Amazon’s first Android tablet, the Kindle Fire, and its first touchscreen electronic paper eReader, the Kindle touch, are launching early.
The $199 Kindle Fire, which is a color eReader, media player, and general-use tablet, has begun shipping today (1 day early) for those first in line with pre-orders; new orders are expected to ship by the end of the week. The Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G, which weren’t supposed to ship until next week, will begin shipping tomorrow, but again only for those with first priority pre-orders. New Kindle Touch orders are expected to ship in the next 8 or 9 days.
The Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G come in both ad supported and non ad supported models. The ad supported Kindle Touch (called the Kindle Touch with Special Offers) is $99 – the ad-free model costs $40 more. The ad supported Kindle Touch 3G is $149, $189 without ads. Be careful when ordering.