Amazon's Devices Get a New Look

Amazon held a news conference on Wednesday to fire the latest salvo in the ongoing war between itself and Apple. This time online retailer has directly gone after the iPad by unveiling its Kindle Fire, a tablet that’s less than half the price of Apple’s device.

The new Kindle Fire only costs $199 although it’s not nearly as sophisticated as the iPad, with no camera, microphone or 3G connectivity, according to TechCrunch. Considering how strong Amazon’s e-commerce is, the company has the best chance of really competing with Apple.

After the announcement, Amazon’s shares closed out the day up $5.50, a change of 2.45%. And according to Bloomberg analysts, the new Kindle will increase Amazon’s sales by 32% in 2012.

The Kindle Fire has a shipping date of Nov. 15, although the company is taking preorders immediately.

ThisisMyNext.com compiled a chart comparing the Kindle Fire with its competition:

The Nook Color is a more direct competitor, and they really only vary in price — the Kindle is $50 cheaper — operating system — the Kindle is running on the newer Android 2.3 — and processor. However, Barnes & Noble is rumored to come out with a second-generation Nook Color in a few weeks, so it will be interesting to see how that stacks up.

At the same conference, Amazon also revealed three new models of e-readers: the $79 Kindle, the $99 Kindle Touch and the $149 Kindle Touch 3G. The $79 version will start shipping immediately. The Touch versions are available for preorder now, but won’t ship until Nov. 21.

If the ship dates are anything to go by, Amazon is aiming to take over the holiday season.