Software : Amazon shuns Google, asks Nokia to the Kindle Fire 2 maps prom

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Amazon shuns Google, asks Nokia to the Kindle Fire 2 maps prom Posted: A new report from Reuters claims that Amazon is planning mapping tech for the next Kindle Fire tablet, likely the Kindle Fire 2. But despite the Kindle Fire tablets running on a version of Google's Android OS, Amazon decided to go with Nokia's maps instead of Google's, claims Reuters. Amazon's Kindle Fire runs on a stripped-down version of Android that does away with all of Google's apps, and the companies would have to make a separate deal to bring Google Maps to the Kindle Fire 2. Instead, it seems Amazon's going with Nokia's mapping until it can get an in-house solution going. What's 'UpNext'? And make no mistake: Amazon almost certainly does have an internal mapping solution in the works. The online retailer purchased 3D mappers UpNext in July, and you can bet they're not just going to sit on that technology. The only question remaining is how long until the partnership with Nokia dries up, because that's when we're likely to see Amazon Maps take off. Kindle Fire 2 launch next week The Kindle Fire 2 could launch as soon as next week, if reports are to be believed. Amazon has a press conference scheduled for Thursday, and TechRadar will be in attendance to report all the Kindle Fire 2 news. The Kindle Fire 2 is expected to launch at the same $199 price point as the current Kindle Fire. Other rumors hint at a bigger screen, with some sources predicting a display as large as 10.1 inches. No matter what form the Kindle Fire 2 eventually takes, all will likely be revealed on Sept. 6.

iPad Mini possibly revealed in Instapaper iOS access logs Posted: Marco Arment, the creator of save-for-later app Instapaper, revealed an interesting discovery on his blog Thursday that further hints at the existence of Apple's iPad Mini. Arment writes that he noticed some "curious" devices in the Instapaper iOS app's access logs: the iPad2,5 and the iPad2,6 (alongside the iPhone5,1, though no one's questioning the iPhone 5's existence). He postulates first that the new iPad designations could refer to process-shrunk versions of the iPad 2, though he admits "that would be a pretty strange move." His real theory soon surfaces: that the iPad2,5 and iPad2,6 represent the iPad Mini in its Wi-Fi and GSM iterations. A textbook move Arment goes on to suggest that based on his observations, the iPad Mini is effectively an iPad 2 stuffed into a smaller, cheaper chassis. That would grant it Apple's A5 chipset and 512MB of RAM, though by Arment's estimations, the iPad Mini wouldn't launch with a Retina Display. "It's a textbook Tim Cook supply-chain move: selling the last generation's hardware at a lower price point to expand marketshare," Arment writes. "But this time, it's more dramatic." iPad Mini release date Jailbreakers could theoretically fake whatever iPad designation they wanted to, Arment admits, though he's "never had a device show up there that didn't end up being a real, about-to-be-released Apple device." So when will the iPad Mini release? Initial rumors in July predicted the iPad Mini would be revealed on Sept. 12 alongside the iPhone 5, and that both would launch nine days later on Sept. 21. More recently, "sources" have reported that the iPad Mini launch would take place at an event in October, separate from the September iPhone 5 release event. Whatever happens, Apple is sure to keep us guessing until the eleventh hour.

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