Andre Yoskowitz
13 May 2011 15:04
If it proves to be accurate, AandMe is reporting today that Amazon is working on a full family of Android devices for the holidays, including a smartphone, a 6-inch tablet and a 10-inch tablet.
The site says the rumor comes from an "industry insider with direct knowledge of the project. The information was shared with me in a recent face-to-face meeting and I believe the source to be trustworthy."
There are little other details because the rumors are unconfirmed, but the editor believes that Amazon may even consider a set-top box with Google TV, alongside the other devices.
In terms of pricing, speculation is the 6-inch tablet will match Barnes & Noble's $250 Nook Color, while the larger tablet will sell for $400 and the phone for $200 with contract.
Amazon could even undercut those prices by a decent amount by subsidizing the devices with ads (like the Kindle) or taking a short-term loss on the hardware in an effort to sell more apps, music, movies and especially, books.
Verizon and AT&T will likely be the carriers behind 4G connectivity, given their sheer size.
For display, it is rumored the company will use a Pixel Qi, which offers extremely low power consumption and great readability in direct sunlight.
Processor is also under speculation, but the editor believes a TXN dual-core 1.5 GHz OMAP4 is likely.
The devices will all ship with either Android 3.x Honeycomb or Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.