Amazon has launched an update for its Fire OS, which powers the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HDX tablets. And as noted in the Kindle Fire HDX review, it’s the software experience that makes it different from any other Android tablet.

Fire OS 3.1 has deep integration with Goodreads, the community of book lovers for recommendations and reviews. There’s no need to leave a book and open the Goodreads app, as users can capture and share quotes, see what friends are reading, add books to the want-to-read shelf, rate and review a book, and import all of your Amazon books into your Goodreads account.

Along with that, Fire OS 3.1 introduces Amazon’s attempt at taking on Google Chromecast, the device that lets you stream your smart device’s contents to a nearby TV. Amazon’s Second Screen has a similar function with which you can “fling TV shows and movies from your tablet to your big-screen TV”, using your Kindle Fire HDX for playback controls, a custom X-Ray display, read emails or browse the web, and more. Currently, Second Screen will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Samsung Smart TVs; it will also be coming to the PlayStation 4 soon.

The new Cloud Collections feature lets users easily organize newspapers, magazines and books into groups that are synced across all Kindle devices. If you’re running short on space, 1-Tap archive frees up space by letting you storing unused items in the cloud. The update also brings speech-to-text functionality and wireless printing.

Fire OS 3.1 is available as an over-the-air (OTA) update on the new generation of Kindle tablets, including the $139 Kindle Fire HD, the 7” Kindle Fire HDX, and the 8.9” Kindle Fire HDX. You can also manually download it from www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates.

Source: Amazon, The Verge