贝佐斯解密新款Kindle Fire HDX

    Kindle Fire刚上市时，由于软件扩展性差和反应迟钝招来许多批评。因为当时的系统还是单任务的。现在情况大不一样了。Fire OS 3.0增加了一个叫做Quickswitch的多任务功能。用户可以从屏幕下方滑动拉出任务列表。其中包含打开的应用程序、出版物和书籍。用户可以随意选择。切换非常流畅。

    像X-Ray这类软件也得到了增强，从仅限于书籍扩展到电影领域。亚马逊充分利用了旗下的电影数据库IMDB。现在Kindle用户可以查阅到大量信息，比如说用户所购买或租赁的某部电影里有哪些演员；或者某个电影场景中的背景音乐是什么。亚马逊还推出了另一项功能“第二屏幕”（second screen）。顾名思义，用户可以将Kindle中的视频通过PlayStation 3等设备投射到电视上，而Kindle此时的角色就变成了遥控器。用户可以控制视频播放，还能随时查看视频的额外信息。

    Fire 3.1系统将于今年晚些时候推出，似乎是瞄准了企业级市场。它不但兼容IT协议，还有更成熟的电子邮件应用，可以支持threaded messaging等新特性。“人们想要的设备是能同时兼顾工作和娱乐两方面需求的。他们不想为了工作带一款设备，为了休闲再带一款设备。”

    显然，贝佐斯希望凭借更大胆的设计、更具竞争力的定价，以及Mayday等新功能吸引消费者将HDX作为首选平板产品。（财富中文网）

    译者：项航

    When the Kindle Fire first launched, its software was criticized for being limited and occasionally sluggish. It essentially was a mono-tasking device. That's less so the case this year. Fire OS 3.0 includes a new multitasking feature called Quickswitch. Users pull up the pane by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen. A row of open apps, publications, and books appear. They can then scroll through and select what they want. The transition is instant.

    Other software tweaks include a beefed-up version of X-Ray. Once limited to books, the feature now takes advantage of Amazon's ownership of the movie database IMDB and lets Kindle owners discover say, which actors are in a particular movie they've rented or purchased, or which song is playing in the background of a particular scene. The other, called "second screen," basically leverages a device like a PlayStation 3 loaded with Amazon Instant Video software attached to a TV, and turns the tablet into a similar console. Users can check out additional information about what they're watching and control video playback.

    A Fire OS update due later this year, dubbed 3.1, seems aimed at the enterprise, including compatibility with IT protocols and a more mature email app with features like threaded messaging. "People want one device that allows them to do their job and is their entertainment device," says Bezos. "They don't want to carry one for their job and entertainment consumption."

    Clearly, Bezos hopes his company's bolder design, ever-aggressive pricing, and new features like Mayday will be enough to entice customers into making the HDX their tablet of choice.