Kindle Fire 2 Release Date in July?

The Amazon Kindle Fire 2 release date has been targeted to September 2012 and will feature larger 8.9 inch display and dual core Snapdragon S4 equivalent processor, but a credible source has told CNET that Amazon will unveil a second-generation Kindle Fire this summer and that it's targeting July 31 for a launch event. Thus the Kindle Fire 2 release date is probably in August, since I doubt anyone is going to buy it at the launch event. This information matches up with DigiTimes as well as our own.

While we can't confirm the date, there's been plenty of chatter about new Kindles coming soon. Most recently, DigiTimes, which has been pretty spotty on the rumor front, reported that Amazon was "considering launching" a new $199 7-inch tablet with a higher resolution 1,280 by 800-pixel display "at the beginning of the third quarter."

The DigiTimes article cited the usual sources in the "upstream supply chain" and talked about how Amazon would reduce the price of the current Kindle Fire to $149. And the story we reported yesterday about Amazon clearing stock by lowering the Kindle Fire's price by $50 seems to also be correct and preparations are under way! It also speculated that Amazon's long-rumored larger tablet is still on hold but that new e-ink Kindles with integrated lighting were expected to be released alongside the Kindle Fire 2 (or whatever Amazon chooses to call it).

Kindle Fire 2 Release Date in July, Kindle Fire 2 price, Kindle Fire 2 reviewSeveral of rumors indicated that Amazon was preparing to bring a new 7 inch and a 10 inch model for upcoming Kindle Fire 2 but as reported by some Taiwanese newspapers, there could be 3 models of android powered kindle fire tablets, two 7-inch versions and an 8.9-inch version. The dissimilarity among the two 7-inch tablets will be exclusively on screen resolution – one 7-inch tablet is anticipated to aspect a 1024 X 600 pixel screen resolution and the other will include a 1280 X 800 pixel screen resolution. In difference, the 8.9-inch will include an HD display with 1920 X 1200 pixel screen resolution. No other features have identified now, but if the anticipated specs are correct for the 8.9-inch model with HD display, it will be a good rival of new iPad.

Our source didn't mention the higher resolution display but did say that the new tablet would have a camera and physical volume-control buttons (many users complained that the Kindle Fire only has on-screen volume controls).

No word on whether Bluetooth will be included, what processor will power the device, and whether Amazon will stick with 8GB of built-in memory and no expansion capabilities. It will also be interesting to see whether Amazon, as rumored, will attempt to subsidize the cost of the new Kindle Fire with an ad-supported Special Offers version.

In speaking with additional sources, it seems likely that Amazon will follow a similar product upgrade map to Apple, adding features along with design and performance improvements but maintaining the similar price points. For instance, we don't expect that Amazon will put out an e-ink e-reader for less than $79 (the current entry-level Kindle sells for $79). Rather, it will simply improve upon the existing $79 Kindle. (Of course, you can get refurbished Kindles for less than $79, but we're talking list price here).

Currently, Barnes & Noble's Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, which has been on the market for a couple of months, sells for $139. Amazon is expected to introduce a new Kindle Touch that offers an integrated light at a lower price point. It may also add lighting to the entry-level Kindle.

For reference, Amazon launched the Kindle Fire and new e-ink Kindles in September of last year, though the Fire and Kindle Touch didn't ship until November. While it could wait to launch its next-generation Kindles closer to the holiday season, having devices in stores in time for back-to-school promotions seems like the more likely scenario, particularly with sales of Kindle devices reportedly ebbing and rumors of Apple launching the iPhone 5 early this fall along with a new iPod Touch and possibly even its own 7-inch iPad.

It's also worth noting that the landscape for the "value" tablet category has changed significantly since Amazon launch the Fire and made a splash with its $199 price. Back then Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet and some smaller, no-name brands were its only competitors. Since then Barnes & Noble has come out with a $199 Nook Tablet and Samsung (Galaxy Tab 2 7.0) and others are offering more affordable, feature-rich tablets. (Lenovo, for example, is blowing out its older IdeaPad A1 for $149.99).

Perhaps even more importantly, after specs leaked online, Google is expected to announce its Nexus Tablet as soon as this week. According to the report, that Asus-made 7-inch model will be the first to run the latest flavor of Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, and will have a 1.3Ghz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, a GeForce 12-core graphics processor, front-facing camera, and 1GB of RAM. The IPS (in-plane switching) display will offer a 178-degree viewing angle with a resolution of 1,280x800 pixels. The entry-level 8GB model will reportedly retail for $199.

The Kindle Fire 2 specs are not important as the current version is not about specs but how well it deals with daily tasks and it does very well. The current model has the weakest specs in the market but it is built on a custom version of Android which is lighter and less power demanding so it runs smooth. It’s rumored that Kindle fire will get custom built dual-core Snapdragon S4 equivalent processor which is widely used in high-end smartphones like HTC One X and US version Galaxy S3.

After seeing success of the Amazon Kindle fire it is expected that Apple will launch smaller iPad called iPad Mini which will be direct competitor to Kindle Fire 2 as both will be released around the same time. In other words, Amazon may not only have to match those specs but offer an additional feature, design, or price advantage. Stay tuned.