Amazon announces not 1, not 2 but 5 new and/or improved Kindle devices-- the Kindle Fire HD (in either 8.9- or 7-inch varieties), a Kindle Fire upgrade, the Kindle Paperwhite and a next-generation Kindle eReader.
Clearly Amazon is taking the threat of both Google (with the Nexus 7) and Apple (possibly, at least) when it comes to the 7-inch tablet segment very seriously, while still not ignoring the general eReader market too much.
The (literally!) biggest news is the Kindle Fire HD-- with HD displays, dual-core TI OMAP 4470 processor, more RAM and MIMO (meaning dual antennas) technology Amazon claims provides "40% faster" wifi than the iPad.
The flagship model has an 8.9-inch 1920x1200 display and 32GB of storage, while the smaller 7-inch model handles resolutions of up to 1280x800 and 16GB of storage. Both models also carry Dolby Audio technology with dual-driver stereo speakers.
A 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch variant is available.
The original Kindle Fire also gets an upgrade, with a faster processor, more storage (16GB) and a reportedly longer battery life.
Adding to the Kindle eReader portfolio is the Kindle Paperwhite-- a Kindle Touch refresh with a higher-resolution (212 PPI) E-Ink display, built-in lighting and a black, buttonless bezel. It is 91mm thick, weighs 212g and available with either 3G or wifi-only connectivity.
And to conclude, the original Kindle also gets a (very slight) upgrade improving on display fonts and page turn speeds.
Amazon has no plans to launch the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD or the Kindle Paperwhite outside the US-- only the 9-inch Kindle Fire HD and the upgraded basic Kindle will see release in European (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, UK) Amazon stores.