Amazon yesterday sent out invitations to the press for a special event it’s holding this Wednesday, the 28th, and while there weren’t any details as to what exactly it’s about, all signs seem to be pointing towards the introduction of their tablet. The timing sits nicely with what we’ve heard from previous rumours.
So what exactly do we know about the device Amazon are planning to launch? MG Siegler over at TechCrunch scored the opportunity to play with one earlier this month, revealing some juicy details in the process. While it will fall under the Kindle branding, the device will definitely be a full blown tablet, and not just an e-reader. It will sport a 7” capacitive touch screen with multi-touch capabilities.
And while the device will be based on Android, it will be Amazon’s forked version rather than what we’re used to seeing on other devices. That means a complete overhaul of the UI, with a black, blue, and orange palette, a “carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device”, and no Android Market. Amazon’s own App Store is expected to fill those shoes, of course, and you can expect to see Amazon’s Cloud Player and Instant Video providing music and video services respectively.
The price is also sure to turn heads if it turns out to be accurate: just $250 (~£161). The initial release will be WiFi only, with a 3G model coming later on.
We’ll know come Wednesday exactly what Amazon has up its sleeve – stay tuned!
Via: All things Digital
Leave a Reply