MG Siegler gave some welcome news in his September 2, 2011 TechCrunch article, saying that "Amazon's Kindle Tablet is Very Real." His report came after I have spent a few weeks comparing a rooted Nook Color to my iPad, and it looks like a Kindle 4 will have all the features of a rooted Nook Color plus a warranty and a free Amazon Prime subscription. The tablet, which is assumed to be Kindle 4 because it is under the Kindle label, is an ebook reader that plays music and movies, many of which are included with the Amazon Prime membership.
Amazon's Kindle 4 Tablet Specs
There are no pictures of the tablet yet, but Siegler gives a good idea of what it looks like based on his time with a design verification model. There is a 7 inch screen, just like the Nook Color. There is a two finger touch screen, and the only button is the power button on the side. It is a backlit color screen, so wishes for a color e-ink tablet are still a few years away from being granted.
There is a 10 inch screen model in the works, but that won't be released until after the smaller tablet has been on the market. Amazon knows it can aim at the iPad; a great Android tablet has a chance at gaining attention because even though the iPad market is too big to take out, it is also a market that is too big to miss with a decent strike. The Nook Color is a smaller threat that needs a more targeted approach.
Amazon Kindle 4 Tablet or Rooted Barnes and Noble Nook Color?
If you root the Nook Color, which you have to do to make worth calling a tablet, you can access the Amazon Android store and watch Amazon Prime movies. However, you do that at the expense of your warranty, and each new version of the Nook Color's software requires additional steps to root.
For the same price, you can get a Kindle Tablet that has all the magic of an Android tablet without the headaches of a DIY kit. At $250, which is the reported price for the wi-fi Kindle tablet, the Kindle Tablet and the Nook Color Tablet are direct rivals, but the Kindle wins.
Currently, the 7 inch Amazon Kindle Tablet is scheduled to appear in October and go on sale in November, possibly for Black Friday. The success of that version will influence when the 10 inch tablet is released. You can learn more about the future of ebook reader tablet hybrids from MG Siegler's original report, where he says "the new Kindle is very close to being done." The best part is that the future seems to hold a 3G Kindle tablet, which would be good news indeed.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
