Amazon launches two new tablets

Today, Amazon officially launched two new tablets: the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and the Kindle Fire HDX 7. Compared to the previous generation, the new Kindle Fire is more than just an added "X" in its name. The appearance of both new Kindle tablets has been completely redesigned, with sharp edges and a rugged look. Despite their premium appearance, the two new tablets use a magnesium alloy unibody construction, making them lighter than their predecessors.

The 2013 edition of the Kindle series also saw significant hardware improvements. The Kindle Fire HDX 7 features a 7-inch 1920 x 1200 screen, while the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 boasts a resolution of 2560 x 1600 with a pixel density of 339 ppi. The HDX 8.9 is 1mm thinner than the previous HD 8.9, with a body thickness of 7.8mm.

The Kindle Fire HDX 7 comes with only a front-facing camera, but the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera as well as a high-definition front-facing camera. In addition, the core specifications of the 7-inch and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX tablets are largely the same, both featuring a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, and running the custom-built Fire OS 3.0 based on Android 4.2.

Currently, both Kindle Fire HDX models come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. The starting price for the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (16GB) is $379, while the Kindle Fire HDX 7 starts at $229 (16GB version). Verizon Wireless will also offer 4G LTE versions of the Kindle Fire HDX 7/8.9, priced at $329 and $479 respectively.

In addition to the two new X-series Kindles, Amazon has also re-packaged the previous Kindle Fire HD 7, giving it the same diamond-shaped casing as the above two models, with a price tag of $139.