Run Jelly Bean 4.2.1 on your Kindle Fire

As mentioned in this space before, it never ceases to amaze what the developers over at XDA can cook up. One dev’s latest feat is actually getting Jelly Bean to run on the ‘outdated’ 512MB RAM equipped Amazon Kindle Fire. As with a lot of hacks, there are some features missing (at the time of this writing) such as Swype keyboard, USB camera support, and photo sync.

However, you do get the benefits of Google Now along with a straight port of basically the exact ROM being pushed to Nexus 7 and 10 users. The process itself is very much like flashing other ROMs on other devices, so those that are familiar with it will feel right at home. If you need to brush up on your rooting skills, you can check our guide and dictionary to assist. Click the source link below for the full list of instructions.

source:  XDA

Amazon touts Kindle Fire HD over iPad mini, declares more bang for your buck

With the iPad mini announcement creating a surgance in Kindle Fire HD sales for Amazon, it’s not surprising that the company would take advantage of these record-setting figures by comparing its 7-inch tablet against Apple’s new 7.9-inch miniature iPad.

To show the various reasons why a consumer may want to purchase Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD instead of Apple’s new iPad mini, the online retail giant has posted a side-by-side comparison of both devices. The list touts the Kindle Fire HD’s High-Definition display, dual stereo speakers and its faster MIMO Wi-Fi chip. Although, the most attractive detail is the fact that Amazon’s new tablet costs only $199, compared to the sizable $329 price tag on the iPad mini.

Source: Amazon

The iPad Mini is upon us, how does it match up against the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD?

The impossible has happened. The 7-inch iPad that Steve Jobs himself spoke against has come to the world in the form of the iPad Mini. In a world where price is ultimately king, can Apple persuade you into buying it’s option for over 50% more than its competition? Lets take a look at the specs and see how they stack up.

Amazon announces 7-inch and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDs, along with an updated Kindle Fire

Amazon hyped their press event for today and had Internet sites abuzz with expectation leading up to it, with everyone guessing what they may reveal. It appears Amazon did not disappoint with the introduction of new devices sure to have a major impact on the world of tablet devices. The highlight will almost certainly be Amazon’s introduction of an 8.9-inch version of their tablet, dubbed the Kindle Fire HD.

Running at 1920×1200 resolution with 254 ppi, the 8.9-inch screen is made with a new laminated touch sensor that Amazon promises will reduce glare by 25%. Backing the display is a TI OMAP 4470 processor, 16GB of internal storage, Dolby stereo with dual speakers, dual wifi antennas, a front-facing HD camera, and HDMI out. This top of the line version of the Kindle Fire HD will run $299 and Amazon says it will be available starting November 20th, just in time for Black Friday’s shopping rush. Amazon will also have a 4G LTE model available for $499 and a $49.99 per year data plan. There will be a data cap of 250MB per month and 20GB of cloud storage available.

Joining the Kindle Fire HD are a pair of 7-inch models, an Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 and an updated Amazon Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire HD 7 is very similar to the 8.9-inch version, with the only difference being the screen. The Kindle Fire HD 7 will run an IPS screen at 1280 x 800 resolution. With a price of $199, it is available for pre-order starting today with shipment scheduled  for September 14th.

The final tablet to join the Amazon stable is an upgraded version of the existing Kindle Fire. Still a 7-inch tablet, Amazon indicates the processor is 40% faster than the current model, it will have double the available RAM of the current Kindle Fire, and enjoy longer battery life. Amazon is actually cutting the price on this unit to only $159. It too will start shipping on September 14th.

Along with the new hardware, Amazon announced some interesting changes to the operating system and available apps on their Kindle Fire devices. Whispersync Voice will let users transition between audiobooks and regular text without losing your place, a feature Amazon is calling “Immersion Reading.” Whispersync is also spreading to games which means users’ progress, achievements, awards and other checkpoints in a game will be uploaded to the cloud and available on all devices. A new feature called X-Ray will let users pull up actor information from IMDB while watching movies or information about books while they are being read.

Amazon has also implemented a new e-mail app with support for Exchange, Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts, including calendar and contact sync capabilities. Skype will be preinstalled on the Kindle Fire devices as well. Finally, Amazon has created a new parental controls app called FreeTime that will enable parents to control time and content limits for their kids on a per profile basis. FreeTime is possible as Amazon has implemented multiple accounts capability.

Has Amazon made a major statement with these devices? Can they divert potential iPad buyers? Would you be interested in any of these devices? Let us know and keep an eye open for further updates with more details about these new devices.