applications load quickly and run well, videos and music play without any problems, and web browsing with the silk browser is fast.  I was worried that the 8Gb of storage (about 6Gb user available) on the device would not be enough, but since essentially everything but your applications is in the cloud, I have not even come close to maxing out the available storage.

User Interface:
I have plenty of experience with both Android and iOS devices. Before buying the Kindle Fire I was skeptical about the heavily modified android OS it uses. It turns out I was pleasantly surprised.  The "home screen" is much different than most android devices.  At the top there is a search bar and tabs for all of the Amazon services (newsstand, books, music, video, docs, apps, and web).  Underneath that is a carousel of recently used apps, and at the bottom are your favorites - these can be applications, specific web pages, books - pretty much anything you use often and want to put there. This works well as the web, applications, and all Amazon services are just one touch away.  The only downside to this is that there are no widgets unlike other android devices.  However, if you really like the typical Android OS home screen with widgets, you can install (via "side loading") a launcher (for example ADW.launcher EX is known to work well) that will create the typical home screen and allow widgets.

Amazon Products & Services:
The Kindle Fire OS was clearly designed to be integrated with all of Amazon's digital content. Any books, magazines, music, videos, or applications that you have purchased are available to you from the cloud and synced or streamed to your device seamlessly.  The built in applications for reading books or magazines, listening to music, and watching video work very well and are easy to use.

If you have an Amazon Prime account there are thousands of TV shows and movies to watch for free and books that you can borrow for free each month.  Any music you have bought from the Amazon's MP3 music store will appear on your device automatically. Any music you have bought through other services can be uploaded to your Cloud Drive and will then be playable from the Kindle Fire.  You get 5Gb of free storage space (the things you buy from Amazon do not count towards your 5Gb limit).  You can pay to get a larger cloud drive if necessary (20Gb is only $20/year) - if you go to any paid version of the cloud drive you get unlimited music storage (i.e. none of your music counts against your storage limit).

One thing that I was disappointed with is that non-music files in your cloud drive are not easily accessible.  Unlike music, which shows up immediately under the music tab in the OS, documents, pictures, videos, etc.that you have uploaded are not accessible except through the browser - no different than on your PC. I don't understand why the rest of the cloud drive is not integrated into the OS - perhaps it will be at some point, all it would take is a software update. There is a way to send documents via email to your Kindle Fire or through a new application that can be installed on your computer, for your Mac, or Windows.

Applications:
Since the Amazon App Store was launched it has come a long way in catching up to the apps available in the Google Play market.  Now, almost all of the major apps are available in both locations.  The Kindle Fire's built in web browser and email application work quite well.  I enjoy the "reading view" mode in the browser - it reformats the website's text into a kindle like format for easier reading without all of the extraneous sidebars, ads, etc. Unfortunately there is no built in calender application, although you can buy 3rd party applications, such as CalenGoo, that will work.

One of the most disappointing things I have come across using the Kindle Fire is that even though most applications are available in the Amazon App Store, some of them are not available for the Kindle Fire. For example some of the apps I use: Dropbox, Business Calendar, WeatherBug Elite, and FlightTrack are not currently supported by the Kindle Fire.  I assume this may be due to the fact that the Kindle Fire does not have some of the services built into the stock Android OS such as location or Google calender services, but I am not sure.  Some apps, such as Dropbox, are not supported by the Amazon App store for the Kindle Fire but actually work fine if they are "side loaded" but others will crash or not install if you attempt to install them outside of the Amazon App Store.  I imagine as time goes on this will improve as more app developers create Kindle Fire versions of their apps.

Summary:
If you already have an Amazon Prime membership or plan to get one, you cannot go wrong with the Kindle Fire.  It is an excellent, fast, well designed tablet for using Amazon services.  Most major Android apps are available and work great, but some applications are not supported by the Kindle Fire even though they are available to other devices in the Amazon App Store.

Review Summary:
Item reviewed: Kindle Fire
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Written by: Cam Medlin

Published: 06/02/2012

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How to print any document from your Kindle Fire

Currently, there is not a good selection of applications to print documents from your kindle fire.  But, with a little bit of work, you can print documents from your Kindle Fire or any device for free using the following method.

Requirements:

1. A mac computer that is connected to a printer.
2. A Kindle Fire. Note: this will also work with any device as long as you can add the document to SugarSync - any computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Step 1:
Open a SugarSync account. If you already have one, proceed to the next step.  Note: if you prefer, you can use the same instructions but substitute Dropbox as long as you have it sideloaded on your Kindle - Sugarsync is being used here because it is supported and can be downloaded from the Amazon App Store on the Kindle Fire.

Step 2:
Download the SugarSync app from the Amazon App Store on to your Kindle Fire.

Step 3: 
Download SugarSync for your mac. Now, find the "Magic Briefcase" folder - it should be in your documents folder.  Open the Magic Briefcase and create a folder in it named "Print."

Step 4:
On your mac launch the application "Automator."  When it opens and asks for the type of workflow, choose "Folder Action" and then choose the folder you created in step 2, "Print," under the "Folder Action receives files and folders added to" menu.

Step 5:
Using the search function in Automator, type in "print" and drag "Print Finder Items" to the right into the workflow list.

Step 6:
Using the search function of Automator, type in "delete" and drag "Move Finder Items to Trash" into the workflow beneath "Print Finder Items" so that it looks like this.

Step 7:
Save your workflow, exit Automator, and you should be done!

Now any document you put in the "Print" folder of your magic briefcase will print automatically as long as your mac is turned on and connected to the internet. You can put documents into your "Print" folder from your Kindle Fire or any android device. It will then move the document to the trash (if you would like the documents moved to a printed or completed folder you can do that by creating another folder and replacing step 6 with "Move finder items" to your designated folder instead of the trash.

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