Fire Tablet Gets A Facelift

Amazon Fire Colors
Taken from talkingnewmedia.com

By: Lexi Thayer

ATLANTA, Ga- Amazon Kindle readers are in for a real treat with the release of the Fire with color.

Amazon announced April 21 that their newest Kindle Fire Tablet will come in three new colors with more storage as well. The Fire is available in black, blue, magenta, and tangerine. The new Fire will also offer an 8 GB starting at $49.99 and a 16 GB at $69.99. Customers have the luxury to carry their Fire on the go. The newer Fire will allow consumers to take more movies, shows, songs, books, apps, and take pictures. Alongside the Fire colors, Fire Kids Edition is available with 16 GB starting out at $119.99.

"We're excited to introduce Fire with bright new colors and even more storage-so that customers can enjoy a great entertainment experience on a fun, colorful tablet starting at less than $50," said Kevin Keith, GM, and Fire Tablets. The new Fire won't just have three new colors and two storage options to choose from, it has many new features as well. The newer Fire will have a 7 IPS display that will have vivid and accurate color reproduction that can be seen at all angles. Consumers will also have a faster processor that will allow easier ways to switch between apps, stream movies, and browse the Internet.

Now you won't have to whip out your iPhone to take pictures of your family and friends because the Fire has a front-and-rear facing camera. You'll be able to video chat with friends and family, take and share photos, and save them later on cloud storage. The newer tablet also offers up to 128 GB of expandable storage through a microSD card; a battery life that lasts all day, filters that limit the exposure of blue light so it's easier to read at bedtime, along with 38 different movies, shows, books, and songs with unlimited free cloud storage. If that isn't enough, the Kids Edition also comes in new colors and storage. The Kids Edition comes with one year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited which features 10,000 children's books, videos, and educational apps. There is even a 2-year, worry-free guarantee if anything happens to your device, return it and Amazon will ship you a new one for free.

What more could an Amazon Fire bring to the table? I know the storage sounds small to everyone. But I love how you now have the option to choose a color and it comes with all these new features. The first Kindle version was just black and white, no camera, no Internet, no music or videos. I think the Fire tablet is trying to compete with the iPad. Yes, the iPad has everything the new Fire has; but the Fire is significantly less in price. If I can purchase a new Fire with the capability to roam the Internet, watch movies, TV shows, read a novel, and take pictures why not pay $49.99 or $69.99 instead of $200 or $300 dollars for an iPad Mini.

I'm sure there are still some customers partial to their Apple products, but with the newer Fire, I think more and more consumers will flock because of the newer details. Personally, I do not own a Fire or iPad, but from people I know who own both, they seem to enjoy the Fire. With the cheaper price tag and similar features, the Fire could possibly out rank the iPad in years to come. What do you all think? Will Fire become the new iPad? Check out the new Fire HD 6 on the Amazon.

iPhone 7: Rumored New Features and Release Date

YouTube image of the iPhone 7

By Lexi Thayer

ATLANTA, Ga- Rumors are swirling about the newest iPhone set to be released in September of 2016.

The iPhone 7 has been on the minds of Apple consumers since the release of the iPhone 6 and 6S just back in September of 2015. The newer version of Apple's iPhone is rumored to offer wireless charging and a touchscreen with a built-in Touch 3-D. It's also been rumored that Apple may be ditching its 3.5 mm headphone jack. Apple is notorious for alternating between internal upgrades for the 'S' and creating a completely new design for the full-number update. Macworld believes a 4.7 inch iPhone 7 and a 5.5 inch iPhone 7 Plus will be released either in the summer or in September of 2016. The newer version will be thinner with no headphone jack; thus making iPhone users connect to wireless Bluetooth headphones, or plugging into an adaptor. More speculation is that there will be higher screen resolution, the 16 GB storage will be phased out since that is not enough storage; predicting the iPhone 7 will start out at 32 GB. More features could include a USB-C port, possible wireless charging, and waterproofing.

I gave some thought into the rumor features and release date for the iPhone 7, and have some mixed reviews. Though I think it's great that Apple wants to keep revamping and making their products even better. There are features that should and should not be replaced. Personally, I think removing the headphone jack and having people invest in Bluetooth headphones or plugging into an adaptor to listen to their music is not the best strategy. Of course I listen to my music via Bluetooth in the car, but what if I still enjoy plugging my headphones in and jamming out? I could always invest in the Bluetooth version of headphones; but those could be expensive depending on what brand and the quality you're looking for.

On the other hand, I did like how Apple is phasing out the 16 GB version of the iPhone, because I know for a fact in this day in age that 16 GB is not enough storage for someone. The iPhone is more than just a phone, it helps us connect via email, social media, through pictures, and video. The 32 GB upgrade would be very beneficial for all consumers. One other feature I enjoyed is the wireless charging. I know that a lot of busy college students and professionals are constantly using our phones and not have access to a wall outlet to charge our devices. I think it would be great to have a wireless charging aspect that comes with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7S. I know this article is merely just rumor about new features and the release date, but I really do hope Apple invest in a few of these features listed.

YouTube: iPhone 7 running iOS 10

What do you think? Should Apple invest in the rumored features? Or, maybe they already have invested in these. The world will know soon coming September 2016.