Amazon unveils Kindle Fire

Amazon unveiled its tablet computer, the $199 Android-based Kindle Fire, on Wednesday during a Manhattan launch event.

The Wi-Fi-only tablet has 8GB of storage, with a 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments' OMAP (Open Multimedia Application Processor), while the display is backlit LCD with a resolution of 1024 x 600. The Fire has a 7-inch multitouch LCD display and weighs 14.6 ounces. It has apps for Amazon storefronts, including its Android app store, MP3, video and cloud services. Unlike iPad 2 and other competitors, the Fire does not have a camera or microphone, but its price and Amazon's proven content will undoubtedly make it a serious threat to steal market share. It comes with free cloud storage for data back up.

The Kindle Fire is available for preorder starting Wednesday, and it will begin shipping on Nov. 15.

:story: Full story: Computerworld