Amazon ships 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablets a week early

Amazon.com has started shipping the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet, a week earlier than it had promised.

The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is Amazon’s entrant in the large tablet market and will compete with the Apple iPad, the Google Nexus 10 and the Microsoft Surface for sales this holiday season.

It also is now being sold on Amazon’s website. Orders made today are expected to be shipped by Dec. 3, the online retailer said.

The large-size Amazon tablet starts at $299 for a Wi-Fi-only 16 gigabyte model. A 32 GB model can be purchased for $369.

Amazon began taking preorders in September when it said the tablets would be shipped to buyers Nov. 20.

The tablet will also be available for purchase at Best Buy stores starting Friday and at other retailers, including Staples and Radio Shack, in coming weeks.

Amazon said the cellular-connected 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE will begin shipping next week. It starts at $499 for a 32 GB model and goes up to $599 for a 64 GB model.

The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD has a 1,920 by 1,200 resolution screen as well as dual speakers. It also comes with ads that can be disabled for $15 more.

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