ZiiLabs Demonstrates Their Jaguar3 Android Tablet Media Platform On Video

Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts he’d like you to read: The Dangers of Externalizing Knowledge | Generation i | Surveillant Society | Choose Two | Frame Wars | The User’s Manifesto | Our Great Sin His personal website is coldewey.cc. ? Learn More

We’ve seen a few peeks of Creative’s Zii-powered Android tablets over the last couple months, but being rather spec-oriented, this reference platform didn’t get much attention. This video does a better job of showing off the advantages of having a general-purpose parallel CPU array like StemCell. It’s a special 48-core chip they’ve married to a 1.5GHz Cortex A9, and it’s dedicated to media processing.

It may not be that we ever see this guy in action: the Zii series of media players just couldn’t stand up to the iPod touch, and it could be that this augmented Android platform isn’t cost-effective or flashy enough to bring in sales. A hell of a lot of people are going to opt for something like the Fire, since they have no idea what WebM is, and don’t see why they would want to have 1080p playback on a small tablet that can’t even display that resolution. That’s why they have a Blu-ray player attached to a 55? LCD. Who can blame them?

It does look like a nice little tablet, though, and having that big parallel array would probably be attractive to a lot of developers. But I don’t think the market is big enough right now for this to sell more than a few thousand units.

[via Fine Oils]

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Amazon Just Won The Android Tablet Wars With The $199 Kindle Fire

Matt is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail... ? Learn More

The Android tablet electoral races are done. There’s a new mayor in droidville. But this guy didn’t roll into town with pomp and circumstance. He strolled down mainstreet and simply offered more than any other candidate through a plan of down-to-earth sensibility and affordability. Meet the Kindle Fire.

Amazon just unveiled the Kindle Fire, which will without question dominate the sub-iPad price points for years. Amazon did it right by copying Apple’s formula. Tablets do not sell on specs; Amazon barely touched on the Fire’s hardware during its announcement. Instead, Jeff Bezos, doing his best Steve Jobs impersonation, stood tall on the stage and ran through a long list of features that makes the Fire an iPad alternative the world has wanted.

The Fire runs Android but it’s invisible to the user. Amazon instead built a custom UI on top of an unspecified Android build. This is the right move for most consumers. Android 2.x is not meant for tablets. Sure, some die-hards love it on a slate, but most of those same users will profess that it’s not right for the general consumer. Honeycomb isn’t much better and requires more beefy hardware — a dealbreaker for a company such as Amazon looking to undercut the iPad’s price. Enter Amazon’s massive server capability.

Amazon is leveraging its many server farms to pre-render, and therefore, smooth out the overall web browsing experience. Called Amazon Silk, the browser learns users behaviors and starts caching often visited pages for quicker load times. The system intelligently offloads content to Amazon’s Elactic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) that shrinks it to a more manageable size: Flash, images, and all the heavy content. All this is done before the data hits the tablet which makes for, well, a more silky experience. Visit TechCrunch a lot? Great, thanks, but the page will load even faster thanks to caching smart of Amazon Silk.

Sure, the Fire is a front-end for a bunch of Amazon services, but this back-end processing will allow the $199 tablet to feel like nothing else in its price point. It might even load pages quicker than the A5-powered iPad 2.

The Amazon Fire is, in a sense, an iPod touch and is hitting the market right when such a stop-gap product is needed. The iPad is clearly a “better” device with better hardware and more functions, but the Fire is $300 less and still rather capable. Likewise, the Fire might not be the best Android tablet, but Amazon has clearly compensated for the lackluster hardware with a fresh interface. Consumers have shown a hesitance for non-iPad tablets, but the $500 price point is out of reach for many consumers. A $200 tablet, loaded with Amazon’s media offering, is the right product to kick start tablets from niche to mainstream

Amazon followed Apple’s lead in launching media services prior to its hardware. Over the last year, company has invested heavily into streaming video, MP3 downloads and cloud computing. It all makes sense now. By showing consumers that, say, the Amazon Prime Instant Video works well on user’s computers, they’re now more comfortable buying a tablet built around the service. This media content instantly pushes the Fire to the front of the Android line. For the average consumer, the Fire is the perfect low-cost iPad alternative.

