If rumors are accurate, it has certainly been and will continue to be a busy year for the R&D team at Amazon.

Not only is the online retailer giant apparently preparing a Kindle with a color e-ink display, but Amazon is also planning to release a new Kindle device with front lighting. The latter came from a Reuters’ source that apparently has seen the prototype first-hand.  According to the anonymous source, production for the new front-lit Kindle e-reader is still ongoing, but the new e-reader should be ready to hit the market in July.

It isn’t too surprising to see Amazon making the decision to roll out a front-lit Kindle, especially since one of its biggest competitors, Barnes & Noble, has had a head start for a good couple of weeks in releasing an e-reader with a similar feature. Given that one of the drawbacks of e-ink displays is that they are less than ideal for reading in low lighting, the integrated reading light might boost the appeal of Amazon’s Kindle line.

While Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is $40 more expensive than the non-GlowLight version, the source said Amazon is likely to keep the price of its front-lit e-reader lineup the same, with a slight chance that the price will be raised by a very small margin. Analysts believe that a $10 premium for the new front-lit Kindle e-reader is well within a reasonable range.

Right now, the 6-inch e-ink Kindle with WiFi connectivity is the cheapest Amazon e-reader, available at $79. The Wi-Fi version of Kindle Touch with special offers goes for $99, while the 3G version with special offers is priced at $149.

As for the color e-ink Kindle that is rumored to come out later in the year, IHS iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal said that Amazon may not be ready to launch it this year. Back in October, Jakhanwal had the opportunity to look at the product and she thought that Amazon had its work cut out if it wanted to produce the color e-ink reader in high volumes.

Since a color Kindle is supposedly out of the picture for now, how about a bigger Kindle Fire instead? The same anonymous source said that Amazon is planning to release a new Kindle Fire with an 8.9-inch display in the holiday season this year. So that’s definitely one thing to watch out for.

NEXT: Amazon Kindle Fire Source Code Now Online

Amazon Kindle Ice Next in Line to Kindle Fire, Say Rumors Digitimes: Amazon to release color e-readers later this year, 6 millions units to be shipped in 2012

While not long ago, e-book readers were rudimentary devices far off from the capabilities of tablets, the thin line between a basic e-reader and a more complex slate becomes increasingly thinner and thinner and thinner.

Amazon is the most important company “responsible” for mixing things up and the makers of the Kindle Fire are apparently planning to “confuse” us even more. Aside from preparing the release of a bunch of new tablets, set to take the Fire’s popularity to new heights, Amazon is reportedly prepping the launch of at least one color e-book reader as well.

Unknown “industry sources” cited by Digitimes told the website that Amazon’s new color e-book readers will be made available in the second half of 2012, with related components already set to start shipping.

Amazon’s current line-up of e-book readers includes the mono-color Kindles, which are available at prices between $79 and $189. For its future e-readers, Amazon will be using multi-touch capacitive touch panels, if Digitimes’ sources prove reliable, instead of the infrared touch panels used in the first four generations of the Kindle reader.

The sources also reveal the company that will supply Amazon with the touch panels needed to go through with these bold plans. TPK Holding has helped Amazon with the Kindle Fire’s manufacturing last year. However, in 2011, TPK Holding was not Amazon’s exclusive partner for the Fire (Wintek and JTouch also supplied touch panels), while in this particular case the collaboration might be on a larger scale.

Digitimes adds that E Ink Holdings, the company that provides the electronic ink technology for both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, is planning to unveil color electronic paper displays (EPD) in the near future. Amazon might adopt this color e-ink technology as well, which might mean that we will see two types of color e-readers launched by Jeff Bezos’ company in 2012.

Finally, according to current estimations, Amazon is expected to ship six million e-book readers in 2012. However, it is not specified if the number refers to total predicted sales of e-readers, including the old devices, or just the new color ones.

The entire report should be taken with a big grain of salt, as there is not one single piece of information confirmed from official sources. Also, we are talking about Digitimes here, and the website has a past record of starting up rumors based on “dubious” sources.

However, there might be some truth behind the story after all, so you should keep in touch with our website to find out exactly what Amazon is planning for 2012. Stay tuned!

