Comparison of Tablets: Amazon brings its Kindle Fire tablets HDX 'with the best screen on the market ...

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX tablets come in 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions
Top-of-the-range processors are three times faster than older models
Displays both have more pixels per inch than the latest Apple iPad
Prices in the UK start at £ 199 for the 7-inch and 329 pounds for the 8.9-inch
Both are available for pre-order and go on sale from next month

By Victoria Woollaston

PUBLISHED: 12:26 ET, October 16, 2013 | UPDATED: 13:39 ET, October 16, 2013

Less than a month after they Launched in the U.S., Amazon has Announced it is bringing its new top-of-the-range Kindle Fire tablets HDX to the UK.

The 7-inch model costs £ 199 and will go on sale November 13, while the 8.9-inch version will be available on December 13 for £ 329.

Available to pre-order from today, both tablets are said to be three times faster than the previous generation, as well as lighter and thinner.

The two tablets usefull have sharper, more colorful displays That feature more pixels per inch than the latest iPad and at least match the screen quality seen on the Google’s new Nexus 7 device.

Amazon's new 7-inch and a 8.9-inch Kindle Fire tablets HDX, pictured, are three times faster than its older models.

Amazon’s 7-inch and a 8.9-inch Kindle Fire tablets HDX, pictured right to left, are three times faster than older models. They have higher pixel-per-inch displays than Apple’s current iPad – making text or images sharper. New features include a Mayday toolthat lets first-time tablet owners get customer service support

Mayday To access the new feature, users can press the Help button from the Kindle Fire HDX's homescreen.

To access the new feature Mayday , users can press the Help button from the Kindle Fire HDX’s homescreen. It will then call a free live technical support team member to help with operational questions or access to books, movies, songs or other media

The 7-inch model has a screen resolution of 1980 x 1200, giving it a PPI of 323, while the 8.9-inch, 2560 x 1600 display has a 339 PPI.

By comparison, the current iPad with Retina Display PPI or 264 runs, while the new Google Nexus 7, quoted as having the best screen tablet on the market, has 323 PPI.

The 7-inch model is now 8mm thick and weighs 303g – down from 10mm and 394g. Whereas the 8.9-inch model is 8mm thick, down from 9 mm, and weighs 374g, Which is a third lighter than the previous generation.

Both

Kindle usefull HDX models come with Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon processor 800, Which is top of the line graphics for tablets and can handle four times faster than before.

AMAZON’S KINDLE FIRE HDX SPECIFICATIONS

HDX Kindle Fire 7-inch model

Screen resolution: 1920 x 1200

PPI: 323

Weight: 303g (down from 394g)

Thickness: 8mm (down from 10mm)

Price: Starts at £ 199

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch model

Screen resolution: 2560 x 1600

PPI: 339

Weight: 374g (down from 544g)

Thickness: 8mm (down from 9mm)

Price: Starts at £ 329

Additionally, to help people who have not owned tablets before, the new Kindles come with a feature called ‘Mayday’, Which lets users speak to a live customer service representative in a video window when downloading apps or using certain features.

The helpers can explain new features or troubleshoot problems while guiding users with on-screen hand scribbles. They can even take control of the device remotely.

CEO Jeff Bezos introduced the feature at the U.S. launch, saying it is “completely unique” and takes advantage of Amazon’s massive cloud computing and customer service infrastructure.

This image shows the new 8.9-inch Amazon Kindle tablet HDX, center, the 7-inch Kindle HDX, left, and an updated Kindle HD, right. The HDX models are four times faster at handling graphics. The new Kindle HD has a magnesium alloy case but has the same processor as older Kindle Fire models

The ‘Mayday’ feature lets users speak to a live customer service representative in a video window when downloading apps or using certain features (pictured top right). The helpers can troubleshoot problems while guiding users with on-screen hand scribbles

‘You should not have to be afraid of your device, “Mr. Bezos said.

a demo, Mr. Bezos asked an on-screen customer service representative to recommend an app. The rep suggested Angry Birds Star Wars II, while usefull giving instructions on how to set time limits on various activities for children

While the new Kindles are upgraded in Several ways, Amazon usefull cut the price on what will be its entry-level, updated 7-inch tablet, the Kindle Fire HD with 8GB of memory now costing £ 119 in the UK.

The new Kindle Fire HD has a magnesium alloy body, like the HDX models, but has the same screen resolution and processing power of the older models.

