Amazon begins shipping 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD

Online retail giant Amazon announced today that it has begun shipping Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch preorders today, alerting customers that orders of the 4G variant will begin making their way to customers from November 20.

Expanding the availability of its new custom Android-powered tablet, Amazon has partnered with major US retailers Best Buy, Staples and Radio Shack. Amazon says Best Buy will stock the tablet from tomorrow, with Staples, Radio Shack and "additional retailers" in the coming weeks.

By shipping today, Amazon has begun shipping the WiFi models five days ahead of schedule. Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle explains that the company wants to get a jump on holiday sales:

"With the holiday season upon us, we're excited to make our $299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" available early—we think customers are going to love web browsing, email, gaming, watching TV shows, reading magazines, and more on the large, stunning HD screen, with fast Wi-Fi and exceptional audio."

On Amazon's website, the Kindle Fire HD displays shipping dates of December 3, highlighting that the company will fulfil preorders before fulfilling more recent purchases.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9" offers a 1920 x 1200 (254 PPI) display, TI OMAP 4470 processor, Dolby Digital Plus audio for $299. The 4G-enabled model — which is available for starts at $499 with an AT&T data package for a one-off payment of $49.99 — ships as planned on November 20.

This story originally appeared on The Next Web.