Amazon Kindle Fire 2 to launch on September 6

The Amazon Kindle Fire 2 is due to be revealed on September 6. Amazon has invited members of the media to an event in an airport hangar in Santa Monica, California on that day, at which we expect Amazon's tablet to launch. Confident that journalists will put two and two together and turn up, Amazon's invitation says only "Please join us for an Amazon Press Conference."

The original Amazon Kindle Fire launched in the US last September. Its inexpensive price coupled with Amazon's unparalleled access to books, music and movies made it a success in the States. The original Kindle Fire has never made it to New Zealand.

The delay in moving the Kindle Fire outside the US is thought to be due to the licensing issues involved in selling media in international markets. It's possible that Amazon is also waiting to launch the second-generation product into international markets. This is they way Amazon previously dealt with the roll out of its Kindle eReaders devices.

Rumours have been flying that Amazon may add a 10in Kindle Fire to its range, as well as a new 7-inch device. Both are expected to improve on the Kindle Fire's previously criticised build quality, and to be slimmer devices. We expect the 10in Kindle Fire to sport greater connectivity options, including microUSB and HDMI-out ports. It's also expected to have a front-facing camera. Expect the new 7-inch Kindle Fire to have a 1200 x 800 screen.

The Amazon Kindle Fire is a basic 7in tablet PC based in part on Google's Android operating system. Amazon sells the device in the US for $199 as a means to access locked-down digital ebooks that the online retailer licenses to its readers.

In the US, the Kindle Fire can also access streamed media such as films and TV programmes.