NEXT: Kobo Joins Battle of Touch Readers

Amazon Kindle devices selling over 1 million units a week thoughout the month of December NOOK Color 2 “Confirmed” for Release Ahead of Kindle Fire

Target Corporation, the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, has just announced that it will stop selling Amazon’s Kindle devices in all its stores effective immediately. Target officials have cited a “conflict of interest” as the reason behind the decision, but they haven’t been willing to offer a more comprehensive statement at the moment.

Amazon’s Kindle e-readers and tablets have always been some of the most successful and popular devices on sale at Target stores, which makes this decision even more surprising. On the other hand, financial analysts have predicted for a while that something like this could happen, as Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet reportedly caused Target and other similar retailers significant financial losses.

The Kindle Fire is tightly integrated with Amazon’s online retail store, which competes with Target’s outlets and its website and therefore steals business from the retailer. “Target is trying to distance themselves from Amazon as much as possible because they recognize they are losing sales to them. “ said Scott Tilghman, an analyst at Caris & Co. in an exclusive statement given to Reuters.

Target is apparently not considering Barnes & Noble as strong a competition as Amazon, because according to official claims, Nook e-readers and tablets will still be sold by the retailer for the time to come. “Nook is much less cannibalistic and Barnes & Noble is not going after Target’s business. “ Tilghman stated, underlining the fact that B&N is mainly focused on selling books, a product category not viewed as essential by Target executives.

Target’s online store has already removed every and any Amazon products sold until now, including the entire line of Kindle e-readers and the Kindle Fire tablet. Also, the retailer’s Kindle-branded online store has been itself discontinued, the website now welcoming you with a “generic application error”.

It remains to be seen how will Target’s decision affect the retailer’s and Amazon’s business in the near future. According to analysts, Target might see a short-term profits drop, while Jeff Bezos’ company should not have the same problem, as its products are still sold by Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy, and other important retailing chains in the US.

On the other hand, if Target’s decision to “get more serious about Amazon as an enemy rather than a partner” will prove to be beneficial in the long term, other retailers might themselves reach the conclusion that their alliance with Amazon is doing them more financial harm than good.

What do you guys think? Do you agree with Target’s decision to end its longstanding partnership with Amazon? Does this come a bit too late for the company? And finally, which one of the two giants will have more to suffer on account of this “conflict”?

NEXT: Amazon Kindle devices selling over 1 million units a week thoughout the month of December

Amazon Kindle Ice Next in Line to Kindle Fire, Say Rumors Bigger Kindle Fire Coming in Mid-2012

It’s been a couple of weeks since Microsoft released its consumer preview of Windows 8, and the general consensus from desktop users is, so far –  ”where is the Start button?” Microsoft has intentionally forced a single, new user interface, known as Metro, on desktop and tablet users alike. The reason for this is that Microsoft is starting to panic about how it can compete with Android and iOS. It (wrongly) thinks this: if everyone has to use Metro on the desktop then they will use it on a tablet too, as it provides a uniform, interconnected, compatible experience from the desktop to the tablet. And with hundreds of millions of Windows desktop users in the world, Microsoft is trying to push its way into the tablet market by brute force. Of course, it will fail, for two very simple reasons.

First, nobody else thinks having a uniform UI across desktops and tablets is a good idea. Apple hasn’t done it with OS X and Google is still pushing the browser as the platform. Sure, Apple has made changes to OS X to incorporate different aspects of the tablet experience into the Mac (with mouse gestures and the upcoming notification center), but OS X remains firmly a desktop OS. Not having an amalgamated desktop / mobile OS hasn’t hurt the sales of the iPad. This is because a tablet isn’t a desktop. Microsoft should repeat this mantra, in their halls and meeting rooms. A tablet isn’t a desktop! A tablet isn’t a desktop! In fact, the tablet is a new device for a new era, the post PC era, and you just can’t drag the PC kicking and screaming into this new age.

