Amazon's Secret Lab For Prototype Gadgets Revealed

We've known from earlier reports that Amazon currently has a number of color options in the lab for what could end up being a color Kindle, but the company is steadfast is saying that such a device is still a very, very long ways out. The original Kindle was Amazon's first foray into the hardware realm, and things have definitely turned out great for them. It's a hot selling device, it has a huge amount of mind share, and it has placed Amazon atop the heap in the e-reader game.


So if Amazon can do it once, why can't they do it again with something else? We aren't the only people asking that question, and now a report from The New York Times suggests that some of those asking that question are actually employees of Amazon. A so-called Lab 126 is rumored to be working on other hardware that's not the Kindle, along with some aspects that are Kindle-related. For example, Lab 126 is where engineers are working to master a touch-enabled Kindle or a color version, but the rumor has it that Amazon could be hiring to "build other gadgets [for] prototyping in its secret labs."


Even more convincing, a number of sources confirmed that Lab 126 has been "looking into building other gadgets that it could sell to consumers," with one saying that these new products would be "a means to an end." Basically, Amazon could be worked on products that would enable simpler purchasing of content via Amazon's digital distribution network. Rumors have it that Amazon even considered making a music player and cell phone, but decided against it citing huge competition. Will Amazon be the next great gadget maker? It's hard to believe so, but with the success of the Kindle, we guess anything is possible.