Amazon plans to make more hardware beyond Kindle

Amazon's Lab 126, the division that created the Kindle eReader, has almost 80 open job postings. Some of the people hired for these positions will most likely work on future Kindle eReaders, but sources familiar with Amazon's plans revealed to NY Times that Lab 126 is experimenting with several new gadgets that it could sell to consumers. Amazon regards these hardware products as a means to an end, the primary goal is to move consumers to buy and rent more digital books, music and movie from Amazon.

The newspaper also learned that Lab 126 once considered entering the mobile phone market , but this idea was rejected because they didn't see how they could compete with Apple and Google.

According to people with direct knowledge of the company’s plans, who declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly about Amazon’s internal workings and unannounced products, Lab 126 has been looking into building other gadgets that it could sell to consumers.

One of those people said building more hardware products would be a means to an end. This person said Amazon wants to make more devices for consumers that would enable simple purchasing of Amazon content including its digital books, music and movie rentals and purchases.

The people who know of the company’s plans said Lab 126 was fostered inside Amazon with this goal in mind, but until recently the company has focused exclusively on the Kindle e-reading platform.