Android devices work with any desktop operating system (Windows, OS X, and Linux) when there is a need to connect the tablet to a computer, but most Android connectivity happens in the cloud. The cloud or the Internet is where it all happens. No tablet exists without some form of wireless connectivity and the big selling point of the iPad 3 (other than its new display) is the incorporation of 4G. Tablets are all about syncing wirelessly with the cloud, for email, web browsing, photos, calendars, contacts, and backups. I rarely connect my phone or my tablet to my PC. It all happens over the air including downloading new apps, books, music, and movies. Which, of course, is the second reason Windows 8 will fail in its current form – content.

Content is king. Amazon knows this. Think about it, a company that started by selling physical books over the Internet has quietly turned itself into a major player in the mobile device market (which includes the Kindle eBook readers, as well as the Kindle Fire tablet). How did it do this? By focusing on content. Once I have a tablet from Amazon, from Samsung, or from Apple, I need content for it. I need apps, I need music, I need books. Apple understand this, which is why the iTunes store has now delivered over 25 billion downloads. That is a huge number. Google sees this too, that is the real reasoning behind the recent rebranding of the Android Market to Google Play. It is a single place to get everything your tablet can consume. But where is Microsoft in this? Does it have a content centered eco-system? No.

The future

So, what does this mean for the future of mobile device operating systems? First, unless Microsoft addresses the two issues above, it will fail to make a significant impact in the tablet market place, just as it has failed to make a significant impact on the mobile phone market (even with Nokia’s help).

Second, we will see a continuing push to enhance the cloud related features of Android and iOS. This means better connectivity like 4G, better cloud integration at the OS and app level, and new (yet unknown) uses for the cloud. Thirdly, it will mean more features that enhance content consumption – better displays, better linking with external displays. and better sound. It will also mean new and more innovative ways to sell and market content to the user (watch Amazon for this).

In the long term (10 to 15 years), the battle won’t be about which OS you are running on your device, how much memory it has, how many Mhz are packed in the processor. It will be about what content you can get and where you can store it. The winner in this battle isn’t yet clear. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Apple have everything to win, and, most importantly, everything to lose.

NEXT: Windows 8 Could Help Bring Down the Entire Windows Domination

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Following the huge success of the Kindle Fire tablet/E-reader is the Kindle 2, the next-generation tab that’s been rumored to sport a larger 10-inch display. We’ve been waiting all this time for Amazon to announce a follow-up to the fiery Kindle Fire. Thankfully, the well-established Taiwanese China Times has recently released a publication citing Foxconn as Amazon’s newly nominated ODM to manufacture the Kindle 2.

This makes Foxconn the second major ODM next to Quanta – the sole developer of the original Kindle Fire. It’s also important to note that Amazon has a good list of manufacturers up its sleeve. Among them are ACES, Prime View, CviLux, Singatron and of course the aforementioned Quanta and Foxconn. The China Times also added that Amazon is now the one handling the selection and certification of components in order to cut the overall manufacturing cost.

Amazon has learned its lesson. When Amazon unveiled the Kindle Fire last year, the Bezos-led company decided to sell the device at a very low price of $199 in spite of the fact that each tablet costs nearly $250 to make. Amazon’s bold and risky strategy worked – at least for its customer-base. And, it proved to be worth it. With the rising demand of the Kindle Fire and with its popularity soaring high like never before, the market appears to be strongly established and ready for anything that will come.

Introducing the Kindle 2 should be easier for Amazon this time around.  But, can we expect the pricing to increase as well? That we don’t know yet. Unfortunately, other than the 10-inch display, other detailed specs of the Kindle 2 have not been disclosed. But what we do know is that it will be released soon with the commencement of component deliveries in March and with shipments scheduled sometime in May or June.

Image Sources: CNET, Ubergizmo

NEXT: Bigger Kindle Fire Coming in Mid-2012

Amazon Kindle Ice Next in Line to Kindle Fire, Say Rumors Amazon Kindle Fire Source Code Now Online

Amazon has had some pretty good commercials for the Kindle, and they’re usually very good at pointing out the Kindle’s big advantages as an e-reader. This new ad is no different and it points out not only to the Kindle and Kindle Fire’s main advantages, but also pokes fun at the iPad for costing more than “three Kindles”. I really enjoyed this ad, and I hope to see more of them. They remind me of Apple’s Mac vs PC ads, which were always funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sulfQHdvyEs

The Kindle Fire has a clear advantage over the iPad thanks to its $200 price point. This doesn’t mean Apple’s sales will necessarily fall because of it, because Apple can still try to sell the iPad in many countries and to many people who don’t really care about the price difference. The market potential is much bigger, so Apple can grow alongside many other competitors (for now).

