As the Google I/O conference kicks off today, we’re likely to see the launch of a new microtablet (megareader?) from Google, designed to compete with the Kindle Fire from Amazon. Unless everyone’s information is way wrong, it will be called the Nexus 7 and will come in either at or just south of $200. Built for watching videos and playing games and whatnot.
Meanwhile, Amazon is said to be updating the Kindle Fire and preparing the launch of a Kindle Fire 2 as soon as this summer, less than a year after the Fire launched. CNET runs with the story, citing an anonymous source and discussing similar rumors in the notoriously DigiTimes, which publishes plenty of rumors, most of them wrong:
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).
In case you were wondering, Billy Joel claims that he didn’t start that particular product.
The real question, of course, is whether anyone wants these things. The Kindle Fire started strong but sales really slipped. Maybe people are happy with Kindles for simple reading and iPads for everything else.
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