Kindle Fire and Paperwhite Kindle Rumor Roundup

Though we're still a week away from the big Amazon event that will probably see the launch of the next-generation Kindle Fire, or Kindle Fires if Amazon comes up with two devices, as well as the next generation of the boring old e-ink Kindles, there's been no shortage of Kindle rumors.

For one, there's the next Kindle Fire. This isn't even really a rumor anymore, Amazon practically announced it when it said that the original Kindle Fire went out of stock.

If that wasn't enough, a number of photos of the purported device have leaked and they look legit.

The Kindle Fire 2 is still a black plastic slab, but it seems to be sporting a bit more gear, such as a front-facing camera and a mic. Skype video chat is also, apparently, possible with the new device.

Speaking of gear sporting, the next Kindle Fire is also said to be bundling a GPS unit, unlike the first-generation device, and run Nokia Maps while it's at it.

Amazon bought a map startup a couple of months back, but it doesn't seem to be using that technology.

In the old-school Kindle department, the rumor is that the ebook readers will be sporting a built-in light, like the most recent Nook models.

Calling this one a rumor is selling it short, Amazon is guaranteed to be rolling out new Kindles and they're guaranteed to have light, if only because Nook did it. Plus, we've even got a photo of the new "paperwhite" Kindle.

It seems that all that Amazon could announce is already known so we may be looking forward to a very boring and uneventful presentation next Friday.

That said, Amazon may very well have a couple of things up its sleeve and is only teasing us and keeping interest high with these "leaks." We'll find out soon enough if the new Kindle Fire has what it takes to take on the Nexus 7 and the rumored mini iPad.

Via: Kindle Fire and Paperwhite Kindle Rumor Roundup