The problem for Apple is that their sales won’t be as big as they would’ve been otherwise (hard to measure this), and also that at this price point, the Kindle Fire and other Android tablets in general could take the market leadership from Apple (again), and grow much faster than Apple. This poses a problem for Apple because at the point of market saturation (a few years from now), Apple won’t be the dominating platform. And of course they would like to be the dominating platform (who wouldn’t?).

So while Apple will be doing just fine sales wise for now, it’s not exactly an ideal scenario for them that Android-based tablets are quickly catching up to its market share.

NEXT: Amazon’s Kindle Fire Surpasses the iPad in Demand

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If you intend to read ebooks on your Android tablet, you’ll be glad to know that there are Android apps to serve that very purpose. Here are some of the top and the best ebook reading apps for your Android device.

Kindle

Perhaps the success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the sole reason why the Kindle for Android app is the popular choice of many ebook readers out there. Read literally thousands of free books on the go on your tablet or your smartphone without ever needing a Kindle. The Kindle app lets users experience the same features and functionality that catapulted Amazon’s success with the Kindle Fire.

It’s the perfect ebook reading app that caters to any reader’s taste buds, whether you’re browsing for the latest fashion trends on a magazine, or getting real-time updates through online newspapers, the Kindle for Android never fails to amaze you. Other features include a built-in dictionary, Google Search, and Wikipedia access–all of which will greatly complement your reading pleasure.

Get the Kindle app from the Android Market.

Google Books

Reading just got better with Google’s own reading app called Google Books. What is Google Books? From the name itself, it’s all about books and Google’s integration with its services. What makes it different from other ebook reading apps is the sheer number of downloadable books that span over 3 million titles for you to browse and download. Choose from a wide spectrum of choices from Google’s vast library of free and public domain materials that couldn’t be normally found anywhere.

Get the Google Books app from the Android Market.

NOOK for Android by B&N

With Amazon porting its famous Kindle Reader app for Android, Barnes and Noble is doing the same thing. There’s no need for you to own a NOOK tablet, as the application runs on any Android smartphone or tablet. With over 2 million books in Barnes and Noble’s arsenal, you’ll have your very own pocketable library at your fingerprints. Optimized for Android use, the app can easily mark your favorite magazine subscriptions like US Weekly, National Geographic, and The Oprah Magazine — free for a 14-day trial period. Previous users of the NOOK tablet will feel welcomed by the app as it sports the familiar user interface that they love and adore.

Get the NOOK for Android by B&N app from the Android Market.

Aldiko Book Reader

If you’re tired of the same old-fashioned ebook readers found on the Android Market, try Aldiko Book Reader. It is a great alternative to apps supplied by many large companies such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Buy ebooks at great deals from your favorite retailers in either Adobe PDF or EPUB formats. Users can also download directly the ebook of their choice into their Android device without using a computer to transfer files.

Get the Aldiko Book Reader app from the Android Market.

Kobo eBooks

Reading on your Android device will never be the same again with Kobo eBooks. Featuring a massive database of free ebooks to download, users are treated to many interesting titles. Start your day right with the Kobo eReader app that makes reading more entertaining and stimulating. Make reading a fun learning experience as the app has a special feature called Reading Life, which monitors and tracks your reading statistics. You can also share memorable quotes, notes, dialogues, and more with the integrated Faebook feature.

Get the Kobo eBooks app from the Android Market.

Check out these ebook readers for your Android device and carry on with your reading habit. With your books now as portable as your smartphone or tablet, there’s no more stopping you from reading your favorite books any time you want and wherever you are.  What’s your favorite ebook reader app?

