Amazon snubs Google, turns to Nokia for mapping in new Kindle Fire tablets

Amazon has snubbed Google in preference for Nokia for its mapping service on the new Kindle Fire, sources claim.

Amazon will release a new version of the Kindle Fire next Thursday, according to Reuters .

Yesterday Amazon announced that the original Kindle Fire has sold out in the United States, just nine months after its original launch.

Details about the model have begun to emerge with several people close to the company confirming that the new Kindle Fire will have mapping services provided by Nokia Oyj.

The sources also claimed that the new Kindle Fire will have either a GPS chip or Wifi based positioning system which will make the mapping services possible.

This will most likely include street maps as well as information about local businesses and perhaps even traffic updates.

Amazon will be the second major tech firm to drop Google maps. In June, Apple released its latest mobile operating system, iOS6, which runs on its own mapping system rather than using Google maps as previous versions had done.

Google’s new Nexus 7 tablet, released last month, is a direct competitor to the Kindle Fire and also offers GPS capabilities.

Speculation has grown that the Kindle Fire will soon be released in the United Kingdom, although no details about this have been released.

The original 7-inch device was sold at $199 but there is no information about how much the new model will cost.

Images, said to show the new product, have appeared online as rumours about the Kindle Fire’s successor grow.

It is rumoured that Amazon will release two models of the Kindle Fire, a 7-inch model and a larger 10 inch model.

The new Kindle Fire will also apparently have a streamlined user interface.

There has also been speculation that Amazon will release an updated version of its existing Kindle Touch at the launch event.