Amazon has unveiled three aluminum Alexa Tablets — the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11 and Alexa Tablet 8 — built around Android and full access to the Google Play Store. The company is also preparing versions aimed at children.
According to WIRED's report on the new Alexa Tablets, the move brings Amazon's tablet range closer to the wider Android application ecosystem. Users will be able to access Google Play directly rather than relying on a narrower app catalogue.
Android access changes the software proposition
For technology professionals and developers, full Play Store availability is the central detail. It potentially broadens the range of productivity, communications and data-driven applications available on the devices, while giving Android software publishers a more conventional distribution route.
Amazon has not provided detailed hardware specifications, market-by-market availability or prices in the information available so far. That leaves key questions open around processor performance, display capabilities, storage, connectivity and how Alexa features will be integrated across the three models.