The Kindle Touch come in both WiFi and 3G + WIFi models, and each of these offer with or with out sponsored offers (coupons) and screensavers (ads).  You are able to save around $40.00 on each model if you don’t mind the ads (about special offers).  The Kindle Touch WiFi model prices are $99.00 and $139.00, the 3G model is $149.00 and $199.00.

What is the difference between the WiFi and the 3G?  With the WiFi only models, you will only be able to connect via WiFi through hotspots like at a coffee shop, hotel,ect or your own home WiFi network or any AT&T hotspots for free.  With the 3G connection, it’s like having a cell phone, and anywhere that you can get cell phone service you can connect  and download books, use the web browser and also the 3G connection is provided for free with no extra fees.  The best thing is that Kindle’s 3G coverage is in over 100 countries so if you want to travel abroad, you will likely be able to connect.

Amazon finally came out with a touch version of their ereader book which uses an infrared multi touch touch screen and uses the latest E Ink Pearl, 16 level gray scale.  It has 600×800 resolution at 167 pixels per inch for high clarity,contrast,crisp text, and low eyestrain reading. This is also what Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony Reader Daily uses.

Other than the touch screen the other features are similar to the Kindle Keyboard model with the exception of it’s 4G internal memory holds 3,000 books rather than 3,500 in the keyboard model.  But it’s battery last 3 times longer with WiFi on the WiFi model (6 weeks  vs 3 weeks) and 11 days longer on the 3G model (3 weeks vs 10 days) vs the Kindle Keyboard.  The Kindle Touch also has Amazon’s new X-Ray feature which lets you scan through the book for mentions of characters, places, topics plus more.

Highlighted Features

6″ E Ink Pearl  600x 800  167 ppi  16 level gray scale

Infrared Multi Touch Touchscreen

4GB memory holds up 3,500 books

Battery last up to 6 weeks depending on model and WiFi use

Webkit Web Browser

Supports Kindle (AZW), TXT PDF, Audible  (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX) MP3 unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, HMTL,DOC,DOCX,JPEG.GIF,PNG.BMP through conversion.

Amazon’s tablet  PC saw strong sales after it was launched and according to The Guardian this has led Ted Mc Court of Morgan Keegan to lower his estimates of iPad sold during it’s fourth quarter. He now believes that the Apple sold 13 million units instead of 16 million.

McCourt though has raised his estimates for the amount of iPhones Apple managed to sell during the same period, which was beieved to be 29 million up from 27 million.  It is thought that Apple will now report revenues of at least 37.9 Billion, which was slightly down from the previous forecasts but still a record for the company.

Also during the same period  the rival Samsung is thought to have managed to sell at least 35 million smartphones during the quarter, which is also a record for it’s industry.  Samsung is expected to report guidance for the quarter coming up.

The estimated sales for iPad were lowered by McCourt following the news that Amazon had sold between 4 million abd 5 million Kindle Fire’s.  That could mean that Apple lost between 1 to  2 million in sales of the iPad to the Fire.

Apple experienced one of its best ever quarters for the iPhone, however it is still a way behind what the Samsung has sold.  You have to remember however that Apple does have far less handsets on offer compared to Samsung.

Some of the consumer may have put off buying the iPad  due to rumor that a new model may be coming in early 2012.  As reported before there are rumors that Apple could offer a cheaper version of the iPad this time around.

12 Ways Kindle Fire Can Steal the Show From Apple’s iPad 3

In the last month Amazon was informed that ” thoughout December customers purchased well over 1 million Kindle devises per week”.  However according to the analyst Morgan Keegan, Amazon may have sold close to 4 to 5 million units this holiday season.  It brought the sales of iPad in by 1 to 2 million.

Apple has been known for it’s simplicity in the product line,  it has to deal with the newest competitor as Kindle Fire defines simplicity and sleekness to the core.  Comparing Kindle Fire sales with the iPad in the market shows why the Kindle Fire has caught everyone’s attention.  The Amazon tablet serves its market segment with useful applications, design,usage, and affordability factor.

Amazon took the time to make sure it effectively rolled out a device in which cannot replace the iPad but would surely steal the show from Apple’s tablet.

Kindle Fire has accomplished in weeks what the RIM Playbook couldn’t do over the months.

Here is a look at how Kindle Fire, the first tablet , is proving to be a serious threat to Apple iPad.

Recognized Brand

Amazon is well recognized all over the world similar to the Apple.  It’s popularity is equal to that of Apple, Samsung and Dell.  But when it comes to online retail experience it even beats Apple’s popularity.

With the best services, Amazon has quietly brought out a product that can uphold the market with the consumers.

Excellent Sales Strategy

With the line of digital contents, Amazon has presented a tablet device that not only will help the company make money by selling digital contents but will also provide consumers with the best shopping experience.  The tablet will become a good source for consumers to receive the best offers on all of it’s line of products.  It outdoes the Apple iPad in this aspect.

