Amazon announces new Kindle Fire HD tablets with LTE

The new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet will be priced at $299, the 7-inch at $199, and an LTE model at $499...

IDG News Service - Amazon on Thursday heated up the tablet competition with the introduction of new Kindle Fire HD tablets, including a model with LTE capabilities and another model with an 8.9-inch screen that can display images at a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels. The Kindle Fire HD will also be available in a 7-inch model. The tablets will have storage starting at 16GB, said Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, during an event in Santa Monica, Calif. The 8.9-inch Kindle HD tablet will be priced at $299 for 16GB of storage and will be available on Nov. 20. The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD model will be priced at $199 and ship on Sept. 14. The Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE wireless with 32GB of storage will be available for $499, and also ship on Nov. 20. A $49.99 annual data plan provides 250MB of data transfers per month and 20GB of storage in the cloud. The company did not clarify the screen size of the Kindle Fire HD LTE model.

The new Kindle Fire HD devices bring new features, including a larger screen, more storage and mobile broadband capabilities, compared to the original Kindle Fire, which was announced in September last year with a 7-inch screen. The new devices have a faster processor and a front-facing camera, which was not available in the original Kindle Fire. The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is 8.8 millimeters thick and will weigh 566 grams. It runs on a Texas Instruments OMAP4470 dual-core ARM processor, which is based on the Cortex-A9 design. The device operates on a dual Wi-Fi range, giving it faster wireless networking than Google's Nexus 7 tablet, according to Bezos. The new devices also have a HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) port so the tablets can be connected to high-definition TV sets. The Kindle Fire tablets now have Microsoft Exchange integration. A new email client offers support for Google's Gmail, Microsoft's Exchange and Hotmail. The new tablets also have features like X-ray, where information about actors is shown on-screen when a movie is playing. A new feature called FreeTime sets time limits for different types of content activity. For example, the new feature can set the amount of time that kids can play games during a day. Amazon has also re-priced the original Kindle Fire to $159, with more RAM and a faster processor. The tablet was originally priced at $199. The first Kindle Fire became Amazon's most successful product, and in its first year the device captured 22% of U.S. tablet sales, according to the company.

Valley Fever Strikes Ike Davis: Mets First Baseman Being Rested, Treated For Illness

NEW YORK -- Mets first baseman Ike Davis likely has valley fever and will be given days off to avoid extreme fatigue, a symptom of the disease.Davis took a physical when he arrived at spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and the exam showed an abnormal chest X-ray. He was sent to New York for further tests and when he returned to camp, the Mets said Davis had a simple lung infection.The team revealed a new diagnosis Saturday night after MLB.com reported Davis' condition earlier in the day."Following additional tests here and in NYC, pulmonary and infectious disease specialists have concluded that Ike likely has valley fever, which is expected to resolve itself over time," the Mets said in a statement.Davis was expected to be available to reporters Sunday.Valley fever is a fungal infection that is released from the dirt in desert regions of the Southwest and is inhaled. It can be stirred up by construction and winds. Davis lives in Arizona in the offseason."Ike is not contagious, is not taking any medication for his condition and does not currently exhibit any of the outward symptoms associated with valley fever," the Mets said. "However, Ike has been instructed to avoid extreme fatigue. No additional tests or examinations are pending, but Ike will have a follow-up exam when the team returns to NYC in early April."Expected to bat cleanup this season, Davis had two hits in an intrasquad game Saturday.Valley fever can be a serious problem – it caused Conor Jackson to miss all but the first 30 games of the 2009 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Greg Kraft had his promising golf career sidetracked after he contracted the disease during the 2002 Tucson Open.
After a promising rookie season, Davis missed most of 2011 with a bone bruise in his left ankle, sustained in a routine-looking collision with David Wright on May 10 in Colorado. Davis has shown no effects of the injury this spring.Davis batted .302 with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 36 games last season after hitting .264 with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2010.The loss of Davis for any length of time would be a serious blow to the Mets after All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes signed as a free agent with the Miami Marlins this winter. New York has slashed its payroll after going 77-85 last season.