TechCrunch reveals the Amazon Kindle Tablet

I think it's pointless to speculate about an unreleased product based solely on tech specs and price. In the case of portable tablets, usability is everything and Apple is the supreme master in this arena. But speaking generally, there is definitely a place for a smaller, lighter iPad-like device. The question is: Can anyone but Apple make a smaller "iPad" that works as well as an iPad?

color nook killer..? maybe.. ipad killer. i highly doubt it. it's not even in the same class. 7" screen? 6G of storage? wifi only? that's like comparing a schwinn to a ferarri.

I just got a $829.99 iPad2 for only $103.37 and my mom got a $1499.99 HDTV for only $251.92, they are both coming with USPS tomorrow. I would be an idiot to ever pay full retail prices at places like Walmart or Bestbuy. I sold a 37" HDTV to my boss for $600 that I only paid $78.24 for. I use GetCent.com

I'm concerned about the health of the Android eco-system. Google brought on this fork upon themselves, by relying on the official Market as the only bargaining chip with which to control manufacturers. However, if application compatibility suffers (and Amazon's Android market already shows signs of this) then what message does this send to mobile application developers?

Will Amazon continue to absorb Google's code for Ice Cream Sandwich and beyond in order to stay compatible? Or will Google be forced to catch up to both Amazon (in terms of compatibility) and iOS (in terms of features)? How long will Google stay interested in Android when they are not the driving force behind it?

This confusion doesn't spell good news for consumers in the long term. iOS, WP7 and Android all need each other to stay strong and competitive. I shudder to think how much more complacent and abusive Apple and Microsoft will become should their duopoly ever be restored.

I don't see how this is going to be a competitor for the iPad...

Tech journalists are wrong in lumping the iPad and this upcoming device into the same market. One is half the size, half the price and optimized almost solely for content from one provider. Equally as important, Apple makes a lot of money on their hardware sales, with the rest of the ecosystem serving as incentive for the purchase and the glue to keep people coming back to future models once they own apps that work only on that system. In contrast, it's unlikely Amazon can make any money with a $250 selling price. Instead, the hardware is the funnel into their content stores, just as, for Google, Android and the hardware it runs on represent a set of screens on which they can project Google services and ads. These differences mean that Apple and Amazon will optimize different aspects of the user experience.

Nook Color Android-based tablet/eReader from Barnes & Noble has been on the market for over a year and sold millions of units at $250. Gives Flash, apps, videos, color magazines and ebooks with video inserts, and the best anti-glare coated screen on the market. Technology "giant" Amazon is finally catching up with the book store company by copying their device.

The Amazon tablet is designed for consumption of Amazon content not as a general purpose tablet. Its not a competitor to the iPad. This should be clear from the tech crunch article.

As long as it looks nothing like Android at all and stays half the price of a low level iPad, it might sell.

After reading the specs I cannot believe that Amazon is preparing to bring out a half backed 7 inch tablet which
does not have a camera and only 6 gb. Who is going to buy it when for less than a hundred dollars more they
can get the Samsung Galaxy 7 inch Tab, which is a terrific unit, with rear and front facing cameras and 16 or
32 gb of memory at least. Also the Samsung tab has the kindle reader anyhow, so who would want to tie themselves in to one book supplier. No Amazon, this is not we had been hoping for. iPad killer? , that's just
a joke.

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