A couple of noteworthy news events today include a new round of rumors touched off by a news article in Digitimes.com that Quanta, the Taiwan based tablet and computer manufacturer has been contracted by Amazon to manufacture the next generation of the Kindle Fire and that production has already started with a release date set for a Google event to be held on July 31st.  Details are still a bit sketchy and of course none of this has been confirmed by Amazon Corporate but apparently the new Fire will feature an improved resolution 1280 x 800 display, built-in front camera and physical volume controls. 

CNET is also stating that they have received similar information from a 'good source' so there may be something to these rumors.   Also mentioned by some is the possibility that the new Kindle Fire would come in at the same $199 price point with the older model being dropped to $149 but continuing to be available.  This would mimic the strategy that Apple took of keeping their iPad 2 available at a lower price point when replaced with the 'New iPad' in March.


Fans of the popular video site 'Hulu' have something to be happy about this week.  A new version of their 'Hulu Plus' app that has been updated to include improved support for 7 inch tablets like the Kindle Fire has been released.  Icons and layout have all been tweaked to maximize the Kindle Fire's screen real estate and it makes for an all around better video viewing experience.   There's a bunch of other improvements as well including the ability to sign up for free 1-week trials inside the app and a number of bug fixes and optimizations.  Hulu+ of course gives you access to the full seasons episodes of such popular series as Modern Family, The Office, Family Guy plus such classics as Lost and Battlestar Galactica and many more all for a low $7.99 monthly fee.  You can grab it at the link below.