Kindle Fire HDX and Fire HD update integrates Goodreads and Second Screen features


Amazon is rolling out a new Fire OS update that will bring Goodreads and Second Screen functionality to the new Amazon Kindle Fire HDX and Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablets.


The over-the-air update offering Goodreads and Second Screen integration will be arriving in the next couple of weeks.


You can either wait for the update or head directly to the Amazon site and download the Fire OS 3.1 iteration now.


Goodreads will bring social book reading to the tablet, allowing you to rate your reads, post reviews and discover which books your pals are reading. You can also connect with the 16 million strong Goodreads community.


The social network site is part of the Kindle experience as Amazon acquired the Goodreads site and its mobile apps earlier this year.


“Goodreads on Kindle lets you connect with the Goodreads community to follow friends and see what they are reading, and share and rate books on your Kindle Fire,” explains the Amazon update blurb.


Second Screen functionality lets you “fling” movies and TV shows you’re watching to a 2013 Samsung Smart TV or a PlayStation 3. While the functionality is quite limited, it is a useful addition for users to have.


Other new features included in the update are Smart Lookup, mobile printing, the 1-Tap Archive and enhanced enterprise features.


There is also a new Clock App and the ability to organise the content on your Kindle Fire tablet with Cloud Collections.


The Kindle Fire HD refresh and Kindle Fire HDX tablets were announced in September and are already one sale, but lacked some key features.


Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire HD for £119 with a 7-inch 1280 x 800p HD resolution screen and 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The Kindle Fire HDX is £199, offers a 2.2GHz dual-core processor and 1920 x 1200p Full HD 7-inch display.



Next, read our Kindle Paperwhite 2013 review.