If rumors about Amazon's plan to develop a smartphone aren't enough for you, then keep reading — because there's plenty of gossip about the online retailer.
As CNET's Brooke Crothers points out, Richard Shim — an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch — says he has sources who tell him that at least three Kindle Fire 2 models are on their way.
According to Shim's mysterious sources — who supposedly work for companies manufacturing components and assembling products — there will be three Kindle tablets hitting production lines this fall. One will have no camera, one will have a camera, and one will offer both a camera and 4G connectivity. They could be branded "Kindle Fire 2," but that's not clear from Shim's report.
There could also be an 8.9-inch version of the tablet at the very end of the year, which would compete directly with the iPad.
Of course, this information is based on orders placed for components and the like. Details related to that can easily change as quickly as you can turn the page on your desk calendar.
But let's be realistic: It's a bit obvious that Amazon will try to follow up its popular Kindle Fire with a next-generation device, especially now that Google's Nexus 7 tablet is extinguishing some of the original Fire's heat. And the fall's a reasonable time to crank out what would certainly be a holiday sales hit.
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