Barnes & Noble's Nook Color recently underwent some major changes. The e-book reader now has an updated version of Froyo as
well as its own app store. The e-reader is now considered more an entry level tablet than a mere e-book reader. Well, if Barnes & Noble can go knocking on tablet door then how can Amazon is far behind? However, instead of pimping up its own e-reader Kindle, Amazon is planning to launch a full-fledged 'iPad Killer'. If rumors are to be believed then you can have this tablet well before the end of this year.
Coming from the House of Amazon, the tablet is expected to be more book-reading friendly. Kindle comes with E Ink display, which is low impact and thus is excellent for extended online reading. Although, the tablet may not have E-Ink display, since it is not very conducive for online and gaming experience, but Amazon is rumored to be collaborating with the company, so we expect something novel to come out. Amazon had recently announced that it is now selling more e-books than hardcovers, so it makes sense that the company's tablet will provide some extra support for e-book aficionado.
Amazon is said to be planning to crank out 700,000 to 800,000 tablets per month. It had also recently launched its own Android app store, though currently, it is feuding with Apple over the nomenclature. The tablet is expected to run on Android, which may the most predictable spec of the tablet. However, instead of overlaying the OS with Amazon customized skin, the company is expected to drastically modify the OS itself.
And of course, expect the company to leverage its services such as Cloud Drive and app store to the fullest extent. Cloud Drive is expected to provide remote syncing function, which will do away with the restrictive syncing practices advanced by iTunes. Rumors also point that Microsoft too, is working towards Cloud computing. The new competition is sure making the segment very attractive. We expect more details to emerge in the coming days, but one thing is sure, Amazon is definitely moving beyond being a web retail company. If we have to extrapolate the company's potential from its app store, then we can safely assume that its tablet is something worth watching out for.