Launch Date: September 28, 1994

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them all in numerous warehouses and distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The majority of Amazon’s...

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Will Amazon Finally Reveal Its Tablet Next Week?

Amazon may be gearing up to announce its much-awaited, much-rumored tablet PC next Wednesday.

The tight-lipped company sent an invitation out to select members of the press Friday. The invite (see below) is for Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. ET in New York. No other details were forthcoming and Amazon reps could not be reached for comment.

The event comes as reports have pegged the introduction of an Amazon tablet computer “before October.” At least one tech blogger claims to have gotten a hands-on look at the tablet, said to be called “Amazon Kindle.” The device reportedly sports a back-lit, color touchscreen and is priced at $250. That report, however, stated that the release date for the product would be in late November.

Whatever Amazon is up to, the company’s progress on its tablet will be closely watched. Analysts say Amazon is the only company that can challenge the iPad’s dominance this holiday season.

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Amazon Fires $199, 7-Inch Tablet At Apple

Matt is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail... ? Learn More

Amazon’s not-so-secret project is finally unveiled and is the company’s first real tablet contender. The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s prize fighter in the battle for tablet dominance. But the new LCD-equipped Kindle isn’t in the corner alone. Amazon also took the wraps off of two new, more-traditional Kindles, including a $99 touchscreen model and a stripped-down $79 option.

The Fire itself is rather characterless and dull. It looks a lot like the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook (probably for good reason) and features just enough tech to pass as acceptable. There’s a two-point multitouch screen (the iPad has a 10-point screen), and an unspecified CPU although reports place a TI OMAP CPU at the core. There are no physical buttons on the black slate, along with little Amazon branding. The Fire doesn’t have a camera, microphone or 3G connectivity although it does pack WiFi. It’s all about the experience here.

The Kindle Fire marks a significant departure from Amazon’s norm. The most notable change is obviously the multitouch 7-inch LCD rather than an e-ink display, but moreover, the Kindle Fire is a complete storefront for the retailer rather than just an ereader. The tablet features apps for Amazon’s Android Appstore, Kindle store, Amazon MP3, and Prime Instant Video. Nearly all of Amazon’s recent news,  Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon Cloud Drive, Kindle Cloud Reader, the streaming deals with Fox and NBCUniversal, were in preparation for the Fire. With these cloud services in place, the Kindle Fire is a legitimate iPad competitor.

But it’s more than just Amazon apps. Users are free to load apps from Amazon’s Android Appstore including Pandora, Twitter, Facebook, and, most notably, Netflix.

The Fire runs a custom OS build that completely hides its Android 2.x underpinnings. Amazon built, without the help of Google we’re told, an experience centered around all of Amazon’s retail and cloud services. This is an Amazon tablet and not just a Kindle.

Watch out, Apple (and B&N). Amazon is pricing this model aggressively. Bloomberg is reporting prior to Amazon’s official event that the Kindle Fire hits at just $199 and comes with 30-days of Amazon Prime.

It’s been said that Amazon initially planned on launching a 10-inch tablet alongside this 7-inch model but the larger version was pushed back until early 2012. Reportedly, the 10-inch wasn’t going to be ready in time and Amazon choose to launch just the smaller version. It was a smart and timely move, too. Barnes & Noble is said to be gearing up to launch the second generation of the Nook Color within the coming weeks. Had Amazon waited ’till after the new year to launch both, the Nook Color successor might had stolen Christmas and part of the Fire’s marketshare. But as it sits right now, this holiday season is set to play host to a tablet battle royal between the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook Color 2.

Check out the official Amazon Fire commercial and images after the break.

Launch Date: September 28, 1994

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them all in numerous warehouses and distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The majority of Amazon’s...

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Archos Q9 Tablet Is A Beefy, Honeycomb-Running Machine

Biggs is the editor of TechCrunch Gadgets. Biggs has written for the New York Times, InSync, USA Weekend, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Money and a number of other outlets on technology and wristwatches. He is the former editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.com and lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. You can Tweet him here and G+ him here. ? Learn More

The Archos G9 tablet comes in two flavors, 8-inch and 10-inch, and runs Honeycomb 3.2. The specs are more than acceptable with the 8-incher starting at $299 for 1 GHz of power and $100 more for a half a GHz extra. The tablets have internal flash memory of up to 16GB or a 250GB hard drive, your choice.