Stephen Baker, a consumer technology analyst with research firm NPD Group, said the price cut to the Kindle Fire HD will do more to help Amazon compete in the tablet market than the added features on the newer models.

MAIL ONLINE’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW KINDLE FIRE HDX the

Technology and Science reporter Victoria Woollaston gives her verdict on the tablet: the

‘Google’s Nexus 7 has dominated the budget tablet market for some time, but Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HDX range is a serious contender to challenge this.

“The most impressive feature Immediately – on both devices – is the high quality screen, which really has to be seen to be appreciated

‘Both screens are on par with the stunning clarity or Google’s latest Nexus 7 and even when Compared to high-end HD screens, the colors are noticeably brighter.

“During my letter hands-on with the two tablets, apps loaded Immediately and switching between pages and applications was seamless. Amazon claims the devices are three times faster than previous models but this could not be qualified.

‘However, the quality of the screen combined with this speed did make watching video clips seem effortless.

“I was a little cynical about how useful the Mayday feature – which is a free 24/7 technical support team accessible from the tablet’s home screen – would be, but during a demonstration I was impressed at not only how simple it is to use and how approachable the customer support was a member, but the range of features available.

‘The helper can draw on the screen, show or tell users how to do things by taking them through various menus and explain more about the features. The feature can be usefull muted, or screen sharing can be disabled simply by asking.

“Other notable features Briefly I was shown include the X-Ray feature when watching Amazon-bought titles. This is an IMDB widget That sits to the left of the screen and shows details about the actors currently on screen.

“Viewers can switch usefull to bloopers and other significant scenes at the touch of a button from the X Ray IMDB Trivia tab, plus buy related tracks. Latter This feature was not working when I used the device, but Amazon claims it will be available from launch.

‘Another feature thatwill appeal to parents is Kindle Free Time. This is an easy to setup feature Especially designed for children That comes with parental controls pre-enabled.

‘The price of the 7-inch tablet is Aimed directly at Google’s latest tablet for £ 199 and there is a lot to get excited about. The £ 329 price for the 8.9-inch device does seems a little steep though.

“Although I only used the devices Briefly, I did not think there was enough different about the larger model to warrant the extra £ 130 and Mainly it will appeal to people who think the 7-inch screen is just a little small .

“Having used and loved Google’s Nexus 7, I’d be torn between this and Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX. Yet Google would win, at a push, because its operating system seems slicker and is pure Android, rather than a skinned version. ‘

“That’s where That model needs to be overpriced,” Baker said, explaining thatthere are Numerous manufacturers with tablets with screens That measure seven inches diagonally, all priced around the same mark.

“A big focus in That 7-inch category is just price.”

Between May and July, Kindles Accounted for 17 per cent of all tablets sold in the U.S. Compared to 48 per cent for Apple’s iPad and 8 per cent for Samsung’s Galaxy line, According To NPD.

Globally, Amazon’s shipments between April and June were down 59 per cent from a year Earlier, at 470,000.

The tablets are available to pre-order from today and are said to be three times faster than the previous generation

This is

Compared to 14.6 million for Apple’s iPad, down 17 percent from a year ago, and 10.8 million for Samsung’s Galaxy line, up 539 per cent. Amazon sells most of its Kindles around the Christmas holidays, Baker said.

Beyond the improved specifications, Amazon unveiled more usefull features That incorporate data from its partner IMDb movie database.

With the newer tablets, users who turn on the ‘X-ray’ feature can see That a small window lists the name of a song thats playing in some TV shows and movies.

One tap brings up the option to buy the song. Users can look usefull for all music in a show and zip to the exact spot where a Particular song is playing.

People who have set up Amazon’s video player as an app on Their TVs or game consoles through usefull can follow along in real time On Their tablets, getting information on actors and trivia related to the shows On Their larger screen.

Music lovers can see song lyrics when they play songs bought from Amazon, lyrics are highlighted as they are sung and tapping on the lyrics will zip to the appropriateness point in the song.

Bezos said thesis services are only possible Because Amazon Provides the hardware, operating system, applications, cloud infrastructure and services for the devices.

The ‘hardest and coolest’ services zoals its Mayday service lie at the intersection of ‘customer delight’ and ‘deep integration through the entire stack,’ he added.

usefull Amazon unveiled new ‘origami covers’ that lie flat on the screen when closed but can be folded and snapped into place as a stand that works both in horizontal and vertical position. They’ll come in seven different colors in the U.S. for between $ 45 and $ 70.