AllThingsD is reporting that the next Kindle Fire will be thinner and lighter than the current Kindle Fire with a better display, boosting the pixels to a 1280 x 800 resolution. Supposedly, Amazon is targeting the second half of the year for the release—late in the third quarter, to be a little more specific. More »
The smartphone wars are about to crank up a notch, with retailer Amazon tipped to be readying a handset of its own that, while likely based on Android, would undoubtedly diverge from Google’s ambitions for the platform. Amazon is working with Foxconn – the company that also produces Apple’s iPhone – according to insider whispers to Bloomberg, with the retailer apparently quietly building up its mobile patent portfolio in a pre-emptive defense against smartphone lawsuits.
That IP shopping spree has seen Amazon negotiate with InterDigital, among others, though the company went on to sell its patents to Intel. Amazon also recently employed IP expert Matt Gordon, who will lead the retailer’s patent acquisitions and investments moving forward.
Exactly what Amazon’s device will look like is unknown, though it’s not hard to speculate on the combination of software and hardware. The Kindle Fire tablet, for instance, runs a heavily-reskinned version of Android on relatively mainstream components, targeting a low price rather than the sort of flagship specifications that would put it in direct competition with Apple’s iPad.
That leaves content purchases – such as ebooks, music and movies – to offset the initial price, a strategy Amazon is all but guaranteed to follow if it does indeed release a phone. There have been repeated rumors of a larger, roughly 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet in the pipeline as well, with Amazon’s cloud storage providing a central place for streaming multimedia.
Amazon Kindle smartphone near tip insiders is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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We knew that there would be another Kindle Fire at some point, but we didn’t know when it would arrive, or exactly what it’d look like. If the latest report from the China Times is true, however, we can expect Amazon’s new slate to ship around August 7th. Like the first Fire, this new version will be built by Quanta, with a metal chassis and displays provided by LG and Panasonic. Other details, like its size or the contents within said metallic frame, are still nowhere to be found. What we can tell you is that the new tablet can’t get here fast enough for Amazon given the Fire’s declining sales numbers and its fresh competition from Mountain View.
Update: Looks like something was lost in translation — it turns out the China Times report actually states that the new Kindle Fire is set to make its appearance in July or August, not specifically on August 7th.
Amazon’s new Kindle Fire set to debut in early August? (update: maybe July) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We might as well call 2012 the year of the 3D map. We’ve seen both Apple and Google show their cards, but GigaOM now hears that Amazon has jumped in by acquiring newcomer UpNext. The details are scant, but the approximately $2.5 million deal would give Amazon the startup’s 3D, Android-native maps of 50 US cities, complete with navigation and extra information about notable buildings. The online reseller hasn’t confirmed whether or not the acquisition is happening, which leaves it very much in rumor territory for now. That said, it’s not hard to imagine Amazon taking that leap. The Kindle Fire is cut out of the official Android ecosystem and won’t get built-in 3D maps without effort on its creator’s part — a buyout would certainly put that mapping on the fast track.
Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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This is the 7" Kindle Fire
As you may have seen, the launch of the Google Nexus 7 has basically turned the 7″ Kindle Fire into a “toy” which purchase is really hard to justify because its hardware is so weak, the software is so locked, and the added simplicity is so little. The arrival of the $200 Tegra-3/Android 4.1 powered Nexus 7 will change the landscape in what used to be called “low-end” Android tablets, and this is great.
For too long, tablet makers thought that providing “good enough” would be… good enough. For one, things like the Kindle Fire turned out to be *not* good enough, and secondly, users want more, better, and they can now find it elsewhere. The time for tepid hardware is over – at least for the next year or so. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon rumored to launch a physical retail store, Amazon Kindle Fire: estimated 6 million sold,
The most remarkable thing about Google’s Nexus 7 tablet can’t be found on its spec sheet. It won’t show up in any benchmark, and it has nothing to do with that zippy new operating system. If you want to know the true significance of the Nexus 7, all you need to look at is the price tag. More »
Amazon is said to be working on the next version of the Kindle Fire with more premium materials, including some type of metal casing. But perhaps even better (depending on your size preferences), the long-standing rumor that Amazon is allegedly working on a 10-inch tablet have resurfaced.
BGR reports that “Amazon is finally ready to move forward with the [10-inch] tablet.” General rumors include a quad-core processor and a higher quality screen than the original fire, along with the obvious size bump. But the original 7-inch Fire is also due for a revamp, and the same source reports a “chrome-look rib” in the brand new metal casing on the device’s back (which will replace the plastic soft-touch shell on first-gen models), and a thinner profile.
There is also talk of a front-facing camera, microUSB and HDMIout port on the 10-inch model, with no buttons to be seen on either device. BGR’s report claims that the tablets are “thinner versions of the iPad”, and if true, this could eventually ignite a patent war on a new front for both companies.
We’ve also recently heard that the new Fire will cost the same as the original, despite the spec bump, at $199, while the original Fire will get cut to $150. This is good news to both consumers and Amazon, as the ecommerce giant can afford to take a loss on hardware as long as it’s outweighed by digital content sales.
Rumors suggest that Amazon will announce the new tablets in late July, but that’s still unconfirmed.
Microsoft’s shown off Surface, Google just might reveal its own tablet, and according to an unnamed CNET source, Amazon is joining the party with the Kindle Fire 2, reportedly set to debut in July. More »
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