The 101 is a 10-inch model with a slightly faster CPU standard while the 80 is the bargain basement model at 8 inches. Here is your pricing.

ARCHOS 80 G9 8GB – 1 GHZ at $299
ARCHOS 80 G9 16GB – 1.5 GHz at $329
ARCHOS 80 G9 250GB – 1.5 GHz at $369
ARCHOS 101 G9 16GB – 1.5 GHz at $399
ARCHOS 101 G9 250GB – 1.5 GHz at $469

The devices will be available in October with pre-orders starting this month in the U.S.

Product Page

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Sharp Discontinues 2 Of 3 Galapagos Tablet Models, Only The 7-Inch Version Lives On

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... ? Learn More

About a year ago, Sharp decided to enter the rapidly growing tablet market with the terribly named Galapagos, two Android devices sized at 5.5 and 10.8 inches that went on sale in Japan last December. The company then launched a 7-inch version on the Japanese market last month and announced that model will hit the US “this year”.

But sales must have been really bad for the initial models, the 5.5- and the 10.8-inch versions, as Sharp Japan today announced [JP] it will stop taking orders for the Galapagos in those sizes from September 30. The company said, however, that it will continue to offer the 7-inch version in Japan (where it costs US$587).

Just like in the rest of the world, the iPad is the tablet to beat in Japan: Tokyo-based market research firm BCN estimates that the Apple device commanded 64.8% of the Japanese market for tablets in July.

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Dive Headfirst Into The Early Adopter Pool And Pre-Order Your Sony Tablet Now

Matt is currently working as a writer for CrunchGear. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a freelance writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is CrunchGear. He learned the... ? Learn More

Sony finally unveiled its upcoming tablets earlier this month and at least two retailers just put the more traditional Tablet S up for pre-order. Both Amazon and Best Buy are allowing awaiting buyers to reserve their spot in line to be one of the first buyers of the latest so-called iPad killer.

The Sony Tablet S and Tablet P bring a bit of Sony flare to the otherwise dead Android tablet party. Both run Honeycomb but along with Sony’s always stable media players and distribution suite. They also both hit with unconventional designs with the S featuring a tapered backplate and dual screens on the P.

Only the slate form factor Tablet S is available for order right now; the clamshell Tablet P should hit next month. Both Amazon and Best Buy are hawking them at its full $499/$599 MSPR. Don’t forget about the accessories either. The leather carrying sleeve gets $100 while the dock costs $40. Ouch.

Launch Date: September 12, 2011

Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets.

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Fujitsu’s Waterproof LTE F-01D Android Tablet To Land In Japan Next Month

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... ? Learn More

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo is stepping up its efforts to bring Xi, its LTE service, to the masses: today, the company announced two tablets that are compatible with the standard for the Japanese market, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a new device from Fujitsu, the so-called ARROWS Tab LTE F-01D.

Both tablets will be released next month, come with Android Honeycomb, and have the Japanese versions of Hulu and Qik pre-installed. While the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is largely the same that’s sold elsewhere (just with LTE support), the Fujitsu tablet is more interesting.

It has a waterproof body (so you can take it to the bathtub with you – a selling point, especially in Japan) and features a special gesture control function that allows you to slide its screen without touching it with your finger (important when you’re cooking, for example).

Here are the main specs of the Fujitsu Arrows:

Android 3.2 HoneycombLTE and FOMA 3G support10.1-inch screen with 1,280 x 800 resolution (LCD)5.1MP CMOS camera (inner camera: 1.3MP)microSDHC slotGPS moduleBluetooth 3.0Wi-Fidigital TV tuner1GB RAM16GM memorydual core 1 GHz OMAP 4 CPUsize: 181 x 262 x 11.3 mm, weight: 597g

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Toshiba Unveils The Thinnest Honeycomb Tablet Yet, The 7.7mm-thick AT200

Matt is currently working as a writer for CrunchGear. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a freelance writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is CrunchGear. He learned the... ? Learn More

Just like the rumor stated, Toshiba used IFA 2011 to announce its latest Android tablet and it’s just as tiny as it looked. The AT200 packs a 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 CPU, up to 64GB of memory, and most of the ports that made the Toshiba Thrive popular: micro-USB, microSD, and micro-HDMI. Toshiba claims that the battery is good for “eight hours of video consumption.”

