Amazon readies new Kindle Fire tablets

I guess it was bound to happen in the days following the announcement of the Nexus 7 at Google I/O. However, news that new Kindle Fire tablets could be arriving soon, with both 7- and 10-inch versions abound, will surprise many.

The Kindle Fire first went on sale in November 2011. Critical reviews were mostly positive, and sales exceeded expectations. Despite these factors the Kindle Fire made barely a dent in the side of the Apple iPad. Two very different tablets of course, but many of us felt an attractive and much, much cheaper alternative would lessen enthusiasm for the iPad. This was not the case.


Since then we’ve seen the arrival of the Retina Display-boasting new iPad (call it an iPad 3 and Apple may send a hit squad out), and the unveiling of the Nexus 7, Google’s first branded tablet. It’s a corker too, with hardware far more capable than its price tag would suggest. Now is the time for Amazon to (re)join the party.

According to BGR, Amazon is readying two new Kindle Fire tablets. There is to be a new version of its 7-inch tablet, and also a 10-inch Kindle Fire, which has actually been the subject of rumors even before the original Kindle Fire shipped.

According to sources the new Kindle Fire tablets will have vastly improved build qualities, with metal casings replacing the plasticky feel of the original. Both will feature a microUSB port and possibly HDMI as well. The 10-inch version will also include a front-facing camera. The new Kindle Fire tablets could be arriving sooner rather than later, with CNET expecting to see them before the month is out.

This is an interesting turn of events because it would mean Amazon going head-to-head with both Google and Apple. The 7-inch Kindle Fire would be direct competition to the nexus 7, while the 10-inch Kindle Fire could be seen as a cheaper alternative for those who want a larger tablet but don’t want to spend a fortune acquiring an iPad.

This should be an interesting summer in the increasingly competitive tablet market.

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Nexus 7 Tablet Set For Google I/O June 26, 2012

The long-awaited Nexus tablet finally looks set to arrive this week at Google I/O, and all the details about it have leaked online.

There are some great, good, and decidedly average Android tablets on the market, all of which try and fail to match the new iPad. Apple has so far managed to stay one step ahead of the tablet competition by incrementally improving its offering. But Google may be about to change all of that. Not with a premium tablet designed to beat the iPad 3 on performance, but with a budget tablet designed to demonstrate to consumers they don’t need to spend anything like the $499 Apple charges for its latest iPad in order to get a great tablet.


According to Gizmodo Australia the plans for the first Nexus tablet have leaked days ahead of its likely unveiling at Google I/O. Thanks to a training document we know the Google Nexus tablet will be a Tegra 3-based 7-inch device sporting Android 5.0 (Jelly Bean) and called the Nexus 7. It’s being built by Asus, has a 1.3Ghz quad-core processor, a 12-core GPU, 1GB of RAM and up to 16GB of storage. The 8GB model will cost $199, the 16GB model $249.

This all ties in exactly with earlier rumors. In March the suggestion was Asus to manufacture a 7-inch tablet featuring Jelly Bean to retail for between $149 and $199. Assuming the leak is legitimate, which all signs point to it being, then it turns out we have known Google’s plans for its first Nexus tablet for the last three months.

On the surface this will compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire more than it will the iPad. The price suggests that to be the case. However, I firmly believe that once people realize there is a cheaper, more portable offering out there that doesn’t suck, many people will abandon their plans to buy an iPad and turn to Google instead. Apple has to be slightly concerned, surely.

Google I/O kicks off tomorrow, so it shouldn’t be long until we learn the truth.

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