NEXT: Pandigital to offer Novel, a $200 Android eBook reader

Netronix to develop an Android-based e-book reader Barnes & Noble NOOK e-reader released for Android

Have you always wanted that perfect combo of tablet and laptop? Well hang in there, because Asus may have finally cracked the code. With detachable keyboard and all, this might be the perfect fit for users on the go that still want that incredible power and access to a nifty keyboard for some content creation on the move.

There is not much detail surrounding this device yet, but that doesn’t mean we have not heard credible rumors. Here are some of the best rumors and the ones we are most confident about:

• Ice Cream Sandwich?
• Kal-El Quad-Core Processor
• Connecting Keyboard (Hence “Transformer”)
• $499 Price-Tag
• Estimated 2 Million+ of original Asus Transformer sold in 2011
• The release date will be in time for the holidays – so before the end of 2011
• 16/32GB Internal Storage
• 1GB memory
• 5MP+ Rear-Camera
• 720p+ Video Capture
• No word on keyboard dock compatibility from previous Transformer, but it’s likely.
• November 7 European debut is looking likely

The Asus Slider (left) next to its kin, the Transformer (right)

Wrap-Up

In general, due to the recent release of the Kindle Fire Tablet, the $499 price-tag comes off as a bit pricy. However, packing what is expected to be the first Kal-El Quad-Core Processor and the ability to attach a full keyboard, $499 is not looking too bad anymore. Furthermore, the Original Asus Eee Pad Transformer lasted a ridiculous 9.5 hours by itself and an even more un-fathomable 16 hours when docked to the keyboard. Additionally, you could see the Transformer 2 going above and beyond those numbers now that it will be packing the Kal-El Quad and possibly Ice-Cream Sandwich.

Tegra 3 will have the same performance of a midrange computer from last year - but with the battery savings of ARM!

Check out the amazing benchmarks of Tegra 3 – Project Kal-El, simply shocking performance increases – and battery savings too!

After reading all that this super-tab has to offer, the price tag does not look that bad. However, to get the full keyboard, Asus is making customers cough up another $100-$150. Now, that does not sound that bad for a tablet and laptop together along with a Quad-Core.

We had reported earlier that Transformer 2 could be debuted as early as the end of October, and with other quad core Tegra 3 tablets already coming into the public sphere from lower tier manufacturer ZTE, we think that this date could still potentially pan out. That being said, we think it’s likelier that Asus will begin shipping the Transformer 2 sometime closer to the middle of November, in time for the holidays. CEO of ASUS, Jerry Shen, said to Digitimes, that the Transformer 2 is due to be outed soon, and will land with Ice Cream Sandwich. Furthermore, he also went public with the pricing a few days ago, and the company is still enjoying considerable success with their original Transfomer.

What do you think?

Via Digitimes

NEXT: NVIDIA CEO Promises Tegra 3 Quad-core Tablets Coming for the Holidays

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Six months after the release of Motorola Xoom, the first Honeycomb tablet, here are some recent app releases for social networking, productivity, and reading that are spicing up the platform.

Social Networking

While the Twitter for Android app works rather well on Honeycomb, third-party providers are definitely giving the official app a run for its money. Tweetcaster HD is optimized for tablets, allowing one message stream at a time, filters for posts with media, and Zip It, a cool feature that zips annoying tweeters without unfollowing.

There’s also Tweetcomb, which features a Tweetdeck-like interface for multiple streams.

A common sentiment for tablet users using the native Facebook for Android app is that the app keeps crashing, or worse, not even compatible with their Honeycomb device (take for example, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1). The developers behind Tweetcaster then released Friendcaster Tab for Facebook, which is still in its beta stages but is definitely showing a lot of potential to dethrone the official app.

Other social networking sites like LinkedIn and Foursquare also have their official Android apps, but the focus of developers is on top 2 sites, of course.

Productivity

As mentioned earlier, most manufacturers offer devices with built-in apps like e-mail, memo, tasks, among others. However, there are a number of interesting apps in the Market that would do those and more.

Bring your corporate Exchange server or even your Outlook on your tablet with Touchdown HD, with support for e-mail, calendar, tasks, and contacts. This is a 30-day trial app, with the paid one sold at $19.99.