The Samsung Galaxy Tab suddenly looks a bit thick. The new Toshiba AT200 measures in at just 7.7mm, which is nearly a full millimeter less than both the slender GalTab and the iPad 2. But unlike the Galaxy Tab, the AT200 shouldn’t be mistaken for an Apple tablet. From the port locations, to the rear camera location, to the entire backplate, the AT200 looks nothing like an iPad. In fact, the brushed aluminum back looks wonderful and full dispels any myth created by the fugly Thrive Android tablet that Toshiba doesn’t know how design beautiful products anymore.

Toshiba failed to include within the presser expected release date or price. That said, the Android 3.2 tablet will likely ship rather soon as Google is set to unveil the next incarnation of Android dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich within the coming months.

PRESS RELEASE Toshiba unveils its world-class, ultra-thin, ultra-light tablet

Toshiba AT200 tablet built to exceed expectations at only 7.7mm thin and 558g with full 10.1? screen

Neuss, Germany, 1st

September 2011 – Toshiba Europe GmbH unveiled an exciting new product today – the ultra-thin 25.7cm (10.1”) AT200 tablet. Despite measuring only 7.7mm from front to back, the Toshiba AT200 delivers a broad range of essential ports and interfaces. It offers an amazing wide-view display for comfortable content consumption plus full web browsing capabilities to meet the preferred usage for tablets. Every bit as powerful as it is stylish and robust, this tablet is built to exceed expectations. The Toshiba AT200 will be available in the fourth quarter of 2011 in Europe.

Ultra-thin, ultra-powerful

“The new ultra-thin 25.7cm (10.1?) tablet Toshiba AT200, featuring Android™ 3.2, Honeycomb, is the latest in a long line of Toshiba products that are masterfully engineered”, said Marco Perino, General Manager DS Digital Products Division. “With a thickness of only 7.7mm and a weight of just 558g, the elegant Toshiba AT200 is highly mobile yet extremely smart and powerful.”

All essentials on-board

To connect with other devices the ultra-slim tablet comes with all essential interfaces and ports onboard: amongst them micro-USB, micro-SD, Wi-Fi™ and Bluetooth®. The micro-HDMI ®-port allows streaming HD content to the large screen of a TV. Front and back HD cameras are ideal for video conferencing and augmented reality applications.

High-quality media consumption – no matter where you are

The Toshiba AT200 allows users to enjoy videos at home and while out and about. It features a brilliant 25.7cm (10.1?) high-definition screen that displays pictures with crisp colours and in full detail.

Despite being ultra-thin, it allows up to eight hours of video consumption.

Sound quality at its best

To complement the first-class video capabilities the new Toshiba tablet with stereo speakers allows for a high quality sound playback. The Adaptive Sound Device Enhancer’s sophisticated algorithm maximises sound quality to achieve a quality that normally only can be found with large speakers. Plus, a technology called Sound Masking Equalizer identifies and enhances sound that is being masked or distorted by surrounding noise. The result is a well- balanced, powerful playback of music and video sounds even under high ambient noise levels.

Endless usage possibilities

Toshiba’s new tablet also offers a rich web browsing experience including support of Adobe® Flash® Player, access to more than 250,000 apps on Android Market™ and Toshiba Places for endless possibilities.

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Amazon Is Only Launching A 7″ Tablet? Genius. (Plus A Mockup!)

Greg Kumparak is the editor of MobileCrunch.com, a mobile industry blog within the TechCrunch Network. Greg has been writing for the TechCrunch network since May of 2008. Greg was born in the outskirts of San Jose, CA, and now lives in the East Bay. ? Learn More

The Amazon Kindle tablet is real. Very much real. As in, MG has held it in his very own hands. I threw together the mockup above based on what he shared with me.

