Amazon Fire 2 and new Kindle e-reader rumors heat up ahead of today’s event

Thanks, Altimax98!

Amazon’s updated Kindle Fire and new backlit “Paperwhite” Kindle e-reader have already leaked out ahead of the company’s event tomorrow, but there may be one more surprise in store: a mobile phone. Multiple sources have confirmed to The Verge that Amazon is working on a smartphone that runs a variant of the Kindle Fire’s Android-based operating system, and we’re now hearing that the device will be shown to the press tomorrow.

The phone itself is said to be currently unfinished, so if Amazon does announce it we wouldn’t expect too many details. But at this point we would expect it to run a forked version of Android 4.0 as the leaked Kindle Fires seem to do, and to include Nokia Maps as the location solution — forking Android means Amazon can’t use Google Maps, and Nokia spoke today of adding a “major” mapping partner at its own Windows Phone event.

Yesterday, we caught a few glimpses at what is expected to be the new Kindle Fire, and today CNET is reporting that Amazon actually has two Kindle Fire tablets in the works. We’ve heard this before — in fact it’s been rumored for months that Amazon is planning to launch more than one Kindle Fire — but CNET claims that both of the new devices will in fact be the same size. Earlier, it was thought that Amazon would release at least a 10-inch model alongside a new 7-inch Kindle Fire, in an effort to take on Apple’s current iPad.

CNET goes on to elaborate that one of the tablets will be an all-new design, complete with a faster processor, a camera, volume keys, an HDMI port, and more internal storage, but still no expansion slot. The other tablet will be a slightly revamped version of the existing Kindle Fire, with a new version of Amazon’s software built on top of Android. Unfortunately, there is no information with regards to pricing for the new tablets or when they are due to hit shelves. The report also states that while Amazon may very well be working on a larger version of the Kindle Fire, it will not be announcing it next week.

We have a much better idea of what the hardware for at least one new Kindle Fire will look like today, and now Reuters is reporting a bit of information about the software. Apparently Amazon will follow Apple in eschewing Google Maps in favor of a different mapping solution, but Amazon will reportedly use Nokia’s mapping technology. Nokia is already providing much of the power behind Bing maps.

Our source confirms that the next Kindle Fire will have location services, though it’s not yet clear whether that means it will include a proper GPS receiver or just use Wi-Fi location. It’s also unclear whether or not Nokia Maps would be available at launch, what we’ve seen so far of the new tablet doesn’t include Nokia Maps. One way or the other, we should find out on September 6th.

Today has been a boon for Kindle leaks: we saw some sort of new Kindle Fire earlier followed by a Kindle Touch refresh with “Paperwhite” technology. Now we’ve been sent a large collection of additional images of a new Fire — from the same source as the Paperwhite model — that corroborate the last image of the Fire that we’d posted.

Though these images bear a hard-to-ignore resemblance to the Fire that’s currently on the market, there’s a very important difference: this device has a prominent notch along one of the long edges which may be a front-facing mic for video calling. You can also see a front-facing camera in several of the images, and some show Skype being demonstrated — it’s an important feature even for a budget tablet, and buyers are certainly going to expect Amazon to keep pace with the Nexus 7 this holiday season.

Speaking of Paperwhite, this seems to be a reference to the unit’s improved display over the so-called Pearl E Ink that Amazon has been using since the third-generation Kindle. Many users, though, are likely to be more excited about the backlight — this particular product is almost certainly designed to be the answer to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight introduced earlier this year.

The Verge has obtained images of what appears to be the next version of the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s Android-based tablet that’s expected to be announced next week, following news that the current model is “sold out.“ We’re being told that a “pair” of Fires is likely — a 7- and a 10-incher — though it remains unclear whether both models will be introduced at the same time. We’re not sure which model we’re looking at here, but the scale of the keyboard suggests that seven inches is more likely.

We’ve seen additional images of the new model, some of which we have been asked not to publish, showing a streamlined user interface with less “chrome.” It’s unclear whether this refined UI will make it to the production model.