As the Kindle Fire’s holiday steam continues to taper off, Amazon is looking ahead to an updated version of their 7-inch e-reader/tablet hybrid. The release of a second generation Kindle Fire could see the original’s price dropped to $149. The reduced price would be even more enticing to consumers looking for a cheap tablet and further help Amazon to compete with a new crop of low cost/high power tablets. This includes the rumored Nexus tablet, a partnership between Google and ASUS that aims to provide an Android slate with quad-core processing power at the $200 price point currently occupied by the Kindle Fire.
The next generation Kindle Fire would feature an upgraded display with a 1280 x 800 resolution and possible enhancements in processing power. It has long been rumored that Amazon would produce a second Kindle tablet with a larger display size, once said to launch simultaneously with the first version of the customized Android slate. Both 8.9-inch and 10.1-inch models have been proposed, and it seemed likely the former was on track to launch this year. Now sources are saying Amazon has put plans for the mid-size tablet on hold, though a 10.1-inch Kindle still remains a possibility.
I would like to see manufacturers put more emphasis on the 8.9″ form factor. I’m okay paying more than $200 and I want a slightly larger screen. Sorry to hear Amazon bailed on their plans for an 8.9, although I probably wouldn’t buy another KF.
KF got the price right, but thats it. It’s disgusting what they did to Android. I also think 8.9″ is perfect from using a Samsung 8.9.
I love my Fire, for $199 i rooted it and running a custom Glazed ICS Rom on it couldn’t be happier. Granted it wont win any awards for gaming tablet of the year but it great for what i use it for.
With a $200 ICS quad core 720p tablet from ASUS and google out soon. $140 may be too high.