Kindle Nation Daily founder Stephen Windwalker received this update from Amazon on 10/22/12:
Hi Stephen,
It’s been just a few weeks since we started shipping $199 Kindle Fire HD, so we wanted to send few quick updates.
Since launch, the $199 Kindle Fire HD is the #1 best-selling product across all of Amazon worldwide. Kindle Fire has been the bestselling product across Amazon.com since the launch of the original Kindle Fire last fall, and this continues Kindle Fire’s run as the world’s #1 bestselling 7-inch tablet.
Today, we are starting to roll out a new, free, over-the-air software update that will make Kindle Fire HD even better, including bringing Kindle FreeTime. With FreeTime, parents can select all of the content their kids see, limit their kids’ screen time by content type and kids can’t exit FreeTime without a password.
We increased our exclusive content selection and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library to more than 200,000 exclusive titles. We also expanded Kindle Owners’ Lending Library to the UK, Germany and France.
Kindle Fire HD is the best-selling product since launch and we haven’t even shipped the best tablet we’ve ever built. Kindle Fire HD 8.9” is shipping November 20, and starts at only $299. The holiday season is upon us and our customer service teams are ready for millions of people to unwrap Kindle Fire HDs around the world.
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Amazon describes the new FreeTime parental controls this way:
Perfect for Parents
FreeTime is a new service, built from the ground up to help give parents peace of mind when it comes to tablet use. Parents can create a profile for each of their children and choose what books, apps, games and videos they want to give their kids access to. Kindle FreeTime is free on every Kindle Fire HD.
Set Screen Limits
Many parents choose to limit their kids’ screen time, but doing so without the proper tools is difficult. With Kindle FreeTime, parents can set daily limits for Kindle Fire HD use, or restrict certain categories – like games and video – while leaving unlimited time for reading.
…And Perfect for Kids
When kids use Kindle FreeTime, it’s like they have their very own, personalized tablet. The background color and fonts change to a kid-friendly design. They only see the titles that they have access to see. The home screen carousel shows their recently viewed titles. And, they can even navigate visually to content based on characters or topics – for example “Cinderella,” “Dinosaurs,” or “Puppies.”
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If you already own a Kindle Fire HD, there’s nothing you need to do to receive the FreeTime software update. It will install automatically when you make a wifi connection. And don’t worry, FreeTime won’t make any automatic changes to your screens or menus. Changes will only be made if you choose to launch and configure FreeTime.
The software update will come pre-installed on newly-ordered Kindle Fire HDs.
Kindle Fire. The one everyone wants to be like, and the one everyone wants.
We are waiting for an update to Amazon Fire HD where you can sort the books into folders. Also an update that eliminates an icon when you take it out of the carousel.
Jem