Amazon is expected to announce the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 next Thursday and with that announcement a source familiar with the Android powered tablet tells Reuters it will feature Nokia Maps software.
If that rumor is correct it will be a drastic shift for the company which used Google Maps when it launched the original Kindle Fire. Google also recently lost its default mapping status with the upcoming Apple iOS 6 platform.
That same source also revealed that Amazon might choose to announce several different versions of the Amazon Kindle Fire 2, a first for the world’s largest online retailer.
Also expected to be featured on the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 are located based services which can be utilized with a built-in GPS chip or through Wi-Fi triangulation.
Some analysts believed Amazon would roll out its own proprietary mapping system after the company purchased 3D mapping startup UpNext in July 2012. With the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 arriving just several short months after the acquisition it is likely that Amazon engineers simply didn’t have the time needed to implement their own mobile mapping software.
As we reported earlier today, Amazon is now listing the original $199 Amazon Kindle Fire as “sold out” on its website , a historical sign that the company is preparing to launch the next generation of the device.
No other details about the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 have been revealed at this time although Amazon had promised to implement popular options from other tablet devices.
Will you be running out to purchase the Amazon Kindle 2 when it goes on sale?
