This fall will be the best time to look into buying a tablet. Apple will probably release an iPad Mini, Microsoft will launch the Surface tablet, and Amazon is expected to unveil a Kindle Fire 2 lineup. Add to the fact that there's already Apple's new iPad and Google's Nexus 7 tablet, and you've got a plethora of options. If you're interested in looking into an Amazon Kindle Fire 2, here's something you should know: the device will most likely come out with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and not the newer Jelly Bean.
The Kindle Fire 2 should be released sometime in September or October if Amazon hopes to stay competitive in the tablet market. Sadly, with that kind of time frame, it is unrealistic to expect the Kindle Fire 2 to come pre-installed with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Instead, the older Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is a more likely candidate for the Kindle Fire 2's operating system.
There are very few Jelly Bean-ready devices to hit the market. Instead, most companies, Amazon included, will focus more on a strategic launch date, and then provide users with an upgrade after it's already in their hands.
Amazon will be releasing more than one version of the Kindle Fire 2. A Staples executive let it slip that Amazon has been working on as many as five or six tablets. Website The Digital Reader also found some FCC filings that could be traced back to Amazon that show a 10-inch Kindle Fire and another device that looks suspiciously like a new Kindle.
If the reports are true, consumers will be able to choose from a variety of Kindle devices. The Kindle Fire 2 will probably come in 7 and 10-inch versions, and will scale in price with the inclusion of a camera, more memory, and 4G LTE capabilities.
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