The new Kindle Fire is likely only days away now, with Amazon gearing up for the big show on the 6^th. It’s almost here, so what do we know? While it’s still unclear whether or not we will see a 10-inch model or not, we now have rumors of a 7-inch Kindle Fire 2 that will be priced under the Nexus 7 and similar competitors.

How can Amazon do this and still make enough money off the device? Supposedly, the new Kindle Fire 2 is going to feature ad-supported software that allows it to arrive a much lower price point. This isn’t unheard of for Amazon, since they’ve done this with the Kindle e-Reader line before. With Nexus 7 having the “full” Android experience for only $199, it’s unclear how the Kindle Fire 2 could possibly one-up Google’s 7-incher. Maybe instead it’s about delivering great Amazon content with a combination of ads that allow a much cheaper price- it certainly makes sense.

IF this rumor proves true, how much would such a device cost? While it’s hard to say for certain, we can take an educated guess here. In the past, Kindle e-Readers that used an ad-supported model have cost about $30-$50 less than their ad-free counterparts. Based on the OG Kindle Fire’s $199, it’s possible that there could be an ad-free KF2 for $199, and an ad-supported model for $149.

At $149, the Kindle Fire’s slightly limited (no Google Play, Amazon UI) interface certainly is more appealing. It’s also possible that modders could get the ad-supported version for $149, crack it open, and run a custom ROM- allowing for a full tablet experience at a budget price.

Let’s say this all turns to be true. Would you consider an add-supported version of the Kindle Fire 2 if it’s priced at around $149 and has similar hardware abilities to the Nexus 7?

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[Concept Photo by Jonas-Daehnert]

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The Kindle Fire 2 is on its way, that much is all-but guaranteed. Need further proof that it’s coming soon? Beyond the fact that Amazon is prepping for a big announcement next Thursday, we can also tell you that Amazon has dropped a pretty big hint that helps further allude to the an upcoming release of a successor. The company has officially announced that the Kindle Fire is “sold out” on its website.

Amazon also added with the announcement that they have captured 22% of the tablet market in the U.S., citing estimates published by research consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates.

We also know that next Thursday brings a big Amazon Event- doesn’t take much to connect the dots, does it? Are you looking forward to getting your hands on the Kindle Fire 2? What kind of features do you hope to get with it?

At the same time, it makes you wonder what Amazon could possibly do to “one-up” the Google Nexus 7, which is firing with both barrels loaded and quickly looks poised to knock Kindle Fire off of its budget-tablet pedestal. What do we know so far? Very little about any 7-inch Kindel Fire successor, but we are relatively confident that a 10-incher is on its way. Could Amazon be bowing down to the Nexus 7 in the 7-inch budget market, instead looking to move into a 10-inch budget position?

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With the Nexus 7 release and the iPad Mini supposedly coming sometime this year, Amazon’s competition is getting pretty fierce in the 7-inch market. The good news is that a Kindle Fire refresh is likely on the horizon, with Amazon recently sending out invitations to the media for a press conference on the 6^th of September in Santa Monica, California.

This is pretty much a guaranteed announcement of Kindle products, including the Fire 2. If rumors prove correct, this will mean the introduction of a 10-inch Kindle Fire and hopefully a refreshed and updated 7-inch model as well.

With the Nexus 7 offering a more vanilla Android experience with full access to Google Play, it’s hard to envision what features Amazon could bring to the table that will help it get the one-up on Google. Yes, it has its Amazon Prime streaming and other special features, but is that really enough?

What do you hope to see from the next Kindle Fire? If they could up the amount of features in the tablet, would it be more appealing to you? Conversely, are you more interested in a different 7-inch option, like the Nexus 7 or the rumored iPad Mini?

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With the recent official reveal of the Google Nexus 7, its clear that Amazon better have a trick or two up their sleeves if they want to stay ahead of its new competitor for the lower-end segment. While rumors have been circling around the possibility of a 2nd-gen Kindle Fire coming out as early as July, it seems that might not be all that the company is working on. According to a new report from BGR, a 10-inch Quad-Core Kindle Fire might be on its way soon as well, as early as July.

While not a lot is known about the 10-incher Fire, claims do say it will have quad-core power, microUSB, HDMI-out and a front-facing camera. The 10-inch Fire will likely join alongside a next-gen Kindle Fire 7-incher as well. According to the source, the Kindle Fire line will no longer have plastic casing, instead making the move to a higher-quality metal case. Ultimately the biggest downfall to a new Kindle Fire line, compared to devices like the Nexus 7, is that it has some pretty big limitations with its custom UI, such as its lack of support for Google apps like Google Play. If Amazon can improve further upon its existing services and convince users that its App Store is better than Google’s native store, the Fire line still has a pretty good chance of keeping up the momentum started with the 1^st generation of Fire. Pricing will be important too though. If the 7-incher could somehow undercut the Nexus 7, even if only marginally, that could certainly add to the appeal.

As for the 10-inch model? I’d love to see a good 10-incher under $300, perhaps Amazon will fill that current void? What do you think?

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If rumors are to be believed, the $199 Nexus 7 is going to feature a quad core Tegra 3 processor, so perhaps similar power under the hood will make its way into the new Kindle Fire? At this point its hard to tell at this point. More than likely, when the 2^nd-gen Fire does arrive they will also announce new Kindle eInk devices, in similar fashion to how they handled the launch of the 1st-gen Kindle Fire. What improvements and revisions do you hope to see in a next generation Kindle Fire?

It’s entirely possible that Amazon might even consider more than one version of the Fire to better compete with so many new tablets coming to the market, such the Nexus 7, Microsoft Surface and the new Windows 8 tablets that we will soon see at the end of this year. I certainly wouldn’t mind see a budget-priced 10-inch Kindle Fire.

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