Those who were thinking about purchasing a Kindle may want to hold off, as the next generation model will be launching in the coming months.

Though no exact release date for the fourth generation Kindle has been released, Amazon recently cut costs for refurbished Kindles, with the Wi-Fi only model costing $99 and the 3G version set for $129. If history repeats itself then Amazon will launch the new eReader in a month, as it did with the Kindle 3 after slashing prices for the revamped Kindle.

This news pairs nicely with rumors that the company is set to release a new eReader and tablets in September or October. The next generation Kindles are said to include a touchscreen model and a low-cost solution, and will feature better eInk screens, more memory and a cleaner styling. Other reports suggest the new addition to the Kindle family will not have a physical keyboard.

While these rumors have not been verified by Amazon, news of a lower-cost model eReader match reports that the company is planning to release a lower-margin tablet this fall. Details on such a device have been mum but if Amazon does launch a less expensive slate, tabletsphere king, Apple, could face some competition if the device offers similar features to the iPad.

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Google will be hosting a series of workshops designed for programmers who want to bring apps to Android tablets, in an attempt to enhance the quality of tablet-optimized apps for Android slates.



Though reports vary on the number of available tablet-specific apps for Android Honeycomb users, it is said to be somewhere around 300, which compared to Apple’s 100,000 iPad –optimized apps is rather insignificant. Google’s proposed workshops seek to improve the quality of apps firstly, with the plan to then focus on increasing the quantity available for users.

The seminars will take place in Seattle, New York and Los Angeles on August 15/16, August 23/24 and September 2, respectively. Anyone is welcome to register for the workshops, though space is limited and priority will be given to developers with potential top-tier apps. More information can be found here.

Listen to developers complain, and one of the biggest issues they face when creating apps for Android tablets is the variety in screen design and layouts. It's tough, if not impossible, to craft one app that works seamlessly across all products. Though details on Android’s next operating system version, Ice Cream Sandwich, have been scarce, it has been said that this problem may be addressed with the new release.

Over the past few months Google has improved its Web page to incorporate a tablet-specific design and made the Android Market more user friendly by revamping the interface and including app categories. These workshops are another step from the corporation to better its Android software and maybe boost sales.


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The Motorola XOOM 3G will soon join the ranks of its Wi-Fi only sibling and the ASUS Transformer, as it is set to receive an update to Android 3.2.

The software update HTJ85, which is said to be coming in the approaching days, will bring the tablet microSD card support, access to Google Movie video rentals, and the “zoom to fill screen” option for non-tablet optimized apps. The 15.4MB Honeycomb update will be available pending the results of a soak test that is said to occur any day now.

Android Honeycomb 3.2 may be the last version of Honeycomb before the release of Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which will merge the smartphone and tablet versions of Android.

This is not the only update destined for the XOOM 3G, which was the first tablet to be sold with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. It was confirmed last week that owners of the tablet would begin receiving information detailing how to upgrade their device to 4G, though the advancement won’t be available until September. Once this process is complete, the 10.1-inch XOOM will accompany the only other tablet on Verizon’s 4G network, the Galaxy Tab 10.1.


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