Amazon buys Ivona, a text-to-speech software company

 Ever head of Ivona? Neither have I, but this company really got Amazon's attention. The company has announced that it has acquired Ivona Software, which specialized in text-to-speech software. The company had already been working close with Amazon, providing text-to-speech, voice commands, and Explore by Touch features to the Kindle Fire.

What might this acquisition mean for Amazon? Well, it could mean that the company is looking to develop more advance voice recognition features for its lineup of Kindle devices. Perhaps they intend to offer up competition to Apple’s Siri and Google Now.  The move also makes sense if Amazon enters the smartphone market as often rumored lately.

Regardless of where Amazon’s purchase of Ivona leads, it sure makes for interesting speculation.

Alcatel Tab7 HD vs Kindle Fire HD 7" - Early Review

 Not a lot of people in the USA have heard of Alcatel as this a brand mostly popular in Europe and Asia. They aren't the type that produces the best quality you have ever seen, but some of their device are quite popular as they are inexpensive and provide solid specs and good quality. The Alcatel Tab7 HD (sometimes also called the Alcatel One Touch Tab7 HD) has been announced for 2013 and we are here to give an early review and comparison with the Kindle Fire HD 7". While this little Kindle Fire HD vs Alcatel Tab7 HD review will not be a fair battle since we haven't really seen the device in action yet, it should give all of you who are interested into these two models a good idea of which you should be saving your money for. Please note that this device is also

Early photo of the Alcatel Tab7 HD from CES

The Display

 Both devices have a similar display with the same resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Also, both of these tablets use a IPD TFT capacitive technology. This category would be a draw, however there are still two things to consider. The first is that the Kindle Fire HD has multi-touch and supports up to 10 fingers at once which does make it a winner in my book when it comes to the display itself. However, the second thing is that we are yet to see the quality of the Alcatel Tab 7 HD's display so let us not call anything yet.

The Hardware and the OS

 This is obviously very important for any comparison, but trust me this will not be the deal breaker when it comes to the Alcatel Tab7 vs Kindle Fire HD. Benchmarks show that the Tab7 has a faster processor, but it doesn't really win by a lot even though its has 1.6 GHz clock speed compared to the Kindle's 1.2 GHz. 

 Both of these devices have 1 GB of RAM and as far as internal memory goes the KF has a small advantage. Namely, it sports a 16 and 32 GB model, while the Tab7 has 8 GB of internal memory. However, the Alcatel One Touch Tab 7 also has support for a microSD card. Amazon's tablet can only counter this with the free Amazon cloud storage that their users can get.

 The Tab 7 does beat the Kindle Fire HD 7" when it comes to the camera since the Tab 7 features both a front (2MP) and rear VGA camera. The KF HD only has a rear 1.3 MP shooter.

 In terms of the OS, both devices obviously run on Android and Alcatel will have Android Jelly Bean on their device. Amazon currently has a forked version of the Ice Cream Sandwich which works quite well on this device, especially with the latest bug fixes and updates that Amazon has released.

The Price

 Now this is where we might get a deal breaker! The Kindle Fire HD normally costs around $199, but the Alcatel Tab7 is set to cost around $129 once the device is released. That a great price for the level of quality you will be getting! I have owned several inexpensive Alcatel products and I am impressed with the job that this company has done. When it comes to the tablets alone I would go for the Tab7 hand's down, but we both know it is not that easy. The fact is that we don't just buy the Kindle Fire for the tablet itself, we buy if, for better of for worse, because we use Amazon so much and love all the features that we get out of it.

 No matter what your choice is going to be, think it through carefully. Have a great day!

Kindle Fire HD vs Nook HD Review

 The Kindle Fire HD 7" and the Nook HD are both very popular low-end tablets which means that they are affordable, yet have solid performance when compared to their bigger relatives in the tablet industry. But which one is right for you? We will not turn this Kindle Fire HD vs Nook HD review into a flaming battle that has to have a winner, but we will realistically state the pros and cons of both devices and help you make a choice of your own. However, the choice may fall down on another question - do you prefer using Amazon or Barnes & Noble? If you are quite indifferent about the two brands and just want to get your hands on the better tablet, then our task will be a lot easier!

The Nook HD vs the Kindle Fire HD

The Display

 Let us start the comparison from the first thing that usually crosses our mind - the display screen. Both the Nook HD and the Kindle Fire HD 7" have a seven inch display screen and the same price. However, the Nook HD does offer a much higher resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels versus the Kindle HD's 1280 x 800 pixels. This means that the Nook HD has 243 pixels per inch which is better than its rival's 216 ppi. Although it does seem like a lot, there are still a lot of people who will barely notice the difference as Amazon has done other things to compensate and improve the visual quality that their tablet provides.

