Jeff Bezos shows off the Kindle Fire HD.

Since the Amazon Kindle tablet was launched in 2011, it has become a very important part of the Amazon plan for control of your entertainment life.  Perhaps more importantly, it has proven to be a huge success for Amazon.  Kindle e-books are outselling standard books, and the Amazon Kindle Fire has sold roughly 5 million tablets since it debuted last year.  Well, with the holiday season approaching, Amazon has announced an upgraded Kindle Fire lineup with more options than ever.

Here’s the new Kindle lineup.  The top-end 32GB Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE is $499; that comes with a $50-per-year data package featuring 250MB a month in data.  The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is $299, while the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is $199.  Even the standard Kindle family got an upgrade with the new Kindle Paperwhite 3G checking in at $179.  The Kindle Paperwhite proper is $119.  As for the lowest end of the Kindle model, the upgraded Amazon Kindle is only $69!

So what are the upgrades?  Well, the two Kindle Fire HDs that aren’t 32GB are 16GB, for one.  They feature improved screens with 25 percent less glare, improved 1,920 x 1,200 resolution with 254 pixels-per-inch, dual Dolby digital speakers, Wi-Fi connectivity, and camera.  On the services front, there’s Kindle Series, which allows you to pay one price for an entire series of books, Kindle Serials (serial novels/novellas from authors), and Whispersync with Voice; Whispersync with Voice might be the neatest feature, as it syncs your audiobooks with your e-books and allows you to alternate listening and reading without having to find your place again.

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