# New Kindles? New Device Unveiling: June 18th (MERGED)



## frazzledglispa (Aug 23, 2010)

Amazon's homepage is now showing that they are having a launch event on June 18th, and you can request an invitation. New higher resolution e-ink Kindles? Maybe with a larger screen? Maybe a new DX (yeah, right!)

Excitement!

Edit:

Okay, or maybe not - Engadget thinks that it is for a phone with some sort of head tracking - if you click on the invitation request you see people interacting with something that they are holding off camera, and based on there reactions it would not seem to be a Kindle.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Wow!  That would be so cool -- if only there was any chance at all that I could GET to Seattle on that date! 

Must make sure Harvey knows! 

Bet the new device is the phone that's been rumored about.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Checking that out now -- thanks!!


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Me thinks it's amazon's new phone. Or, maybe a new kindle & a phone. No, just a phone. Like Fire TV. Amazon might want to promote 1 device at a time.


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## chilady1 (Jun 9, 2009)

I think it will be the launch of the new Amazon phone.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Surprised there's no thread about this... If I missed it, please lock this one.

I'm seeing this image on the Amazon main page:










It leads to this link:

https://www.amazon.com/oc/launchevent

Join Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos for our launch event
June 18 | Seattle

I wonder what this could be for? The rumored new Paperwhite? A new line of Kindle Fires? Something else entirely?

Let the speculation begin...


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Don't know what it'll be, but the image suggests something in the tablet line. I submitted a request for an invitation to attend the event, along with the (optional) video. Crossing my fingers...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

There was an existing thread, CS, I've merged them.

From watching the video, it seems to me to be consistent with the description of the rumored phone leaked earlier. It looks to me like people using the device are experimenting with the 3D view thingy announced. Here's the link to where we're discussing the phone in Not Quite Kindle:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,184791.0.html

It'll be interesting to see!

Betsy


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Ah... phone.   That would fit with the developer-specific questions on the invitation request form. Not too interesting to me if that's the case, and I worded my invitation request entirely around e-reading, so (if it's a phone) I won't be interesting to them either.


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## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

Well I can't say I can get too excited about new product announcements from Amazon because beyond their EINK ereaders which with the level of vision I have I can use, their iOS app, and their PC app, everything else they release either has very limited accessibility or no accessibility what so ever.  Amazon posted a letter to the FCC awhile back making it sound like they would go belly up if they continued to include accessibility features in their EINK ereaders and was part of another letter to the FCC by the set top box manufactures saying they needed a waver on accessibility again making it sound like they would go belly up if they included in it as well.  And sure enough, they came out with the Fire TV with absolutely no accessibility build in, but that would have diverted them from their mission of giving sighted people a way to avoid over asserting themselves by pushing buttons to control that device through voice diction.  The whole thing is beyond insulting for the Blind community who constantly finds itself excluded because Jeff and his management team to deaf to us and try to justify it by making it sound the company can't afford it.  If the Hatchet/Amazon fight has taught us anything, it is that Amazon will dismiss it's customers in a heart beat because of a need to control everyone and everything in sight and because doing on the cheap is more important than doing the right thing.  Check out the Steve Cobeit skit on his unhappiness with Amazon, it's funny.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

kb7uen Gene said:


> Check out the Steve Cobeit skit on his unhappiness with Amazon, it's funny.


Well Colbert isn't exactly an objective observer, since Hatchette is his publisher.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

kb7uen Gene said:


> If the Hatchet/Amazon fight has taught us anything, it is that Amazon will dismiss it's customers in a heart beat because of a need to control everyone and everything in sight and because doing on the cheap is more important than doing the right thing. Check out the Steve Cobeit skit on his unhappiness with Amazon, it's funny.


I disagree. I think they're EXTREMELY customer oriented. . . . but they're also a business. And, 4 million words notwithstanding, I'm _dead sure_ I don't know everything behind the current disagreement/negotiations. And, frankly, I'm not going to worry too much about it.

Be that as it may . . . . there are lots of other threads for discussing that issue . . . . let's keep this to speculation about what the new device might be. I'm guessing a biggish smart phone.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

On TV tonight, it said it was the phone.


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## 68564 (Mar 17, 2013)

Toby said:


> On TV tonight, it said it was the phone.


Who said?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

VydorScope said:


> Who said?


"they"



(note, I didn't watch TV news last night so I'm just being cheeky here: I was at the baseball game and Plain White T's concert.  )

eta: but I also found this: http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/05/amazons-3d-smartphone-is-powered-by-omrons-face-sensing-tech/


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I was going to edit my post to say "they". LOL! I was busy dealing with my PW1 update, so I left it as is. I was eating dinner while listening to the TV, so didn't pay much attention to anything in particular until my ears picked out the word amazon, & I twisted around in my seat to see the TV. The "it" was the TV news reporter on a Rhode Iland TV Channel. How did the reporter get that info.? Don't know. We shall all be excited to find out what amazon's first phone will be like. Competition is great. It makes companies try to improve their devices. That's my 2 cents.


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

With the Prime Music announcement today, I still staunchly do NOT want a smartphone, but I'm wondering if it will be possible to buy the Amazon phone and NOT have a 3G/4G data plan and just use it via wifi, like a small tablet. What would we call a small tablet? A wee-blet? 

I know so little about smart phones - if you aren't locked into a contract, can you just use a smartphone via wi-fi like a tablet? Like the iPod touch?

