Posted on Wednesday, July 04 2012 @ 20:13 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Amazon announced a somewhat strange acquisition today, the company bought UpNext, a small firm that makes a 3D mapping app for iOS and Android. TechSpot
speculates Amazon may be planning to use the aquisition to add GPS to its next-gen Kindle Fire.
The e-tailer's current generation of Kindles do not include GPS functionality, thus providing maps on Amazon-branded hardware doesn't seem particularly useful. However, perhaps this acquisition supports some of those rumors we heard earlier this year about a new Kindle Fire coming in 2012.
Is it possible the next generation of Kindles will come with a GPS sensor baked-in? Certainly, but speculation nonetheless.
Of course, the company may even decide to incorporate mapping software in its various apps, like Kindle for iOS and Android or even rollout its own stand-alone navigation software -- afterall, Amazon already has its hands in just about everything from cloud storage, web shopping, books, instant video, music, apps and more.
