Kindle Fire

A purported photo of Amazon’s (AMZN) next-generation Kindle Fire tablet was published on Thursday by The Verge. The shape of the tablet pictured is a departure from the original model in terms of proportions, suggesting this may be the widely rumored 10-inch model. No other information can be ascertained from the image beyond the presence of a front-facing camera. BGR exclusively reported in June that Amazon is prepping at least two new Kindle Fire tablets — a 10-inch model and an updated 7-inch version — and the slates are said to feature new designs and metal cases. Amazon is holding a press conference next week to unveil its next-generation tablets.

UPDATE: The Verge is now saying the tablet pictured in above might be an old prototype and not a next-generation Kindle Fire. More →

Staples (SPLS) president Demos Parneros has gone on record in stating that Amazon (AMZN) has plans to introduce as many as six new Kindle Fire tablets. Reuters on Monday reports that Amazon has plans to add up to five or six new tablet SKUs to its lineup. According to the report, Parneros confirmed that the Kindle Fire tablets will vary in size, and will include at least one 10-inch tablet model. BGR exclusively reported last month that Amazon is prepping at least two new Kindle Fire tablets, a new 10-inch model and an updated 7-inch tablet with a redesigned case. A separate report suggested that Amazon will launch new Kindle Fire slates early next month. More →

BGR first reported that Amazon was developing a 10-inch Kindle Fire more than a year ago. The tablet, code-named “Hollywood,” was powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and was shaping up to be a high-end counterpart to 7-inch Kindle Fire, which was code-named “Coyote.” Numerous reports covering the device have emerged since then, and BGR recently reported additional exclusive details surrounding the 10-inch slate, which may finally launch this summer. Now, buried within a report claiming Apple is prepping a smaller iPad tablet, The New York Times claims to have confirmed that the larger Kindle Fire tablet is in development. The paper provided no additional details but with new reports piling up each week, a 10-inch Kindle Fire announcement could come as soon as this month. More →

As Amazon’s Kindle Fire nears its end-of-life cycle, sales have begun to fizzle since its explosive debut quater late last year. Numerous reports that have trickled out over the last few months claiming the retail giant is planning to launch a successor to its widely popular tablet in the near future, however. BGR exclusively reported in June that Amazon will soon announce new 7- and 10-inch tablets. We were told that the design of the new 7-inch Kindle Fire has been “vastly improved,” and it will be thinner and feature a metal casing in place of the soft-touch plastic body found on the current-generation. According to sources speaking with AllThingsD, Amazon’s upcoming slate will also feature a built-in camera and a high-resolution 1280 x 800 display — the same one found on Google’s Nexus 7. The company will reportedly debut its Kindle Fire successor in the coming months, with a launch slated for late in the third quarter. More →