New industry intel suggests that Amazon's big press event scheduled for tomorrow in New York City will see the unveiling of the "Kindle Fire". This is the new Amazon Android Tablet we have been hearing so many rumors about. More info regarding the time-frame of release suggests that the tablet will launch around the second week in November. Some new details of the device have been leaked as well. It will be a 7-Inch tablet, with a similar look to the Blackberry PlayBook. However, the tablet is using a custom designed version of Android that reportedly, looks nothing like Android. Of course, the tablet has access to Amazon's Android Appstore, but does not give direct access to the Android Market.
Apparently, Amazon has gone out of their way to acquire publishing rights to a large array of content for the launch of the device. They have secured rights from several publishers like Hearst, Conde Nast and Meredith publishers, which would give users access to subscription services for magazines like Wired, Cosmopolitan, Car and Driver, GQ and a large list of others. One of the only hold-outs is Time Warner's Time Magazine, but Amazon is working to secure a deal "by the end of the year." Supposedly, Amazon will be receiving a 30% cut of the subscriptions, and this will be their primary profit motivator, since they are most likely selling the tablet at a slight loss. Amazon has also secured deals with Fox and others for movies and TV shows through their streaming video service, further solidifying that the tab isn't just an e-reader, but a full fledged multimedia device. This could eventually build into something that could give Netflix some competition in the streaming market.
This first device will use a TI dual-core OMAP chip, and there has been no official word on any other specs or devices, yet. Of course, tomorrow is the big announcement with all the details, and we will bring them to you as we find out more. Above is a mockup of the device.
Source: Amazon-Tablets via TechCrunch and AllThingsDigital