To accompany the huge update to its Amazon Appstore on Android, online retail giant Amazon is making available the Kindle Fire HD and the Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch to customers in over 170 countries around the world.
Pricing for the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD begins at $214, with the 8.9-inch model at $284. Both devices will rely heavily on Amazon for content. New Kindles will arrive pre-registered to the buyer's Amazon account and greet them by name. Amazon's digital content is also on the device, which includes a ton of apps, games, Prime Instant Video, books, audiobooks and magazines.
As for tech specs, the Kindle Fire HD is available with 16GB or 32GB of on-device storage, with Amazon digital content automatically backed up for free in Amazon's Cloud. Both Kindles come with higher memory bandwidth than Tegra 3. The Dolby Digital Plus audio platform runs on both, making it easy to adjust the sound and allow for headphones optimization. Both also claim at least 10 hours of battery life, but that remains to be seen.
Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch model (image via PCMag.com)
Each device also comes with dual-band Wi-Fi, which can automatically switch from the 2.4GHz network to the more roomy 5GHz network for less interference and better range.
The Kindle Fire HD 7-inch will have an HD display at 1280 x 800 and the HD 8.9-inch will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080.
While a list of the 170-plus countries has yet to be made available, Amazon has stated that those living in Austria and Luxembourg will need to order from the Amazon Germany site and those in Ireland and Gibraltar will be able to order from the Amazon U.K. site. Additionally, those living in Monaco should look toward the Amazon France site.
Both versions of the Kindle Fire are available for pre-order right now and are expected to ship on June 13.
Edited by
Alisen Downey 
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