WSJ: Amazon tablet due in October

By Molly McHugh July 13, 2011

Yesterday some hardware orders from Amazon added some more flak to those tablet rumors, which has all but been announced at this point. Today, the Wall Street Journal says that the manufacturer will introduce a tablet before October. Amazon will also launch two new version of the Kindle: One with a touchscreen, one that is “an improved and cheaper adaptation of the current Kindle.”

Better yet, the WSJ’s insider offers some spec details. Previously we heard that two different devices were on the way, codenamed Hollywood and Coyote. Coyote, the less expensive of the two, was rumored to be based on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 platform, while Hollywood would use the new Kal-El quad-core processor.

While it’s uncertain if there are truly two tablets on the way from Amazon, the source says at least one device will have a nine-inch screen, run Android, and will not include a camera.

A tablet from Amazon continues to be touted as the best chance to challenge the iPad, largely based on the fact that it has its own established digital store and ecosystem. Despite the variety of tablets introduced to the market over the last few years from legacy brands like Samsung, Motorola, and BlackBerry, nothing has been quite able to steal the limelight from the iPad. Will Amazon be the first?

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Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

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