Information about the Kindle Fire, Amazon's forthcoming Android-based tablet, have emerged ahead of the press event scheduled for 10 a.m. ET in New York Wednesday morning. 
 
 According to details revealed early to Bloomberg, the Kindle Fire sports a 7-inch display and is priced at $199. It offers Wi-Fi connectivity but no 3G; it also lacks a camera and microphone. 
 
 UPDATE: During the press event, Bezos announced that the device will ship on November 15, that it contains a dual-core processor and multi-touch IPS display, weighs 14.6 ounces, and includes a new web browser called Amazon Silk. Content can be synced on the tablet with the same Whispersync technology used on Amazon's other Kindle devices. 
 
 In addition, the company is using the device to bolster subscriptions to Amazon Prime, the company's $79-per-year membership service that offers streaming video and free two-day shipping on all of its items, with a free 30-day trial. 
 
 In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos contends that Amazon's edge in the tablet market is price. 
 
 “What we are doing is offering premium products at non-premium prices,” he says. "[Other tablet developers] have not been competitive on price” and “have just sold a piece of hardware. We don’t think of the Kindle Fire as a tablet. We think of it as a service.” 
 
 Most other tablet devices, including the iPad and BlackBerry PlayBook, bear price tags twice that of the Kindle Fire. However, given the lack of a camera, microphone and 3G connectivity, perhaps it's better to think of it as a competitor to Barnes & Nobles's $249.99 Nook Color. 
 
 Shares of Barnes & Noble were down approximately 9% during the announcement. 
 
 For further details, catch our live blog from the Amazon event. 
 
 Kindle Fire 
 
 TV Commercial for Kindle Fire 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 For Mashable's Complete Amazon Kindle & Kindle Fire Coverage ||||| Amid a storm of tablet-related hype and speculation, Amazon just announced the latest iteration of its "traditional" e-reader: Kindle Paperwhite. The name refers to its expected new screen technology for a sharper (212 ppi) and higher-contrast display, and also features a frontlight that brings parity with Barnes & Noble's Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. The device is entirely controlled by touch — hardware page-turning switches are out, and so is the home button. 
 
 The interface has taken a page out of the Kindle Fire's book by offering a "cover mode" homescreen that lets you swipe through your library. The device also uses the same X-Ray content analysis feature found on the Kindle Touch, has controls for the light, and lets you change the fonts. 
 
 'Thinner than a magazine, lighter than a paperback' 
 
 Amazon is touting its patented light guide technology which keeps the lighting even across the screen and allows you to leave it on all the time without detriment to battery life — it'll apparently last for eight weeks between charges. The touch technology means it has a thinner bezel, and at 9.1mm thin and 7.5 ounces Jeff Bezos describes the device as "thinner than a magazine, lighter than a paperback." 
 
 The Kindle Paperwhite is available for order today and will start shipping on October 1st, with the Wi-Fi model costing $119 and the 3G-enabled variant going for $179. Those prices apply to ad-supported models with Amazon's Special Offers, mind, and you'll have to pay an extra $20 if you'd rather go without.
– Amazon's got a host of new gadgets on the way. Founder Jeff Bezos today announced the Kindle Fire HD, an upgraded tablet that comes in two sizes, starting at $199, USA Today reports. "We were happy last year to have the best tablet at a certain price. This year we want to have the best tablet at any price," Bezos said. The tablet is available in a 7-inch version, an 8.9-inch version, and an 8.9-inch 4G LTE version, notes the Verge. The larger machine offers a 1920x1200, 254 ppi display. Meanwhile, the original Kindle Fire is getting an update—and a price drop, to $159. Finally, there's the Paperwhite, a new e-reader. It offers a front-lit screen that's sharper than its predecessors, and comes in a $119 Wi-Fi version and a $179 3G model. According to Bezos, it's "thinner than a magazine, lighter than a paperback," reports the Verge. And sorry, there's no smartphone in sight.