New Kindle Fire Tablets

2013 Kindle Fire Tablets

The new Kindle Fire tablets were announced last month and the first models have started shipping this week. Based on posts in Amazon's Kindle Forums and reviews on product pages, there seems to be some confusion and questions about some of the new features.

The product pages for the new models all contain a detailed comparison chart showing which devices have which features, and it's best to read over that chart carefully before placing your order. However, I thought it would be helpful to briefly summarize some of the key points here.

First, there are three new models: Fire HD, Fire HDX, and Fire HDX 8.9". There is also one previous year's model that continues to be sold; the Fire HD 8.9".

The Fire HD is this year's entry-level tablet. It does not have a camera, microphone, or the new Mayday support feature. It's available with 8 or 16 GB of storage space, and is a wifi-only device.

The Fire HDX is a premium 7" tablet with a front-facing camera, microphone, and Mayday support. It is available with 16, 32, or 64 GB of storage. You can purchase a wifi-only version, or optional 4G versions (AT&T or Verizon).

The Fire HDX 8.9" is a larger-format tablet with both front- and rear-facing cameras, a microphone, and Mayday support. It has the same storage and wireless connection options as the 7" Fire HDX.

Note that none of this year's Fires have a micro-HDMI port, for a direct connection to a TV. Instead, they will feature wireless connectivity to supported TVs and devices.

Free Kindle Books

Someone asked for a consolidated list of places to get free books for the Kindle. If you know of any that I've missed, leave a comment and I'll update.

Download directly to your Kindle

These sites allow you to use the Kindle's built in EVDO connection to download books directly to the Kindle. You may also download books to your computer and transfer them to your Kindle with the usb cable, or you may email them to your Kindle's email address.

feedbooks.com
For direct downloading to your Kindle, access feedbooks.mobi from your Kindle's web browser. You can add the Kindle Download Guide to your Kindle for easier access. You can find details and instructions here: http://www.feedbooks.com/help/kindle.

freekindlebooks.org
Smaller books may be downloaded directly to the Kindle. Books with a size listed should be downloaded to a computer first and then transferred.

manybooks.net
For direct downloading to your Kindle, access mnybks.net from your Kindle's web browser. Detailed instructions are here: http://manybooks.net/help/devices/kindle.php

munseys.com
For direct downloading to your Kindle, access munseys.com/joomla from your Kindle's web browser.

Download to your computer

These sites will require you to download to your computer and then transfer to your Kindle with the usb cable. You can also email books to your Kindle's email address.

fictionwise.com
Some free books, some available for purchase in multi-format. See http://www.fictionwise.com/help/kindleFaq.htm

freekindlebooks.org
Books with a size listed should be downloaded to your computer and transferred or emailed to the Kindle.

mobileread.com

gutenberg.org

webscription.net
Some free books. See http://www.webscription.net/t-kindle.aspx.

From Amazon

Amazon often has free Kindle books available. Sometimes they're even good books! Go to the main Kindle Books page, enter -domain in the search field and sort the results by Price: Low to High. Here's a direct link to the sorted book list.

http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1234974948/ref=sr_st?keywords=-domain&rs=154606011&page=1&rh=n%3A154606011%2Ck%3A-domain&sort=price