fire

Amazon may be cooking up two new Kindle Fire tablets -- a 10-inch version and a new 7-inch flavor.

Citing intel from one of its sources, blogging site Boy Genius Report says it confirmed the launch of Amazon's 10-inch tablet for sometime in the coming months. The 10-inch tablet would be powered by a quad-core processor.

A new 7-inch Kindle Fire is also in the works, according to BGR. A source recently revealed similar information to CNET, saying that Amazon is targeting July 31 as the launch date for the new 7-inch variety.

Claiming to have handled both tablets, … Read more

Amazon opened a lot of eyes when it introduced the Kindle Fire last year at $199. Many people expected it to come out at $249, but Amazon surprised everybody with $199. Now Google's done the same with its Asus-made Nexus 7, which, on paper anyway, offers the best specs for a 7-inch tablet at its price point, besting its closest competitors, the Kindle Fire and the 8GB Nook Tablet (you could also include the Samsung Tab 2 7.0 in this group, but it starts at $250).

Of course, specs aren't everything, so before we declare the Nexus … Read more

Apple can breathe easy -- Google's new Nexus tablet poses little competition for the iPad. At least that's the opinion of Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White.

Most of the specs for the Nexus 7 are impressive -- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a 1280x800 pixel resolution, Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a nine-hour battery, a micro-USB port, GPS, a gyroscope, and support for NFC and Android Beam. The tablet is also price friendly, selling at $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB model.

But White thinks the iPad will continue to reign as king of … Read more

Spellsword is an excellent and almost blindingly fast-paced arena-combat arcade game with addictive RPG elements, super-cute 16-bit fantasy art, and often hypnotic chiptune sound.

At first glance, Spellsword shares some similarities with another great game, Super Crate Box: Both have you dodging enemies and chasing powerups around a satisfyingly cramped playscreen--but Spellsword adds a couple of twists, with a mini RPG-style purchasing system (you collect "rupees," which you can then use between levels to buy equipment and make your powers more effective) and a unique take on power-ups with "spell cards." As you bounce around the (… Read more

Our big rumor of the week is directly related to Google, so thankfully Karyne made it back in town just in time to witness the Google Glass-wearing skydivers jump from a dirigible into Google I/O. Wait, what? Whoa!

Before the keynote went off on a crazed adventure sports tangent, Google announced a new product: the new Nexus 7 tablet running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and selling for the small sum of $199. What else sells for that? Oh right, the Kindle Fire.

So this leads us to the question: is Amazon now feeling the pressure to update its … Read more

Google will soon launch a tablet made by and co-branded with Asus, an executive for Asus said today.

"It's targeting Amazon," the unidentified exec told Reuters about the device. "The Kindle is based on Google's platform but with its own service, so Google has to launch its own service, too."

Google is expected to unveil its own 7-inch tablet at the company's I/O conference, which starts today and runs until Friday. But the Asus executive's statement is the first that seemingly confirms an upcoming launch of the new product.… Read more

What's next for Kindle hardware?

Well, a credible source has told CNET that Amazon will unveil a second-generation Kindle Fire this summer and that it's targeting July 31 for a launch event.

While we can't confirm the date, there's been plenty of chatter about new Kindles coming soon. Most recently, DigiTimes, which has been pretty spotty on the rumor front, reported that Amazon was "considering launching" a new $199 7-inch tablet with a higher resolution 1,280 by 800-pixel display "at the beginning of the third quarter."

The DigiTimes article cited the … Read more

For all the success that Amazon has enjoyed with its Appstore for Android, that's largely been the case only in the United States. Yet, that looks to change later this year as developers can now ready their apps for distribution across a number of European markets.

Android developers logging into the Amazon Developer Portal will find that they can submit apps and games for release in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. It's not immediately known when the internal expansion will begin, however Amazon promises even more markets are on the horizon.

Since its launch a … Read more

As if actual Microsoft product launches haven't been in the news enough this week (ahem, Surface tablet and Windows Phone 8), rumors of the road map for the long-anticipated new Xbox are heating up.

A PowerPoint presentation posted to NeoGAF forums claims to divulge Microsoft's secret product launch plans. No, not the launch codes -- this isn't a nuclear crisis, though the excitement among Xbox gamers is verging on nuclear. (See what I did there?) The document has NOT been authenticated, and Microsoft is mum on the issue, but its contents are in line with previous rumors. … Read more