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At least three Kindle Fire 2 tablets, one with 4G, on the way

A bunch of new Kindle Fire tablets are on the way, according to NPD DisplaySearch. Watch your back, Google.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers
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Possibly three new 7-inch Kindle Fire models (R) are in the works and maybe a fourth (L) that has an 8.9-inch screen.
Possibly three new 7-inch Kindle Fire models (R) are in the works and maybe a fourth (L) that has an 8.9-inch screen. Screenshot by Brooke Crothers/CNET

The Kindle Fire 2 will see the Google's Nexus 7 tablet and then raise it, according to an analyst.

Amazon will bring out at least three new Kindle Fire models, according to Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch.

Shim gets his information from sources in the "supply chain" -- a collection of companies that manufacture components and assemble products.

Here's what Shim is seeing:

  • 7-inch Kindle Fire 2:1,024x600 display, no camera; August production.
  • 7-inch Kindle Fire 2: 1,280x800 display with camera; August production.
  • 7-inch Kindle Fire 2: 1,280x800 display with camera and 4G; September production.
  • 8.9-inch Kindle Fire 2: With 1,920x1,200 display; Q4 production.

Shim believes that a 10-inch class Kindle Fire is unlikely. At least not any time soon.

Because the supply chain is dynamic -- based on orders received from brands like Amazon and Apple -- the status can change from month to month. "These are supply chain indications. This is what we are seeing right now," Shim said.

(See previous CNET story about a possible summer release.)

If the supply chain information is accurate, the Kindle Fire would trump the Nexus 7 by adding 4G and a higher resolution 1,920x1,200 display.

Like the Nexus 7, the new Kindle Fires will have displays that boast pixel densities of 216 pixels per inch (PPI), according to Shim.

While this falls short of the 264 PPI on the third-generation iPad, anything above 200 is considered competitive, Shim said. The original Kindle Fire had a PPI of about 170.

There was no information immediately available from DisplaySearch on pricing or processors. Current speculation calls for either Texas Instruments OMAP processors or Nvidia's widely used quad-core Tegra 3 chip.

CNET has contacted Amazon for comment and will update this post when we learn more.

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