For free but still reliable productivity app, there’s Evernote, which arrive just a month ago bat the Android Market. Save your ideas, record audio and video, and take pictures, then access them in any of your devices, as Evernote cleverly syncs all of them.

A good alternative to Evernote would be Catch Notes, which beats the former with a reminder/alarm feature.

Reading

Kindle has established itself as the authority in e-books, and with its Honeycomb-optimized app, no doubt that it has sealed its reign in that department. The best part of it is its seamless integration with the Kindle Store, allowing access to millions of books, free or otherwise. This feature is not available in iPad, thanks to some App Store policies.

On the other hand, RSS feeds are in the realm of Google Reader. Since it updated its app to be optimized for tablets, it has featured a two-column interface similar to the Gmail app. It now allows for easier content access, without the need to flip to different pages to go back to the feed.

The Android Market practically covers apps for various basic uses, only that some are still not Honeycomb-friendly as of the moment. A sweet reminder though– iPad started with just a few apps too in the App Store.

NEXT: Two Ways That Google Plus Can Turn the Social Networking Tide

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Like iPad, for half the price

If they are able to say this about their tablet (meaning the price will be $250 or less), then the word will quickly spread out that Amazon (a brand many people know and like) now has a tablet that is “like iPad, for half the price. Obviously, even at that price, the tablet needs to look high quality, and the screen should be gorgeous – it is after all a reading device, and I don’ t think Amazon will cut corners here. If B&N could pull it off, they sure can, too.

Reader first, tablet second

I don’t think Amazon needs to compete head-on with the iPad anyway. While the iPad is a tablet first, reader second (or 5th), the Amazon tablet can, and should be a reader first, tablet second. There are a lot of Kindle users or potential Kindle buyers, who want something “like Kindle, but with tablet features”.

While e-ink is pretty great at replicating the look of the real paper, it also comes with some huge disadvantages such as not being useful for much else than book reading, and people don’t really like single-purpose devices. I think they’d also like to see a much smoother page refresh as well, than a 0.3 second blackout everytime they turn a page.

A lot of people would be willing to live with the shortcomings of reading a book on an LCD device, if they can use the device for a lot more. So, to them, a “reader first, tablet second” device makes a lot of sense. If Amazon could make the screen really great, and give it a pretty high resolution for a 7″ display, such as 1280×800, like the current 10″ Android tablets, I think all of the sudden, people would realize reading a book on an LCD is a lot more enjoyable than they thought it would be.

Something special?

Somehow, I doubt that Amazon’s first (and maybe even the second one) this year would have Android 4.0 underneath, and they might not even use the regular Android Market. Normally, I’d say they should try to get the Android Market because otherwise it would be suicide, but Amazon might be able to get away with it.

First, the Android Market doesn’t have that many tablet apps anyway, so it’s the right window of opportunity for Amazon to launch their tablets now with only their own app market, especially if they manage to bring in more tablet apps than Google could.

Second, if their Amazon tablet really has something special, this would also help people forget about the Android Market. This something special could be a new type of display that we might not have seen in products until now, or not produced in volume. It could be a display that works almost as well as an LCD, but with the advantage of e-ink of being readable in direct sunlight. Initial rumors said that Amazon would use Qualcomm’s Mirasol display, but then we heard that Qualcomm couldn’t produce enough of them in time. But what if they tried an alternative? Samsung also bought a company that made something similar to the Mirasol display. And there’s also the PixelQi display that first appeared on the Notion Ink Adam tablet, and has since improved.

Amazon has 2 strategies here: either go with a pretty common and predictable tablet (that is high quality), and go as cheap as possible, or introduce a new kind of reader/tablet hybrid. They could go either way, but I also know that Amazon is a pretty innovative company in general. I think it’s a little unlikely that they will do what everyone else is doing. They will want to be significantly different, so people regard their tablet as special. But being much cheaper than an iPad and other “high-end” Android tablets right now, might help Amazon sell millions of them in a short amount of time, and in the same time also help the Android tablet market get off the ground.

NEXT: Amazon’s Tegra-Powered Coyote and Hollywood to Shake iPad, Android Tablet Space

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