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Tech Week Ahead: Amazon Hints At New Kindle

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block. And it's time now for All Tech Considered.

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BLOCK: First our look ahead to the week in tech with help from NPR's Laura Sydell.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: Amazon has been building up anticipation...

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SYDELL: ...because they have sent out an invitation that says: Hey, we're going to be having a press conference down in L.A.

BLOCK: That press conference is scheduled for Thursday. But Amazon, so far, isn't offering any clues as to what it plans to announce.

SYDELL: I would say, at this point, it's pretty clear it's going to be some kind of new Kindle Fire.

BLOCK: That's the company's tablet computer. And Laura says this about what we might expect in the newest model.

SYDELL: Some kind of location-based mapping service that will send up where you are. And, of course, that will enable things like maps or sending you ads or information that's locally based, about things that are near you.

BLOCK: Now, Amazon's announcement is just the beginning of a larger trend in tablet PCs. Later this fall, Microsoft will join the likes of Amazon, Google, and Apple with its own tablet called the Surface. It will come with a detachable keyboard.

SYDELL: I mean a lot of people are leaving the world of the laptop for the tablet and not really looking back.

BLOCK: Which means - come this holiday season.

SYDELL: Tablets for everyone. So, yeah. I guess I feel like this is sort of the beginning of - this is the beginning of the tablet season.

BLOCK: And that's our Look Ahead with NPR's Laura Sydell. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.