5 ms·

You'd think they'd mention which version of Android it uses.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
lpolovets 15y ago
I'm guessing it's intentional that they don't mention it. Given how much time and effort Amazon spent customizing Android to their needs, what would the advantage be of saying it's based off of 2.1? Most people would not care, and a minority would complain that it's not 2.2 or 2.3 or something else. Just like Apple, Amazon is trying to sell a complete experience, not a version number.
runjake 15y ago
That'd be important if they were positioning this as an Android device, but other than a brief one-word mention, they're not. Amazon is clearly trying to create their own Apple-esque eco-system around this. And they'll probably do rather well.
tvon 15y ago
IIRC it was forked from 2.1, but you'll have to look around to confirm that.
- radley 15y ago
  This article mentions 2.3 (but it's a tech blog, so who knows): http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-tablet-pictures-videohands-on/ http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-tablet-pict...
mikeash 15y ago
I wouldn't think so, any more than Apple mentions how fast their iOS processors are clocked or how much RAM they have. It's an implementation detail and their target audience doesn't care.
bradleyland 15y ago
Why wouldn't they mention the RAM it has? Why wouldn't they mention what wireless chipset it has? Why wouldn't they mention the amount of internal storage? I can answer all these questions, as well as the hundred other ones that geeks will ask: Because none of this matters to the millions of people who will buy them. To understand the difference between a company that "gets it" and your average geek who wonders why they don't publish these detailed specs, just have a look at the bullet points Amazon chose to lead with on the Kindle Fire page: * 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books * Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games * Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk * Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content * Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle * Fast, powerful dual-core processor * Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows Notice what makes the top of the list: content. Notice what makes-up the bottom (with the exception of the last one): Specs. * Customers don't want a tablet, they want to watch/read their favorite TV show, movie, magazine, or book. (18 million content items) * Customers don't want an Android tablet, they want to to play that cool game they saw in a commercial (curated Amazon Appstore) * Customers don't want a Javascript rendering engine, they want access to their favorite websites, and fast. (ultra-fast Amazon Silk) * Customers don't want to worry about how much space they have left on their device, they want easy access to everything they've purchased. (Cloud storage) * Customers want to feel secure that the device they're purchasing will look good to their eye. (Vibrant display; iPad is referenced later in the copy, so they can identify with something they know) * Customers want to feel confident that the device will be responsive. (apt use of the "dual-core" buzzword) This is how you take on the iPad.
- darrenkopp 15y ago
  Well actually they don't mention what version of Android because they have modified it so much it probably doesn't matter. On the other hand, they DO mention how much ram and internal storage it has.
  - stonemetal 15y ago
    Where do they call out the amount of ram?

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

I'm guessing it's intentional that they don't mention it. Given how much time and effort Amazon spent customizing Android to their needs, what would the advantage be of saying it's based off of 2.1? Most people would not care, and a minority would complain that it's not 2.2 or 2.3 or something else. Just like Apple, Amazon is trying to sell a complete experience, not a version number.

runjake 15y ago

That'd be important if they were positioning this as an Android device, but other than a brief one-word mention, they're not. Amazon is clearly trying to create their own Apple-esque eco-system around this. And they'll probably do rather well.

tvon 15y ago

IIRC it was forked from 2.1, but you'll have to look around to confirm that.

radley 15y ago
This article mentions 2.3 (but it's a tech blog, so who knows): http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-tablet-pictures-videohands-on/ http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-tablet-pict...

mikeash 15y ago

I wouldn't think so, any more than Apple mentions how fast their iOS processors are clocked or how much RAM they have. It's an implementation detail and their target audience doesn't care.

bradleyland 15y ago

Why wouldn't they mention the RAM it has? Why wouldn't they mention what wireless chipset it has? Why wouldn't they mention the amount of internal storage? I can answer all these questions, as well as the hundred other ones that geeks will ask: Because none of this matters to the millions of people who will buy them. To understand the difference between a company that "gets it" and your average geek who wonders why they don't publish these detailed specs, just have a look at the bullet points Amazon chose to lead with on the Kindle Fire page: * 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books * Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games * Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk * Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content * Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle * Fast, powerful dual-core processor * Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows Notice what makes the top of the list: content. Notice what makes-up the bottom (with the exception of the last one): Specs. * Customers don't want a tablet, they want to watch/read their favorite TV show, movie, magazine, or book. (18 million content items) * Customers don't want an Android tablet, they want to to play that cool game they saw in a commercial (curated Amazon Appstore) * Customers don't want a Javascript rendering engine, they want access to their favorite websites, and fast. (ultra-fast Amazon Silk) * Customers don't want to worry about how much space they have left on their device, they want easy access to everything they've purchased. (Cloud storage) * Customers want to feel secure that the device they're purchasing will look good to their eye. (Vibrant display; iPad is referenced later in the copy, so they can identify with something they know) * Customers want to feel confident that the device will be responsive. (apt use of the "dual-core" buzzword) This is how you take on the iPad.

darrenkopp 15y ago
Well actually they don't mention what version of Android because they have modified it so much it probably doesn't matter. On the other hand, they DO mention how much ram and internal storage it has.
- stonemetal 15y ago
  Where do they call out the amount of ram?