And Lo, He Brought The Tablets Down

Don't look now, Apple and Samsung, but Amazon wants in on the tablet game.  The long rumored entry by the Kindle guys into the tablet computer market will be here in time for the holidays.

Amazon.com Inc will launch a tablet computer this year to extend its position as the world's largest Internet retailer, expand in mobile commerce and sell more digital goods, according to analysts and investors.

Amazon plans to introduce a tablet with a 9-inch screen before October that will run on Google's Android operating system, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. An Amazon spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Analysts and investors have been expecting a tablet from Amazon for several months. The company's shares hit a record high earlier in July, partly on optimism about the new device, according to Colin Sebastian, an analyst at R.W. Baird.

"Amazon's brand, user base, and digital media offering would position a tablet well against some of the other options out there," Sebastian told Reuters. "Tablet users tend to purchase more digital items than comparable physical items, so Amazon wants more exposure to that."

Of course it will be running Android.  And of course you'll be able to use it with Kindle books.  But will you be able to read for long periods of time like you can with a Kindle and can't do so well on the iPad?  I prefer the Kindle itself for reading books over the iPad.  Amazon would want to do it right.

If they do, things could get very interesting.  And the more competition, the better.