贝佐斯解密新款Kindle Fire HDX

    7寸版HDX采用720p前置摄像头，分辨率为1920×1200像素，但没有后置摄像头；而8.9英寸版HDX增加了带闪光灯的8百万像素后置摄像头，分辨率为2560×1600。两款设备都配备了16 GB内存，并采用一体成型的漆黑色镁制底座，比去年的机型轻了34％、薄了14％。亚马逊称，由于采用了新的低功率模式，能在任务较轻时减少芯片使用，这几款新机型的续航时间达到了11小时。假如用户只读电子书的话，续航时间更可长达17小时。兼容美国电话电报公司（AT＆T）和威瑞森（Verizon）网络的4G机型也将于12月面市。

    当我拿起两种型号的HDX，第一感觉是轻得不可思议。8.9寸版HDX仅重0.8磅（约合363克），比10寸版的iPad轻盈了许多，后者的重量“足足”有1.44磅（约合653克）。市面上有许多7寸屏以上的平板电脑，我认为HDX是第一款我能长时间舒服地握在手中的产品。

    重制版的Fire HD同样引人注目。苹果（Apple）此前将大量iPhone 5部件塞入“高端大气”的彩色塑料壳中，诞生出iPhone 5C。亚马逊这次如法炮制，新款Fire HD的硬件和去年的高配版保持一致，依然是1.5GHz双核处理器和1280×800分辨率屏幕，不过外形进行了重新设计，采用了类似HDX的柔性塑料底座。售价则是业界良心的139美元。（对比一下，仅比今年新上市的Kindle Paperwhite电子书贵了20美元。）

    虽然仅仅将上一年的硬件产品进行了重新包装，但极具杀伤力的价格让竞争对手望尘莫及。贝佐斯曾说过，如果价格合适，用户愿意同时购买平板电脑和电子书，而亚马逊这次无疑在低端市场掀起了一场价格大战。贝佐斯解释称：“我们发现，我们第一次向大量购买电子书的平板电脑用户（不仅限于Kindle Fire平板用户）展示Kindle Paperwhite电子书设备的时候，他们对该产品可以说是爱不释手。”

    这由此导出了贝佐斯的第三个原则：“取悦用户”和“深度整合”之间有着千丝万缕联系。所以，他会不遗余力地推广亚马逊的新系统Fire OS 3.0 Mojito——基于谷歌Android 4.2.2果冻豆的定制系统。贝佐斯竭力向大家证明：最新款的Kindle Fire是硬件和软件的完美结合。

    The 7-inch HDX has a 720p front-facing camera, but no rear camera, and a pixel resolution of 1,920 by 1,200; the 8.9-incher adds an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash and a pixel resolution of 2,560 by 1,600. Both include 16 gigabytes of built-in storage to start and come sheathed in a jet-black magnesium unibody chassis that's up to 34% lighter and 14% thinner than last year's models. Amazon claims the tablets will run for 11 hours between charges and as long as 17 hours if users only read e-books. That's thanks to a new, low-power mode that cuts down on chip usage during light tasks. 4G models running on AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) will also become available by December.

    When I grip both of the HDX models, I'm surprised at how light they are. The 8.9-inch HDX weighs 0.8 lbs, less than the 10-inch iPad, which weighs significantly more at 1.44 lbs. Frankly, it's the first tablet over 7 inches I could imagine comfortably holding for long stints.

    The revamped Fire HD also warrants attention. Just as Apple (AAPL) took many of the iPhone 5's components and wrapped them up in the 5c's "unapologetically plastic," candy-colored body, the Fire HD takes the same 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 1,280 by 800 resolution display in last year's high-end model, repackages them in a soft-coated, plastic chassis resembling this year's HDX, and sells it for $139. (To compare, this year's Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is being sold for just $20 less.)

    Yes, it's last year's technology all gussied up for another pass but at an even lower price point few competitors dare go. It's a play for the lower end of the price range, where Bezos says people are more inclined to buy both an affordably priced tablet and an e-reader. "What we've found is we take heavy e-book buyers who are also tablet users, not just Kindle Fire tablet users ... and we show them the Kindle Paperwhite for the first time, we can't get it back from their hands," he explains.

    This brings Bezos to his third principle, a venn diagram where "customer delight" and "deep integration" overlap. He is keen to show off the improved software operating system-- dubbed Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito," using Google Android 4.2.2 Jelly bean as the underpinnings -- and how the latest Kindle Fire experience marries hardware and software services.

    亚马逊隆重推出Mayday，HDX上通过Wi-Fi连接的7×24小时客户支持服务。贝佐斯非常兴奋地点开展示机上的按钮，片刻之后，一位名叫迪伦的亚马逊员工出现在小视频窗口中。他不但能面对面地为你答疑解惑，还能手把手的指点你，在你的平板上画上几个指示箭头，甚至还能按照你的要求完成调节屏幕亮度等工作。贝佐斯从技术角度解读说：“这是最困难、当然也是最酷的事情。”他预计Mayday会迎来开门大吉，因为大家都迫不及待地想向朋友炫耀。

    Enter Mayday, a new, free 24/7 tech support service available over Wi-Fi for HDX owners. Bezos gets excited as he taps a virtual button on his demo unit, and voila: In seconds, a tech support employee named Dylan pops up in a small video chat window. Not only can employees offer virtual face-to-face advice on how to use a certain tablet feature, they can actually control the tablet, too, drawing arrows to menu options, even doing things like upping or dimming brightness at the users' request. "It's both the hardest to do and coolest you can do," Bezos says from a technological standpoint. He expects Mayday to be particularly popular initially as users show it off to their friends.