Amazon may release two tablet devices by the end of 2011, according to a report based on an anonymous tipster.
The first device, code-named "Coyote," will reportedly run on Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor, like many of the current generation of Android tablets being released this year, according to The Boy Genius Report.
The second tablet, according to the source, will be a different animal entirely. Code-named "Hollywood," the tablet will run on Nvidia's forthcoming T30 "Kal-El" quad-core processor, which boasts a 500 percent performance increase from the Tegra 2.
Neither Nvidia nor Amazon immediately responded to requests for comment. When asked about plans for the quad-core "Kal-El" processor on a recent conference call, however, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said Nvidia is working "very closely" with Google on the next version of Android for tablets and phones, code-named "Ice Cream Sandwich."
Amazon has been busy over the past few years expanding its media ecosystem. The Kindle has been a major success, with the recent ad-supported version hitting the top of Amazon's bestselling-electronics sales charts. It was also the first major company to launch a cloud-based music system in the United States: Amazon Cloud Drive beat Google's Music Beta service to market by over a month.
The new tipster reports come after last week's tablet teaser from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. When asked if we could expect a tablet product from Amazon over the next year, Bezos told Consumer Reports to "stay tuned."
Bezos spoke carefully about the effects of the tablet market on the company's existing e-reader device, the Kindle: "We will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device," he said. "In terms of any other product introductions, I shouldn't answer."
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