Storage Space

 Another very important thing for the average user is how much storage space they will be getting for their money. Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is certainly a winner here as the $199 models offers 16 GB while you can pay $249 for a 32 GB model as well. On the other hand, Barnes & Noble's Nook HD offers 8 GB for the standard model, or you can pay $249 for a 16 GB version.

Processor Power

 Tech fans are probably mostly interested in what these tablets offer under the hood, and the truth is that I believe that the Nook HD has a better kit running inside. This has been proven by many benchmarking websites who give the Nook HD more points over its rival. However, once again the difference is hard to spot for the average Joe. Why? the Kindle Fire HD sports a 1.2GHz dual-core TI Omap 4460 processor and dual-core PowerVR SGX540 graphics while its rival the Nook HD comes with a 1.3GHz dual-core TI Omap 4470 processor and dual-core PowerVR SGX544 graphics. Aside from a few higher number that the Nook has, most people don't really care about these specs and the truth is that the Nook doesn't score much higher than Amazon's best seven inch tablet.

The Camera

 I never really liked it when people use cameras on their tablet nor do I think they are really necessary. Perhaps the folks at B&N agree with me since their seven inch tablet does not feature a camera. The Kindle Fire HD, however, features 1.3 megapixel web camera on the front which is only slightly better than that on a Google Nexus 7.

Battery Life

 With this final comparison we will try to conclude our Kindle Fire HD vs Nook HD review. The tests show that the Kindle lasted for seven hours and 42 minutes while under the same circumstances he Nook HD  was able to endure five hours and 25 minutes. I don't know how much you guys care about this, but I am often forced to travel and my lifestyle always has me going places. Knowing that I have a device with a reliable battery life is something that I truly enjoy!

So what else should you consider? Well, both of these are family tablets and you kids will love them. If you are someone who uses Amazon a lot, or you don't mind starting, then the Kindle Fire HD is the superior choice. It may not be a better table in all aspects, but Amazon provides you with far more media content which included movies, audio, games, books and much more!

  If you are a student you can also get a $50 discount on the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" which is certainly the best choice that you can make as it will cost you $249! A real bargain to be honest, especially since you will also be able to enjoy Amazon Prime. Get the coupon here!

More reviews:

• The Kindle Fire HD 8.9" vs the Apple iPad 3
• The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7" vs Kobo Arc

Amazon Wins Court Case Against Apple (Almost!)

 Ready for some more news from those "exciting" legal front-lines where companies fight over things that most of us view as unimportant? Fair enough, I understand that you do not share the excitement, but this news fits the theme of our little blog and just belongs here! So, the latest story this time is about Apple’s claim that Amazon’s use of the term “Appstore” actually constitutes false advertising. So, Kindle Fire HD fans, what do you say about that?!

 This is actually an extra law suit which just ads onto Apple's previous claims that Amazon was guilty of stealing the name from Apple. They claim that this brand theft had caused them a lot of harm and that compensation is required to even out their loss. Apple's case was based that on the idea that the similarity of the names had fooled users into believing that the two stores were somehow related and that Apple's reputation was abused in this matter. However, the truth is that the claim is quite absurd as you would have to be quite uneducated to mix the two as they are available on totally different platforms and aside from the the name, the rest of the branding is very unique on both sides and there isn't a pixel of similarity in the designs. It is a good thing that Amazon really thrives at creating unique design and that there is no way to link their Kindle Fire HD with the iPad for another law suit!

 Unlike the court cases where it seemed as though Samsung was punished for no reason, Amazon did not meet the same case. This is not a Korean company on foreign soil, but a full American retail giant which knows its rights! The court threw away the charges and stated that Apple had failed to show how Amazon was deceiving consumer and causing harm to Apple.

 The judges states:

“The mere use of ‘Appstore’… cannot be construed as a representation that the nature, characteristics, or quality of the Amazon Appstore is the same as that of the Apple App Store.”

 However, the law suit is not over yet as the court is yet to reach a verdict on whether or not Amazon has caused damage and stolen Apple's trademark with their Amazon Appstore name. If Amazon is found guilty then we can assume that they will be forced to change their branding and pay a fine to Apple, which is something we certainly don't want to see! On the other hand however, we are sure Amazon will have more than enough funds to take care of things as their Kindle Fire HD sales are booming great and Amazon was once again voted for the title of  the bran with the best customer satisfaction (for an eight time!).

