Microsoft Xbox One | Release Date | Features | News | Price

Microsoft has confirmed the exact date of arrival for its Xbox One, an Xbox One release date has been teased for November 27, with Amazon offering Xbox One pre-orders alongside the speculative launch date.

The Xbox One's listing on Amazon states quite plainly "this item will be released on November 27, 2013. Rumours have also been swirling that suggest Sony's PlayStation 4 will also be released in November, although both Sony and Amazon are yet to suggest a release date for the console.

A power games console with a raft of entertainment features thrown into the mix, the Xbox One specs sheet sees an eight-core processor line up next to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 500GB HDD. Connectivity-wise you've got 802.11n Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct functionality for exchanging data between devices - specifically the new Xbox controller.

With Microsoft recently announcing the Xbox One price at $499/£429, the 360 replacement will hit store shelves £80 more expensive than its main rival, Sony’s PlayStation 4.

"An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games. After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again,” Don Mattrick, Head of Xbox said in an official blog post.

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Amazon Kindle Fire Sales Take Drastic Tumble In Q1 2012

Amazon managed to sell 4.8 million tablets in Q4 2011 thanks in large part to its massive marketing campaign and the holiday shopping season, now the company has announced a drastic fall in Kindle Fire sales, racking up just 750,000 similar sales in Q1 2012.

When comparing overall market sales Amazon slipped from a 16.8 percent market share in Q4 2011 to just a 4 percent market share during the most recently reported quarter. In comparison Apple’s Q4 market share rose from 54.7 percent to 68 percent thanks to the strength of 11.8 million iPad sales.

For Amazon a slip in Amazon Kindle Fire sales is bad news, the company already sells the tablets as a loss-leader, recuperating money through the sale of digital goods found inside the Amazon marketplace. The company also has a lot invested in the tablet market as it continues to shift its attention further away from traditional e-Readers, which will always share a place on Amazon shelves, to the more robust usability of Google Android based devices.

Amazon isn’t the only Android based tablet manufacturer who saw losses, apparently the downward trend in Android based tablets was witnessed by almost all manufacturers following the end of the Q4 selling season. Analysts believe that Apple’s choice to keep the lower priced iPad 2 on the market after the new iPad arrived in March has helped the company attract more buyers, while its efforts to align with educational facilities is greatly improving sales numbers.

Following in Amazon’s declining sales Samsung has reclaimed the number two sales spot int he tablet market while Lenovo and Barne & Noble Nook tablets round out the top five.

In the meantime Amazon is expected to launch a new 10-inch tablet in 2012.

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