Details Emerge on Next-Gen Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets

[dgstorm]

Up until now details on Amazon's next generation Kindle Fire tablets have been sketchy. Luckily, a new report from BGR shares the skinny on three new Kindle Fire variants scheduled to arrive sometime this year. Here's the breakdown of what they were able to find out,

• The first is a replacement for the 7-inch Kindle Fire Base Model and will come with a 7-inch screen, but will include higher resolution 1,280 x 800 display - this will basically come with the same display that is in the current Kindle Fire HD and replace the (1,024 x 600-pixel) IPS display in the first gen Kindle Fire.
• The second is a new Kindle Fire HD which will also feature an improved 7-inch display. This one will be a 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution screen.
• The third is an upgraded version of Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch. The updated version will bump up the pixel count to 2,560 x 1,600 (from its current 1,920 X 1,200). This will actually put its display ahead of the newest iPad in total pixel count.

That's not all. Although no details were given about the internals, several tidbits were shared about the new design of the tabs and more. Here's a quote with the details,

Regarding the design of Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD tablets, we have been told that Amazon will introduce some big changes in the new models that launch later this year. Whereas the current Kindle Fire HD series features a back that slopes smoothly out toward the edges, as seen in the image above, our sources say the new models feature a more angular design with a flat slope out to the edges instead of a curved slope, and corners that aren’t as rounded. One source described the new look as “chiseled.”

Also of note, the power and volume buttons are no longer located on the side of the tablets. Instead, they have been situated on the sloping area on the case-back and they are positioned to avoid accidental button presses when a tablet is placed on its back. We’re told that the new button design is a big improvement; the button placement on current models is something of a pain point for many Kindle Fire HD users.

Lastly, the new tablets are said to be noticeably lighter than the models they will be replacing, though it is unclear if the launch versions of Amazon’s new tablets will be identical to the pre-production models currently being tested.

When Amazon first launched the Kindle Fire, they shook things up in the tablet world. Could they be poised to do it again with the next generation of Kindle Fire products?

Source: Kindle-FireForum.com via BGR