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Despite the original version not being available outside of the US yet, the Kindle Fire 2 from Amazon is fast becoming one of the most rumoured and talked about gadgets of the year.
Days rarely pass when we don’t hear whispers of a so-called sequel to the Android-based tablet, and today we’ve heard talk of improvements to both the screen and the size of the device; not to mention a rough time of launch too.
Until Google recently revealed its Nexus 7 tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire was one of the best tablets available for the money. Now Google’s tablet overshadows it with a 7-inch IPS display and quad-core processor that belie its price tag, Amazon looks set to improve its tablet to compete.
AllthingsD reports that the Kindle Fire 2 will feature a 7-inch screen with a higher resolution of 1280 x 800 – a decent jump from the 1024 x 600 resolution on the original and the same as the Google Nexus 7. The publication’s sources, whom they claim are ‘familiar with Amazon’s plans’, also say that the sequel will be thinner and lighter as well.
The screen itself will be classed as ‘HD’ and will feature a widescreen aspect ratio, both of which are key features for watching movies on the go. We suspect that Amazon will really be tailoring the second gen model for movie watchers, pairing it perfectly with their Amazon Prime movie and TV show rental service.
We previously reported that the Kindle Fire 2 could launch as soon as August, and that report now matches up with AllthingsD’s report of a Q3 launch – that’s between July and September. This launch date is presumably for the US, although it’s also been rumoured that Amazon will launch the Kindle Fire 2 worldwide.
We’ll keep our keen eye on the rumour mill for more news and bring it to you as we get it. Hopefully the improved second version will hit the UK at a price to rival Google’s Nexus 7.
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Via: AllthingsD
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