Amazon Ready for Tablet Launch, Blogs Unveil Specs of Kindle Fire
What is better than a Kindle? Amazon would say, "Kindle Fire," except the online shopping giant, which changed the way bookworms indulge in reading, has yet to make official announcements on the release of its bet in the industry's tablet wars.
However, the blogosphere is abuzz with expectations that the release would happen on Wednesday at an Amazon press conference.
According to popular blog TechCrunch, its team has seen the all-upgraded device, and Amazon is supposed to announce its tablet's launch soon.
TechCrunch tells its readers the Kindle Fire has the following specs:
- 7-inch color screen, compared to 6-inch for current Kindles
- Wi-Fi only (no 3G version)
- Touch-screen navigation
- Glowing LED screen instead of paper-like e-ink
- Android operating system
Other blogs have noted of the same specs.
Kindle Fire is expected to hit the gadget stores in November, while the existing Kindle format will remain on sale.
Another tech blog, GDGT, claims to know the features of the Kindle Fire.
CNN reports, GDGT's Ryan Block cited unnamed sources and said Amazon used the design for the unpopular BlackBerry tablet as a starting point. Block is not too thrilled about this.
"Although Amazon did refresh the ID of their PlayBook derivative, I'm told that this first tablet of theirs is 'supposed to be pretty poor' and is a 'stopgap' in order to get a tablet out the door for the 2011 holiday season -- which doesn't exactly leave the best taste in my mouth," Block writes.
"But it's also not the most uncommon story, either: when you're breaking into a new market, sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to get in the game. You may remember how crappy the original Kindle was compared to later models!" Block continued.
CNN further reports, Amazon's press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in New York. Many details should become clearer then.
Meanwhile, an Amazon competitor, Barnes & Noble, is expected to announce a new version of its Nook color e-reader later this year, just in time for the holidays, as well.
Also Read: Kindle Fire: The Biggest Threat to iPad?