Amazon Tablet: Annoying little bookworm gets wings

Annoying little bookworms are about to get their wingsAfter 18 months of vapour competition, Apple is still riding high as the maker of the world’s only successful device. All that is about to change, but from an unlikely quarter if rumours are to be believed. Electronic readers, seen as the one trick ponies of the tablet world, are about to be transformed from annoying little bookworms into glorious butterflies.

All eyes are on Amazon where it is no longer simply a question of whether or not they will make a colour tablet. They will, and it is now just a guessing game of specifications, price and timing. They are even said to be planning more than one device, including a brawny quad-core NVIDIA-powered tablet codenamed Amazon Hollywood. And bookseller Barnes and Noble is on the point of announcing a full-blown Android offering.

Of all the potential competitors in the world, Amazon is the one that could offer Apple its first big headache. Amazon’s enormous customer base is ripe for the picking and the brand loyalty and reputation of the bookseller-turned-department store is second only to that of Apple. While we’ve been concentrating on Samsung, HP and BlackBerry, the bookworms are gaining their wings.