I have an android tablet, but carrying that while going for a walk, just to listen to music, seems silly.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Eltanin Publishing said:


> I know so little about smart phones - if you aren't locked into a contract, can you just use a smartphone via wi-fi like a tablet? Like the iPod touch?


Without calling, yes. (If the device is beefy enough and the WiFi connection is strong enough, I suppose you could do VoIP calling, but I don't have experience with that.) WiFi-only is how I'm using my old, pathetically-cheap, no-contract, Android 2.2, Virgin Mobile phone, now that I've decided they don't deserve any more money from me. (Awful service....) The problem is that battery life is _terrible_ when it's not funded for 3G, apparently because it's constantly checking for 3G service... maybe to see if I funded it again? Not sure, but I don't use it much as a result. It's only a backup that I leave in my car in case I neglect to take along my Nexus 10.

I'd guess that a modern, higher-end, unlocked phone wouldn't have that problem, but again I don't have experience with that. I've been wanting to get a Nexus 5 to try to use that way, but don't have the budget for that yet. I really enjoy having computing and network access available wherever I go, which is what a smart "phone" offers, but I don't care much about the phone aspect because I almost never make or receive calls. When Amazon said "new device" I thought Kindle and was like  but when I read it was probably a phone I was more like .


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I hadn't heard about this.. Still hoping for a PW with page turn buttons.    Is it definitely a phone??  I like my Galaxy III.  No need to change.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

We don't know for sure what it is....but pretty sure it's a phone.  There have been leaked photos of a phone, no leaks about a new PW.

I like my Galaxy 2, but willing to look at an Amazon phone.  They make good devices. 

Betsy


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I have a smart phone now.  No contract.  $45 a month for unlimited everything.
Though I did make the mistake of leaving it on in a non 3g area.  Drained the battery doing nothing.  Well I was doing nothing. 
Now my best advice is look at the coverage map before choosing a company.  Verizon has better coverage out here than ATT.


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## 68564 (Mar 17, 2013)

cinisajoy said:


> I have a smart phone now. No contract. $45 a month for unlimited everything.
> Though I did make the mistake of leaving it on in a non 3g area. Drained the battery doing nothing. Well I was doing nothing.
> Now my best advice is look at the coverage map before choosing a company. Verizon has better coverage out here than ATT.


I would only loosely trust the maps and talk to cell phone customers in your area. AT&T and VZ definitely have the largest footprint (in America can't speak for anywhere else), but either or will be better based on terrain, buildings, and etc. Cheaper providers usually use Sprint's network which is one of the worst in America.

YOu can get contract free, $15 a month fully unlimited voice and data from Republic Wireless. I am thinking about getting them as a house phone.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I did talk to the lady before buying and she said Verizon has the best coverage in our area.
Point proven when I got a text in between Balmorhea and Pecos.  Also went all the way from here to Abilene and no break in service except for about 1 minute on a backroad.  
ATT broke between the towns.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Eltanin Publishing said:


> I know so little about smart phones - if you aren't locked into a contract, can you just use a smartphone via wi-fi like a tablet? Like the iPod touch?


Probably. It's a fair bet that there will be a wifi receiver in the phone. If that's the case -- yes, there's no problem just using it like a tiny tablet. 



Crenel said:


> Without calling, yes. (If the device is beefy enough and the WiFi connection is strong enough, I suppose you could do VoIP calling, but I don't have experience with that.) WiFi-only is how I'm using my old, pathetically-cheap, no-contract, Android 2.2, Virgin Mobile phone, now that I've decided they don't deserve any more money from me. (Awful service....) The problem is that battery life is _terrible_ when it's not funded for 3G, apparently because it's constantly checking for 3G service... maybe to see if I funded it again? Not sure, but I don't use it much as a result. It's only a backup that I leave in my car in case I neglect to take along my Nexus 10.


On my Droid MAXX, I can turn Airplane mode ON and it turns off both the cell phone function AND wifi. I can then turn WiFi back ON without turning on the cell radio. I would guess that if you do that you won't have the problem of it constantly looking for a cell signal when there isn't one or when you don't have a carrier contract anyway.

FWIW, it works the same way on both my kindle Fires, too, even though they don't even have cell radios. So I think it's pretty much android standard.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> On my Droid MAXX, I can turn Airplane mode ON and it turns off both the cell phone function AND wifi. I can then turn WiFi back ON without turning on the cell radio. I would guess that if you do that you won't have the problem of it constantly looking for a cell signal when there isn't one or when you don't have a carrier contract anyway.


Wow, interesting -- I will definitely try that! Android 2.2 is a bit of a letdown after being accustomed to 4.4, and the storage on the phone is a joke, but it's better than nothing.



VydorScope said:


> YOu can get contract free, $15 a month fully unlimited voice and data from Republic Wireless. I am thinking about getting them as a house phone.


Intriguing, thanks for the tip... I have them on my radar now.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

cinisajoy said:


> I did talk to the lady before buying and she said Verizon has the best coverage in our area.
> Point proven when I got a text in between Balmorhea and Pecos. Also went all the way from here to Abilene and no break in service except for about 1 minute on a backroad.
> ATT broke between the towns.


For Texas, it definitely depends on your location in the state. There are places where AT&T is the best, places where Verizon is best, places where some little local company is the only one that works, and places where it doesn't matter which carrier you use - you will be in a dead spot.
We have offices all over the state and our game wardens depend on their phones and radios. At our training facility, it is a black hole for phones. You might get a little signal depending on your location, but generally speaking, you have to drive down the road 10 miles or so to pick up a signal.


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