MG Siegler (TechCrunch) says he’s seen and used a DVT (design testing unit model) 7″ Amazon Tablet that may be released by end of November 2011. [Added: Amazon has since released the color Kindle Fire, which shipped November 15, 2011.]
The new device is backlit with an LED capacitive touch screen, no e-ink, no buttons. The new Kindle runs a forked version of Android, so it will look like a Kindle instead of familiar Android devices.
Read the scoop in Siegler’s September 2nd TechCrunch article. No photos are available yet, but it’s said to have about the same form factor as the BlackBerry PlayBook.
At about $250, the color Kindle will directly compete with Barnes and Noble’s color Nook, which is gaining in popularity. I recently bought a color Nook for its spectacular backlit color display and because it’s easy to "root" if desired. Can’t beat the price for a small Android tablet. Even without being "rooted" the color Nook has a decent selection of Android Apps of interest to readers and students. It’s been a joy to read more non-fiction ePub books with color illustrations. The color Nook is hefty and needs recharging every few days, but in spite of that, I really, really love it. I also have a Kindle New Generation (Wi-Fi) that’s fine for books that are mostly text, but I find myself picking up the Nook every chance I get.
I think we can count on Amazon to heavily promote the color Kindle and make it available for Christmas giving. To boost sales, maybe Amazon will throw in a free Prime membership. Competition is good thing!
