Amazon confirmed to Engadget yesterday that the new Kindle Fire HD tablets run Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.
The original Kindle Fire ran a custom version of Android so it is likely that the new tablets will feature a tweaked build of the Ice Cream Sandwich software.
Amazon held a press conference yesterday where the company unveiled the new Kindle Fire HD 7-inch and 8.9-inch models.
The larger device sports an 8.9-inch screen with 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution and 254 PPI. The Kindle Fire HD will also be capable of in-plane switch and Amazon promises that it is 40 percent faster than the original thanks to its TI OMAP 4470 processor.
Amazon also stated that the device's MIMO antenna will allow it to retrieve content at a rate that is 41 percent faster than the new Google Nexus 7 or iPad.
It will also be the first tablet to feature Dolby Digital, which brings a dual speaker system as opposed to the singular speaker found on the iPad. The Kindle Fire HD battery will last longer and the tablet starts with 16GB RAM.
Amazon will also launch a 7-inch version with the same specifications along with a 32GB 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD that will come with 4G LTE connectivity.
The 7-inch version of the Kindle Fire HD will ship on Sept. 14 and will sell for just $199, while the 8.9-inch model will not be available until Nov. 20 and will cost $299. The 32GB LTE model will cost $499 and will run the owner $50 per year for service.
Amazon will also drop the price down on the original Kindle Fire tablet to $159 thanks to a new ad-supported version.
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