Kindle Fire HD: Officially the Best Selling Product from Amazon

 Amazon is a company that know how to create good stuff and make great deals for its potential buyers. This is why nobody is really surprised by the booming success that the company is having not just with the Kindle Fire HD, but with their products as well. A couple of days ago a Forbes author and analyst McCue wrote that the Kindle Fire HD is on fire, from a sales perspective, and that the retail giant Amazon was rated number one for its customer service. ForeSee reports that Amazon was able to successfully sell over 26.5 million items in a single peak day which certainly has to be some sort of record! And speaking of hot deals, did you know that students can get the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch tablet with a $50 discount? Read more about it here.

A best seller across all categories!

 The holidays have come and gone and Amazon has emerged victories for the eight time when it comes to customer satisfaction! Their customer service, secure web servers and brilliant delivery are top notch and it is really no wonder why the general public and business owners love Amazon, and thus the Kindle Fire HD has big shoes to fill and a reputation  to keep! And it has kept its reputation quite well so far. 

My little rant

 The Kindle Fire HD is no longer observed by tech fans as an Amazon consumer device, but a fully-functional and extremely well-made mobile tablet device. I find it sad that a lot of people still look down on the KF HD with argumentation that it forked version of Android OS "sucks" or with a negative connotation that Apple is the only company that provides quality products and the rest is "trash". Well you know what? A lot of people like me will tell you that we enjoy the capabilities of Amazon's forked Android OS and that this device is well-build and very elegant. Owning an iPad will not buy snobs class nor does it make you a better person. If you wish to own an iPad because of its impressive specs and features then it is a good choice that you have made. But, if you are someone who thinks that these devices will buy you love, respect and admiration of your peers, then I feel sorry for you and I don't really know what you are doing on this blog in the first place.

Back to the facts

Amazon reports that:

• Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle hold the top four spots on the Amazon worldwide best seller charts since launch.
• Cyber Monday 2012 was the biggest day ever for Kindle sales worldwide.
• Christmas Day was the biggest day ever for digital downloads across Amazon’s selection of over 23 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks, and popular apps and games.
• The most gifted Kindle book during the holiday season was “The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail-but Some Don’t,” by Nate Silver.

Further reading: Predictions about Android tablets for year 2013 on ApSense.

$50 discount off Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ for Amazon Student members with Prime

 We hope you had fun during your celebration of the New Year and now that the holidays have come and gone you probably feel as if all the good offers have vanished all of a sudden. But fear not, for Amazon cares for their users no matter what season it is! If you are in the market for a new tablet or e-reader then you should make great use of this new offers as  you can get the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" thanks to a great back-to-school type of deal from Amazon HQ. The e-commerce giant is offers a great 50$ discount for Amazon Student members who have an active Prime account. If you meet this criteria then long into your Amazon account and navigate yourself to the offers page! You will need to use the special promo code which we have included in bold in our third paragraph! There's a little scavenger hunt fro you by the way! :)

Browse through the amazing Kindle Fire HD 8.9" specs if you are unsure

 The $50 discount only applies to the Kindle Fire HD WiFi models (which will cost you $249 instead of $299) and the LTE model ($449 instead of $499). As explained the opening paragraph, you will need to have an Amazon Student membership along with an active Prime account which costs only $39 annually after a six-month trial period. Actually, Prime status costs a lot more ($79 annually) but students get this sweet deal as well! You can really tell that the good folks at Amazon value education  and understand that students aren't really loaded with cash so this will certainly make their lives a lot easier!

 All you got to do is use the promo code KNDL4STU and you can avail yourself of this discount as long as you meet the requirements. Now, how long will this offer last you ask? Well, you can use the code through January 30, 2013 which certainly gives you a lot of time to decide whether or not you wish to get your hands on this brilliant Kindle Fire HD device.

 Please keep this in mind though:

• The code will be usable at least 24 hours after activating your Prime account. 
• The promo can only be redeemed once per customer, so better decide now if you want to avail more than just one unit. 
• You should still be prepared to invest $15 to opt out of advertising on any of these devices.

With the $50 you save off on this great deal you can look into getting some nice new cases or accessories for your new Kindle Fire HD 8.9"! Keep updated with us via RSS if you want to be in touch with some great hot news and tips about the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and other related Kindle devices!