It appears that the rumors of new Kindles being in development are about to come to a head, as Amazon has slashed the price of their Kindle DX model by 29%, and put several Kindle accessories on sale along with it. It also appears that Amazon has no plans to restock Kindle Touch 3G's, which are currently sold out, though the Wi-Fi models are still available.

With the success and rave reviews of Samsung's Nexus 7, which competes at the same price point as the Kindle, it's no surprise that Amazon needs a new product to take its place. And while it's possible the 10" DX version could simply be eliminated from their line, it's more likely we'll see a new Kindle DX version as well. Rumors have both devices coming equipped with front lit screens (which will finally be their answer to the Nook Glowlight tabs), and the Kindle Fire 2 is expected to have the same price ($199) as the first model, as well as the Nexus 7.

And with Amazon creating a new gaming studio, Amazon Game Studios (not the most inspiring name in the world, but I digress), as well as recently launching the Kindle gaming platform GameCircle, there seems to be a definite need for the company to create more powerful tablets to facilitate the development of games that will be able to compete with the offerings that will be available on any new iPad or Windows 8 tablet, and that is likely a major consideration of theirs as well.

The timing certainly seems right to launch a new product (or products), just weeks before Apple steals all the industry's thunder with new iPhone and iPad releases, and just before those meddling kids (and college students in particular are a large market for the Kindle) return to school.

Amazon is now playing catch-up in the tablet space, and it will be interesting to see the reception their new devices get amidst all the competition. Can they compete with the latest offerings from Samsung, Microsoft, and Apple? Which tablet is at the top of your wish list for X-Mas 2012? Let us know in the comments.