Amazon Kindle Fire HD users annoyed by the advertisements that would appear on the lock screen will be able to opt out of these ads after all once the tablet is released. The caveat? It would come with an upcharge of $15.
Actually, all the Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers announced last week would come with these “special offers” on the lock screen, a sore point for many consumers. But for users of the Kindle Fire HD, that shouldn’t be the case anymore as long as they opt out for the $15 charge. In a statement, Amazon announced that it will be softening its stance on special offers and ads. “I wanted to let you know that with Kindle Fire HD there will be a special offers opt-out option for $15,” read the retailer’s statement. “We know from our Kindle reader line that customers love our special offers and very few people choose to opt out. We’re happy to offer customers the choice,”
Previous reports stated that the Kindle devices launched last week would come in two varieties – a more inexpensive version with advertisements and a version without ads, but with a higher price point. This was quickly debunked when it became clear that advertisements would be a staple of the new Kindle Fires; this led to several complaints from potential buyers and tech journalists alike. Several Kindle Fire tablets were launched in the special event in New York last Thursday, including an 8.9-inch device priced at $499 which is expected to challenge the Apple iPad. This device comes with 4G LTE, along with its large high-definition display.
The high-end Kindle Fire HD just might have enough in it to give the iPad a run for its money, based on specifications. Resolution is 1,920 x 1,200, making it very comparable to the iPad’s 2,048 x 1,536 Retina Display on the third-generation iPad. It includes 32 GB onboard storage – more than enough for most consumers’ media collections. Amazon hopes that its low price point, which is the same as the Wi-Fi only, 16 GB iPad, would help the company stay competitive in the tablet market going forward.
