Amazon to Introduce a 9" Android Tablet this Fall

So Amazon will be introducing a tablet AND new Kindles?

This is good news indeed if true. I wonder if the new Kindles will have color e-ink displays. Can hardly wait till October.

Can't wait for this. While Apple's iPad will always be leading edge in terms of tech when compared to this device, Amazon will still be able to produce a compelling package based on their extensive catalog of online digital content, proven delivery system, and most importantly price. I expect Amazon to undercut the iPad by some margin when this device is announced...

RTP.

Let's see, Apple already beat Amazon in music, so Amazon wants to cry some more?

wordoflife said:

I hope Amazon makes it cheap. I'd buy it (though it is an Android tablet).
I just can't justify spending $500 right now, since I know I probably won't use it much.

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iPad is $350 from Apple refurb.

mousouchop said:

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I hope they don't abandon their e-ink readers with this move. Would love a color touch screen e-ink reader from them in the future...

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That technology still has ways to go in both quality and being affordable for a true hybrid screen. There were all the rumors back in April about Apple developing one.

If they can get the cost down that it's only a $100 price increase and the quality to an acceptable level, would be worth it to not carry around 2 devices at least. At the moment, I don't think it's worth it.

Ssdd

Does it really matter that Amazon, Samsung, Dell, Vizio, etc release a tablet? It's still running the same goofy Honeycomb OS.

Might as well announce that Eric Schmidt is wearing a new suit or driving a different car this week.

Hopefully Amazon will figure out how to make Android desirable on a tablet in the wild.

marksman said:

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This is a much bigger issue for other android tablet makers than it is for apple. Amazon could dominate the android tablet market because of their content delivery.

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Yup. This isn't a direct Apple threat immediately, but Amazon is definitely throwing down the gauntlet to the other Android device makers.

ChazUK said:

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They should call it "Tablet" and complain that others are using the word tablet to describe their tablets.

/iJest

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YESSS!

it doubles as free advertisement, they just need to sue some other company, then all the news companies have to talk abut how amazon is suing "__" over the name!

i think amazon is making a mistake, and i definitely do not plan to buy their tablet. love the company, hate the way they handle their technical support.

why?
i bought a kindle dx last year. this is the large model that is the same size as the ipad and proposed tablet. there are many good things to say about it, and i remain pleased with its performance. but, what i am not pleased with is amazon's treatment of updates.

no software updates
i have not received a single software update in the year that i have had it. meanwhile, the 6 inch version has received multiple updates that have greatly enhanced its usability. the "premium" version is now very far behind. i still have no support for foreign languages, no page numbers, etc. there are simple hacks for the foreign languages, so it is technically an easy fix, but amazon won't do it. this is sad, but OK.

no straight answers
the problem is what happens when you contact amazon about it. in repeated emails i have asked IF they plan to update the kindle dx. i don't even care about the dates or the content. i just want to know what plans they have to support it. they refused to answer and only sent back polite, circumspect, non-committal emails. basically, you will know when we update it because we will tell you. we have passed on your concerns to the development team. lots of people have asked and been similarly ignored. you can easily see this on the internet and on discussion boards. lots of frustration out there with amazon's attitude.

who cares?
i think this is a big deal. i know when i buy an apple product that i will receive relatively frequent updates and improvements that will extend the life cycle of the device as long as is technically feasible. i still have the ipod first version and it is far more useful than it was when i first got it (copy and paste, for example, didn't exist). apple is truly impressive in its technical support for the products.

go in with low expectations
amazon has not impressed me one bit. i paid easily three times the cost of the 6 inch kindle, but i have received no technical support, and amazon refuses to tell me if i ever will. like i said, there are many things about the device to like still, and there is a hack to help me out, but one thing i learned is that amazon's back end support is unreliable.

apple is more reliable
in other words, if you buy a tablet from amazon, don't expect to ever get a straight answer about forthcoming plans, or an update to the software. if you are looking for an apple alternative, i say look elsewhere, because amazon hasn't figured it out yet.

