Amazon 10.1-Inch 'Kindle Fire' Tablet to be Released Soon? (VIDEO)

By Elton Jones, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, October 01, 2011

Rumor has it that Amazon will also release a 10.1-inch version of its "Kindle Fire" tablet before the holidays.

DigiTimes reported that Amazon is planning to have the rumored 10.-inch tablet produced by Taiwan-based Foxconn Electronics. This technology production company expects to start shipping the tablets before the end of the year in order to meet the "holiday season demand."

Amazon finally revealed its 7-inch "Kindle Fire" tablet at a press conference Wednesday. A $79 Kindle model without a keyboard, and a Kindle Touch with multi-touch functions was also shown. Both devices use e-ink displays and will be sold alongside the previous model, the Kindle Keyboard.

No official details on the 10.1-inch tablet were revealed at the event, but Amazon's Kindle vice president, Russ Grandinetti, told Engadget to "stay tuned" for any announcements of the bigger slate.

Initial reactions to the "Kindle Fire" have been both positive and negative so far. Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said the device is "not a true competitor, but more competitive than expected."

J.P. Morgan's Mark Moskowitz was also down on Amazon's new device, referring to it as "noise" and a stepping stone for even better tablets on the market. Those who back the tablet however feel the device will be an "iPad killer" that will sell well due to its cheaper price.

DigiTimes stated that Foxconn originally "decided not to take" any production orders on the "Kindle Fire" tablet since they were already working on Apple's iPad. This rumor was backed up by claims of Amazon's production issues with its tablet being attributed to constraints from Apple's iPad production.

Some speculation has also surfaced about Amazon looking to acquire Hewlett-Packard's Palm division in order to grow its mobile offerings. Some say that the company is in negotiations with HP so they can acquire its WebOS and all other Palm-related assets.

A walkthrough video of the "Kindle Fire" and its features can be viewed below.