As MG explained, we now know that the Kindle tablet won’t initially ship in both 7-inch and 10-inch variants, contrary to previous rumors. After a change in plans earlier this summer, Amazon only intends to launch with a 7-inch model.

That decision might just be the best one that Amazon could have possibly made — and it ought to have Samsung and all of the other Android tablet manufacturers shaking in their boots.

Before we dive in, we need to establish some numbers. So far this year, the iPad has maintained roughly 70-80% of the tablet marketshare. While certain Android tablets are undoubtedly more popular than others, that only leaves 20-30% of the market for all of the Android tablet manufacturers to split. While Apple sits with the biggest piece of the pie all to themselves, the Android tablet manufacturers are battling for left overs. Even if the entire Android tablet marketshare belonged to one tablet (which, again, it definitely does not), said tablet still wouldn’t have sold even half as well as the iPad.

From this, we’ve learned at least one thing: competing with the iPad by trying to be the iPad.. doesn’t really work.

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed something strange. Among my geekier circles, I’m always hearing the same question: iPad, or Xoom/Galaxy Tab/Android-tablet-name-here? Among less tech-minded folks (you know, like the majority of the population) though, the question seems to shift: iPad, or Kindle?

Now, it’s not that the less tech-savvy people wouldn’t like an Android tablet… they just don’t really seem to know they exist. There are just too many strikingly similar tablets, all battling for that one smaller sliver of the pie.

To go all anecdotal again here for a second: just this past Monday — as I do every Monday — I was playing trivia at a pub in the Bay Area. Trivia Night at this pub is something of a huge deal, with around 25 teams (4-6 people each) playing each week. Mid-way through the second round, the trivia master asked: “Two pointer here, folks: What is the name of Motorola’s tablet device? What is the name of Dell’s tablet?”

Three teams could name Dell’s tablet. Six teams got Motorola’s. Out of 25 teams, each made up of a handful of drinking-age adults, less than a third could conjure up the name of one of the biggest Android tablets around. Though we’ll gladly babble on it for days on end, the tablet market is still something of a niche — and in a niche market, recognition is everything. The iPad is the iPad. Everything else is.. well, everything else. If they were to launch with a 10? tablet, Amazon would be throwing themselves in with everything else.

But they’re not. Rather than taking on Apple on their own court, they’re moving to keep a lock on a game they’re already kicking butt at (the e-reader market), while upping the odds that anyone weighing “iPad or Kindle?” will be swayed in their favor. By launching with a 7? tablet (and only a 7? tablet), Amazon is making it clear: they don’t want the Kindle tablet to be the iPad. They want it to be everything the iPad is not.

They want it to be small, and comfortable to read in bed. This is a Kindle, after all. For many folks who just want something to read in bed or throw into their bag to read on the train, the iPad’s nearly 10-inch display can feel a bit gigantic.

They want it to be cheap. Smaller displays are cheaper right up front, require less plastic for the body, and can get by with a lesser battery and a smaller backlight. More than a year after launch, the cheapest iPad you can buy new will set you back $499. According to the same source whose Kindle tablet we used, Amazon currently has it priced at half that: just $250. Even launching a 10-incher alongside would increase R&D costs, as well as lead consumers to believe that the 10? model is the flagship (thereby throwing it up directly against the iPad and everything else.)

Meanwhile, they’re moving away from the direction that most other Android tablets have taken. This isn’t a be-all, do-all machine — it’s a new and improved Kindle, just as the name will imply. They’re aiming for simplicity, distilling the homescreen down to a Cover Flow-esque arrangement, making the entire experience all about your books, movies, and other media. And if you happen to want it to do other stuff? Sure, it can do that — they even have their very own App Store! But this isn’t an Android tablet. It’s a Kindle, and it just happens to run Android.

As for Samsung, LG, Motorola, and all the other tablet makers out there: unless they’re happy with whatever sliver of the minority chunk they’ve nabbed so far, they better take this as a shot right across the bow. For Android tablet manufacturers, the next big step will be figuring out how to ensure that the general consumer has any idea that their tablet exists — and here comes Amazon, swooping in with their cheap, small tablet and bringing the iconic, incredibly well-established Kindle brand (and their incredibly powerful distribution channel) with them. Genius.