Hmm what is the name then? Amazon Kandle?

No no .. I'm respecting Amazon for what they're doing, in fact Apple follows their move by launching iPad to banish Kindle. It was a creative move by Amazon

And yet Kindle still stand on its own, it has different market, the display is not eye popping LED backlit, but e-ink which feels natural and comfortable to read.

Android tablet by Amazon no doubt would feel great too, I think it can compete with Galaxy Tab very well.

ChazUK said:

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They should call it "Tablet" and complain that others are using the word tablet to describe their tablets.

/iJest

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Hmm....if the reader is Kindle, should this be Flame?

BC2009 said:

On the music side you would have Amazon MP3 + anything you synced to "Amazon Cloud Drive".

....

Music: iTunes has a larger market base than Amazon MP3 -- and -- anything you buy on Amazon MP3 is in your iTunes and is sycned to iPad (over the cloud with iTunes match)

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Amazon cloud music plays on the iPad, now. In Safari that is, there isn't an app. It even plays on the iPhone, although it claims not to.

love it.

Depending on the price, I think their new tablet really makes a lot of sense.
Amazon actually creates a product that I think finds the perfect niche. How many consumers will realize it, I'm not sure.

I am of the crowd that thinks an iPad is a bit too much. Its a little too flashy for my tastes, has a little bit too much of the "hey, look at me!" vibe going on. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple and I think the iPad is an amazing device, but at $500, its just too much. And since it is such a nice product, I can't really treat it the way an e-reader can be treated. I would have to be so careful not to scratch the screen or the casing. Yea, I can get a case for it and a screen protector, but that's the point! I don't want to HAVE TO get all of those things.

The Kindle has no versatility. It's black and white. But it's great at what it does: read digital books. But that's it. I was silently hoping for a Kindle Color, like the Nook Color.

I wanted to like the Nook Color. I wanted to buy the Nook Color. But it just seemed to lag a little too much, and I learned that the NC works best if rooted. I'm not opposed to jailbreaking/hacking items, but I like products that are good enough as-is without tweaking. So for now, I'm staying away.

So if the iPad is too much, and the Kindle and the Nook Color are not enough, then Amazon has a real good chance of capturing the sweet spot, they fill the gap.
Again, as long as it is priced right.

I'm hoping for a max MSRP of $295.

Why is Amazon trying to become a technology company? They should stick to what they do best, online retailing. They are damn good at that.

palpatine said:

i think amazon is making a mistake, and i definitely do not plan to buy their tablet. love the company, hate the way they handle their technical support....

no software updates
i have not received a single software update in the year that i have had it. meanwhile, the 6 inch version has received multiple updates that have greatly enhanced its usability. the "premium" version is now very far behind. i still have no support for foreign languages, no page numbers, etc. there are simple hacks for the foreign languages, so it is technically an easy fix, but amazon won't do it....

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I absolutely agree.

I have the KDXG, can't believe they have not updated their flagship reader. It's the last Amazon reader I'll buy.

As far as tablets, this is just another 9" Android clone. Shrug..., so what? The other Android clones and the iPad already do all it does.

I am just amazed nobody is coming out with a larger screen tablet -- something like 11" or 12". It wouldn't be any larger than the Kindle DXG (which has hardware keyboard), but it would allow reading of magazines, PDFs, larher screen for movies, etc..

Maybe Zinio should commission one.... I'd buy one in a flash.

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On the kindle amazon somehow managed to set up a deal for free global 3G baked in. What if they managed to do the same with a tablet? I guess it's unlikely, but that would be your compelling answer to "why this instead of an ipad?" right there.

I was at a Barnes and Noble last week playing with there Nook color tablet. It is only $249, has internet, video, email and a few dozen apps - including Angry Birds. It does not have 3G but works only on WiFi.

