Amazon is firing up the market with the new and improving Kindle Fire 2 to rival Google's recent released Nexus 7, according to the IBTimes.
The new Kindle Fire will be thinner and lighter than the original, sources familiar with Amazon's plans told AllThingsD. It was also have a built-in camera and a much-improved display.
The apps on the Fire will also be fit to display a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, which is a little different than the 1024 x 600 display on the current Fire. This will make it sharper and more vibrant, as well as giving it a different aspect ratio (new width-to-height ratio).
"The really interesting thing here is that the screen shape is changing slightly: From an aspect ratio of 1.71 (tall and narrow in its standard Portrait mode) to an aspect ratio of 1.60," DisplayMate President Raymond Soneira told AllThingsD, when asked about what that means.
The Kindle Fire's rival, the Google Nexus 7, also uses a 1280 x 800 display.
According to CNET, the report fits with the predictions of analyst Richard Shim, who told CNET that Amazon would bring out at least three new Kindle Fire tablets in the next month. He said he gets his information from "sources in the 'supply chain,' a collection of companies the manufacture components and assemble products."
These include:
A 7-inch Kindle Fire 2: 1024x600 display, no camera; August production;
A 7-inch Kindle Fire 2: 1280x800 display with camera; August production;
A 7-inch Kindle Fire 2: 1280x800 display with camera and 4G; September production;
An 8.9-inch Kindle Fire 2: With 1920x1, 200 display; Q4 production.
Like the Nexus 7, the new Kindle Fires will have displays that boast pixel densities of 216 pixels per inch (PPI), according to Shim.
Current speculation calls for either Texas Instruments OMAP processors or Nvidia's widely used quad-core Tegra 3 chip, according to CNET.
There is no word yet on the potential price for the Kindle Fire 2. The 7-inch tablet is expected to launch on August 7 of this year, according to IBTimes reported from China Times.
In the China Times report, the new Kindle Fire will be built by Taiwanese QDM Quanta, but the plastic case will be replaced with a more durable metal chassis and the battery will be manufactured by an unnamed Chinese company, according to ZDNet.