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Amazon’s Kindle Tablet Is Very Real. I’ve Seen It, Played With It.

It’s called simply the “Amazon Kindle”. But it’s not like any Kindle you’ve seen before. It displays content in full color. It has a 7-inch capacitive touch screen. And it runs Android.

Rumors of Amazon making a full-fledged tablet device have persisted for a while. I believe we were one of the first to report on the possibility from a credible source — the same person who accurately called Amazon’s Android Appstore. That source was dead-on again, it just took Amazon longer than anticipated to get the device ready to go. They’re now close.

How do I know all of this? Well, not only have I heard about the device, I’ve seen it and used it. And I’m happy to report that it’s going to be a big deal. Huge, potentially.

First of all, before every commenter asks, no, sadly, I don’t have any pictures to share. That was the one condition of me getting this information. So instead you’ll have to rely on my prose to draw a picture of the device in your head. Or you can just look at a BlackBerry PlayBook — because it looks very similar in terms of form-factor.

So here’s what I know and what I saw:

Again, the device is a 7-inch tablet with a capacitive touch screen. It is multi-touch, but from what I saw, I believe the reports that it relies on a two-finger multi-touch (instead of 10-finger, like the iPad uses) are accurate. This will be the first Kindle with a full-color screen. And yes, it is back-lit. There is no e-ink to be found anywhere on this device.

Earlier this week, reports suggested that a 7-inch Amazon tablet could be released in October, with a larger, 10-inch version to follow next year. That’s somewhat accurate. As of right now, Amazon’s only definitive plan is to release this 7-inch Kindle tablet and they’re targeting the end of November to do that. The version I saw was a DVT (Design Verification Testing) unit. These have started floating around the company. It’s ready, they’re just tweaking the software now. If it’s not in production yet, it will be very soon.

Originally, Amazon had planned to launch a 7-inch and a 10-inch tablet at the same time. But that plan changed this summer. Now they’re betting everything on the 7-inch. If it’s a hit, they will release the more expensive 10-inch tablet in Q1 2012.

So how much will the 7-inch Kindle cost? $250.

Yes, Amazon has been able to trim the cost of the device to half of the entry-level iPad. And it will be the same price as Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, which this will very obviously compete with directly. Both have 7-inch color touch screens. Both run Android.

And this is where things get really interesting. As anticipated, Amazon has forked Android to build their own version for the Kindle. Simply put: it looks nothing like the Android you’re used to seeing.

The interface is all Amazon and Kindle. It’s black, dark blue, and a bunch of orange. The main screen is a carousel that looks like Cover Flow in iTunes which displays all the content you have on the device. This includes books, apps, movies, etc. Below the main carousel is a dock to pin your favorite items in one easy-to-access place. When you turn the device horizontally, the dock disappears below the fold.

Above the dock is the status bar (time, battery, etc) and this doubles as a notification tray. When apps have updates, or when new subscriptions are ready for you to view, they appear here. The top bar shows “YOUR NAME’s Kindle” and then the number of notifications you have in bright orange. It looks quite nice.

There are no physical buttons on the surface of the device. You bring up a lower navigation menu by tapping the screen once. This can take you back home, etc.

But the key for Amazon is just how deeply integrated all of their services are. Amazon’s content store is always just one click away. The book reader is a Kindle app (which looks similar to how it does on Android and iOS now). The music player is Amazon’s Cloud Player. The movie player is Amazon’s Instant Video player. The app store is Amazon’s Android Appstore.

Google’s Android Market is nowhere to be found. In fact, no Google app is anywhere to be found. This is Android fully forked. My understanding is that the Kindle OS was built on top of some version of Android prior to 2.2. And Amazon will keep building on top of that of that over time. In other words, this won’t be getting “Honeycomb” or “Ice Cream Sandwich” — or if it does, users will never know it because that will only be the underpinnings of the OS. Any visual changes will be all Amazon.

They are not working with Google on this. At all.

There is a web browser (of course), and while it’s styled a bit to match the Kindle UI, it looks pretty much the same as the Android’s WebKit browser. Yes, it has tabs! And yes, Google Search is still the default (the Kindle also has its own search tool to find content on your device).