Huge User Account Base

Amazon has a huge account user base ( close to 144 million active accounts ) which is expected to increase with the inclusion of the Kindle Fire tablet.  Many new consumers might just go for the Kindle Fire tablet which can provide one of the best retail experiences.

Consumers already know that the Kindle Fire is not likely to bear any resemblance to the Galaxy Tabs, Flyers and Xooms out there and it is tightly integrated with Amazon’s services and products.  This is bad news for Apple.

Also consumers can use one account for everything, including apps, bookds, music and video stores through Amazon.

Price

The best reason for the Amazon Kindle Fire sales rocks is due to the price.  The cheapest iPad is priced at $499.00 while the Kindle is priced at $199.00 which is less than half that of the iPad.  It is simple economics brilliantly executed.  Despite some of it limitation of the camera and volume rocker this tablet is priced correctly.

Apart from Apple backing up iPad content  and clout, Amazon will only be the other company which enjoys a similar platform.  Other companies only have tablets but have to depend on other services to get their tablets running.

Amazon hasn’t added any additional hardware distributions found in other Android tablets, but has precisely bought a tablet device for its own segment.  If all of the high end hardware mattered, then the other Android tablets would have made it big too.

Content and Products:

The major selling point of the Apple is its digital content which comes in tune with its device.  Although Apple iPad is the king of apps, yet Kindle Fire beats it considerably by volume of content, TV shows, songs, magazines and books already available on Amazon’s easy to browse virtual shelves.

Amazon’s website offers what is probably one of the unmatched shopping experiences, given its breadth of product categories, shopping suggestions based on a customer’s prior purchases, product rankings based on a scalable list of criteria buyers objective product reviews, competition among vendors and shipping options.

Amazon’s advantage over the Apple iPad comes in the form of default digital book store also.  Amazon Kindle Fire will have the appeal of the Kindle and will communicate much more effectively as a ebook reader also.  If you enjoy books then the Android Kindle has an edge over the iPad.

Amazon offers songs that are available from $0.99 compared to $1.29 on the Apple iTunes.

Ecosystem:

By using Amazon’s well established ordering inventory management and delivery network along with the services of the ecosystem could very well become as important as the Apple Store experience.  User experience is not limited to device functionality.  Apple’s success has been credited to the fact that it uses end to end user experience, particularly for non technical customers.

Apple has also worked to develop a vast ecosystem of content and this is the key area where Amazon can differentiate itself from the rest of the pack.

The e commerce giant has long been synonymous with online shopping content and services. Amazon has felt it’s own strength just as Apple has with putting booksellers out of business and becoming the go to place for shoppers who want to buy just about anything.

Size and Weight

The Kindle Fire is smaller than the iPad which is 10 inches, the Kindle Fire is only 7″.  The Kindle Fire can be held in one hand and is lighter than the iPad and a lot more portable.  Amazon has played it safe when it comes to the screen size as they stuck  with its experience in e-readers.

Best Online Retailer:

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer and is considered to be the best online internet retailer according to Foresee.  What is impressive is that Amazon.com has created its stellar reputation for customer satisfaction largely without any direct human customer contact.

Amazon provides accurate information on the retail website and content is always fresh and user friendly.  Technical elements of the website functions properly and gives the internet shoppers everything they need to make buying decision without any human intervention or interaction.

Storage: Unlimited cloud storage is offered by Amazon while icloud service is limited to capacity storage. Amazon will also provide safety net in case the user’s stored media is lost. The provision for free storage is so enticing that it holds the first position for digital bookstore and second for mp3 store (after Apple). Also, there is about 6 gigs of free space on the Fire.

New Android Interface: Kindle Fire is running on customised Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Although that platform can’t compete on the same level as iOS, it’s getting closer as Google offers more updates.

Many people, who have used the tablet-friendly Android version, are somewhat happy with it. As Android improves over the next several months, Amazon should be able to capitalise on that with its tablet.

In fact, other Android tablets suffer from software updates which are mostly controlled by the manufacturers who often try to sell new devices with the new software instead of updating older devices with it. However, such issues are unlikely to surface on Kindle Fire, simply because Amazon has totally reworked the interface — the device does not behave like other Android devices. Hence, users are not really going to be thinking of it as one and will not be looking for an update.

Flash: Flash is essential as many websites depend on it and also Flash enriches their web experience.

Amazon Prime: Amazon Prime membership also provides instant streaming of movies and TV shows at no additional cost. Also Amazon Prime is being offered free for a month when you purchase Kindle Fire.

Prime members have access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which allows users to borrow certain popular titles for free, up to one book a month, with no due date. Also the members can elect for “No Rush” shipping, and receive a $1.00 Amazon MP3 credit in their account for each order that is not shipped via 1- or 2-day delivery.