Kindle Oasis FCC Paperwork Show Bluetooth, Audio Support
When Amazon announced their latest ereader last week, they told us it had Wifi, page turn buttons to one side of the screen, and a ridiculously high price tag, but that’s not all it can do.
Newly uncovered FCC filings have revealed that the Kindle Oasis might have a few hidden abilities. The paperwork doesn’t name the Kindle and can’t be tied directly to Amazon, but all signs point to this being Amazon’s hardware.
The two filings listed below tell us that last week two faceless companies each sent a Wifi- and Bluetooth-equipped tablet like device through the FCC. Neither company exists online or in the real world, and yet both coincidentally used the same model number, had their device tested on 10 July last year, and then filed the FCC paperwork on 12 April 2016 while having all the useful images embargoed.
Also, that model number has been positively tied to the Kindle Oasis. In other words, these belong to Amazon.
The paperwork doesn’t show us what was tested (we have to wait until October to find out), but it does tell us that both devices were tested for Wifi and Bluetooth. One was even tested with a Bluetooth earphone, thus confirming audio support.
There was also a report (from AFTVNews, the blog that found the filings) that the test units had a headphone jack, but I can’t find any evidence to support that.
While the Kindle Oasis does not officially have Bluetooth, the first leaks suggested that it would have this feature. I was in fact the first news site to report on that leak (I also beat the WSJ to the news on the battery case), and now it has been confirmed.
Alas, I can’t tell you why Amazon left this feature out or disabled it, but I’m sure I’m not the only person looking forward to the teardowns which will reveal whether the Oasis still has the chip for Bluetooth.
Do you suppose Amazon is going to add Bluetooth-support in an update?
If nothing else, it would go a long way towards justifying the Oasis’s $290 price tag. Bluetooth support would let you stream audio to a BT speaker, or connect the Oasis to Amazon’s home automation.
Amazon might be planning to enable BT when they release a matching keyboard case. While that is pure speculation, I don’t think it is such a crazy idea given that the case already has its own battery.
How would you like to use the Bluetooth on the Kindle Oasis?
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