Overall, the UI of this Kindle felt very responsive. You can flick through the carousel seamlessly. This is something Amazon has apparently been working on quite a bit, I’m told. And they continue to. Some of the page-turning touch mechanics still needed a bit of work in the version I used.

I believe the visual web reading app Pulse will be bundled with the Kindle. A game like Angry Birds may be as well. Again, it uses Amazon’s Android Appstore, so all of the content accepted into that store will play well on this device. Apps, games, content, you name it. Amazon creating their own app store is starting to make a lot more sense, and looks potentially very smart (as anticipated).

A few more bits about the hardware:

I believe it is running on a single-core chip (though I’m not 100 percent sure). My understanding is that the 10-inch version, if it comes, will have a dual-core chip.

I also believe the device only has 6 GB of internal storage. The idea is that this will be more of a “cloud device” for things like music and movies. The storage is meant for storing books and apps There were a few references to an SD card expansion, but I couldn’t find a slot on the hardware itself.

This initial version of the device will be WiFi-only. Amazon is supposedly working with carriers to possibly product 3G-enabled versions (as they have with their other Kindles), but that won’t be the case at launch.

I’m not sure what the battery life is like (I only played with it for about an hour), but I imagine it is very good and in line with other tablets — 10 hours or so.

The back of the device is rubbery — again, it’s very similar to the PlayBook (it’s black as well). The power button is underneath if you’re holding it vertically (which is a bit odd — but it’s obviously to the side if you’re holding it horizontally). There’s a micro-USB port (presumably for powering the device as well). The speakers are of the top of the device (again, if it’s being held vertically).

There is no camera.

So why will people buy this device instead of a Nook Color? Well, beyond the deep Amazon services integration, there will be two other reasons, I believe. First, Amazon is going to promote the hell out of this thing on Amazon.com. Second, the plan right now is to give buyers a free subscription to Amazon Prime.

The service, which Amazon currently sells for $79 a year, gives users access things like free unlimited two-day shipping, and no minimum purchases for free shipping. More importantly for this product, Prime users get access to Amazon’s Instant Video service. There will be more Kindle-related perks, I imagine.

As far as the existing e-ink-based Kindles, all I’ve heard is that they’ll continue to co-exist with this new tablet (though the DX may or may not stick around). They’ll simply be the low-end, low-cost Kindles, whereas this new one will be the high-end one (at least until the 10-inch version comes out, if it does). One source said it doesn’t seem likely that Amazon is going to release a touch-screen e-ink Kindle, like the new Nook, anytime soon. But none of that is confirmed, it’s simply speculation based on the emphasis on getting this new tablet to market.

Oh and one more thing: Amazon has been working on a multi-touch screen/e-ink hybrid tablet device. But that’s nowhere near completion, I’m told. So for now, this new Kindle will have to do.

That’s all for now. I suspect even more information (and pictures) will start leaking out soon — again, the new Kindle is very close to being done. Not only is the device real, from what I’ve seen, it’s solid. I suspect it will be on many people’s holiday wish-list this year.

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep...

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HTC Jetstream: AT&T’s 10.1 Inch LTE Tablet, Launches September 4

Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... ? Learn More

HTC’s Jetstream (nee Puccini) has been the stuff of rumors for weeks now, but AT&T has officially announced the 10.1 inch tablet this morning.

The Jetstream is HTC’s first to run Android 3.1 Honeycomb, complete with a bit of Sense UI design specifically tweaked for the tablet’s larger form factor. A 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor powers the Jetstream, and it packs two cameras: an 8 MP shooter with dual LED flash on the rear, and a 1.3 MP front-facer mounted right over the 10.1 inch WXGA display.

Rumors of the Jetstream’s LTE capability have fortunately been confirmed, making it AT&T’s only non-modem LTE device, a distinction that hopefully doesn’t stick for too much longer. At .51 inches thick and weighing in at just over 1.5 pounds, the Jetstream isn’t the thinnest tablet in the world, but all its horsepower should make up for it.

First seen on their Flyer/View 4G tablet, HTC has also carried over Scribe support, meaning users can doodle to their hearts’ content on a much nicer screen. The Jetstream also gets a bit of the AT&T treatment when it comes to apps: it comes preloaded with AT&T Family Map and AT&T Navigator, along with HTC’s own Watch and Friendstream apps.