The first thing I thought about when playing with it was that Amazon needs to come out with something like this soon. I shop a lot at amazon and can't justify a $500 + iPad but I could justify a $250 one. Reading books on an iPad is not good for the eyes if you do it a lot so with a device designed around readers then perhaps they will have some type of color e-ink.

Anyway, competition favors the consumer

Chase R said:

Why is Amazon trying to become a technology company? They should stick to what they do best, online retailing. They are damn good at that.

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Because for books, music and movies electronic content delivery is direct threat to their physical product business. They need to compete in this space too.

Rumor had it that the Amazon tablet will actually be made by Samsung.

B

As with the Kindle and Kindle App, maybe their strategy isn't just about hardware, but to develop an "Amazon Tablet App" for hardware platforms like the Playbook

macUser2007 said:

I absolutely agree.

I have the KDXG, can't believe they have not updated their flagship reader. It's the last Amazon reader I'll buy.

As far as tablets, this is just another 9" Android clone. Shrug..., so what? The other Android clones and the iPad already do all it does.

I am just amazed nobody is coming out with a larger screen tablet -- something like 11" or 12". It wouldn't be any larger than the Kindle DXG (which has hardware keyboard), but it would allow reading of magazines, PDFs, larher screen for movies, etc..

Maybe Zinio should commission one.... I'd buy one in a flash.

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i agree 100%. i bought the dxg because it was (and still is) the only large screen e-reader on the market. if you read a lot, and especially if you read pdfs, this is the device for you.

as for other manufacturers, i suspect the larger screen has cost issues associated with it, and even for amazon, it is not a money maker. i can understand that. but, as i told amazon, i'd pay for updates (had to do that with apple ios in the old days). or, if there are no updates, just tell me. they wouldn't answer me (repeated emails) or anyone else.

yep. this is just a 9" android clone coming up. it may be a fabulous piece of hardware today. but, don't expect to see anything past honeycomb (or ice cream sandwich, depending on the release date) tomorrow. and, don't expect amazon to tell you whether they'll even be sending out an update.

poorly played on their part, but i learned my lesson. don't buy anymore hardware from them.

gibbz said:

Can they do a decent job on software? We'll will see.

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They aren't doing the software, it's going to run on Android.

Vantage Point said:

I was at a Barnes and Noble last week playing with there Nook color tablet. ... Reading books on an iPad is not good for the eyes if you do it a lot ...

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Do you have a link to an actual medical report, or are you making this up? My mom once told me doing something was bad for my eyes but I didn't stop doing it and I can see fine.

balamw said:

Because for books, music and movies electronic content delivery is direct threat to their physical product business. They need to compete in this space too.

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But do they need an actual device to do this? Why not just create some great native apps or web-apps for their content?

I guess they see some value in taking on a venture like this. They wouldn't do it if they didn't.

Heck yeah, Love the hell out of my kindle. Not saying a tablet in anyway compares to a e-reader but definitely shows Amazon can make some solid products.

Can't wait, more competition means the more effort apple puts in to their products. I mean look at the iPods, they're dead because there in such a dominant position, why bother updating? Hell even take away features, it doesn't matter they still win.

Fail

THX1139 said:

Do you have a link to an actual medical report, or are you making this up? My mom once told me doing something was bad for my eyes but I didn't stop doing it and I can see fine.

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Glare vs e-ink. This is well known and understood. Focusing through a layer of glass is one thing, but the bright/contrast, and the potential glare from the background makes the eyes work harder. Keep in mind that for a reader, many users may be looking at it for hours at a time. I know because I am one of those people that has problems with eye strain.

Anyway, you can google the topic yourself and you will see why. Of course you should get what you like. When the problem becomes real you will know.

Here's one from ZDnet
It's long but the verdict is "The iPad appears to be adequate for light daytime indoor reading, but fails miserably as an outdoor reading device"