As compelling as the Jetstream looks, expect wallets to groan: when it launches on September 4, it’ll run customers $699 with a 2-year contract. In addition to AT&T’s existing lineup of data plans ($15/200 MB and $25/2 GB), they have also announced a new $35/3 GB plan for heavier users. It’s a pricey proposition no matter how you look at it, but here’s hoping the experience is worth the cost.

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Mystery 10-Inch Sleeve At T-Mobile Suggests New Tablet On The Way

Jordan Crook studied English Literature at New York University before entering the tech space. Prior to joining TechCrunch, Crook dabbled in mobile marketing and mobile apps as well as doing device reviews for MobileMarketer and MobileBurn. Crook is fascinated with alternative energy production and greentech. She is now a writer for CrunchGear. ? Learn More

Well, what do we have here? Looks like T-Mobile has just snagged a new tablet accessory, but we’re not quite sure which tablet the accessory is supposed to go with. This 10-inch leather sleeve isn’t going to fit very well on either of T-Mobile’s current slate offerings: the 7-inch Dell Streak 7 or the 8.9-inch T-Mobile G-Slate.

Unfortunately, the sleeve itself doesn’t have any specific tablet in mind. It’s a universal leather sleeve “for most 10-inch tablets,” according to the image leaked by TmoNews. This could mean one of two things.

The first is that T-Mobile decided to sell a 10-inch tablet sleeve for the fun of it. People often get their tablet/phone accessories at their local carrier outlet, whether they bought said device there or not. And there are plenty of 10-inch tablets on the market that are in need of a snug little sleeve. This option is totally plausible, but not what we’re hoping for.

The second option is that T-Mobile is working on getting itself a 10-inch tablet. Which 10-inch tablet? Your guess is as good as mine. A few rumors suggest that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 may be headed in pink’s direction, which would be pretty huge since it’s widely regarded as one of the stronger tablet offerings on the market.

Right now, T-Mobile’s tablet selection is a bit limited compared to other big carriers like Verizon and AT&T, so we’ll definitely be keeping our fingers crossed that the latter is in fact the reason for this slightly random 10-inch tablet sleeve.

T-Mobile is a mobile telephone operator headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. T-Mobile has 101 million subscribers making it the worlds sixth largest mobile...

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RIM To Finally Fix The PlayBook Tablet, BBM and Native Email Coming In September

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Lenovo ThinkPad Honeycomb Tablet Up For Sale, Shipping Soon

Matt is currently working as a writer for CrunchGear. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a freelance writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is CrunchGear. He learned the... ? Learn More

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet is meant for business types, but it just might be the best Honeycomb tablet available right now. It was announced late last month alongside the consumer-oriented IdeaPad K1 and the Windows version, the P1. Well, Lenovo is finally ready to take your credit card in exchange for a place in the shipping line. The tablet starts out at $499 for the 16GB, WiFi-only model and climbs to $669 for a 64GB flavor — 3G mobile broadband will not be available until October.

The ThinkPad Tablet comes dressed in appropriate digs; it looks like a ThinkPad tablet should. The lines are streight, the style all business, and there’s even a little red nub on the optional $30 active digitizer stylus. The rest of the tablet is a standard affair and built around a Tegra 2 platform. There’s a full size 3-in-1 SD card reader, full size USB host, micro USB port, mini HDMI, dual cams, and an IPS screen protected with Gorilla Glass.

The only thing missing from the ThinkPad Tablet are the fun apps. Lenovo loaded this tablet with apps suits will like and unlike its little brother, the IdeaPad K1, the ThinkPad Tablet is not Netflix Certified and so it doesn’t come with the streaming app. Still, for $499, you’d be hard pressed to find a better Honeycomb tablet — that is, of course, if you really want a Honeycomb tablet.

Update: My bad. The ThinkPad Tablet does come with Netflix. Bonus!

Lenovo Group Limited, an investment holding company, engages manufacture and distribution of IT products and services. It offers laptops, desktops, workstations, servers, batteries and power, docks and port replicators,...

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