Ever since Amazon announced earlier this week that it would sell its 7-inch 8 GB Android powered tablet, the Kindle Fire, for just $199, there have been rumblings of a tablet price war. This week, retailer Best Buy announced that another previously released 7-inch Android tablet, the HTC Flyer, will now be sold in its stores and on its web site for just $299.99. That"s a big $200 reduction from its original price. According to its press release, "Best Buy is advancing growth of the tablet category by combining the most tablets under one roof with a shopping experience that allows customers to easily try and compare devices."
This price cut by Best Buy follows a similar move that it made earlier this week to reduce the price of all three models of Research in Motion"s 7-inch Blackberry Playbook by $200 each, which makes the 16 GB model priced at $299. RIM had to quickly deny rumors that it was planning to completely discontinue production of the Playbook earlier this week.
With the holiday shopping season getting closer, we might see even more price reductions on older tablets before the end of the year. Amazon"s ultra low price for the Kindle Fire could take market share away from some of these tablets unless they aggressively cut their prices. Already the Kindle Fire is the number one best selling electronic device at Amazon.com. The tablet, which will also have Amazon"s cloud-based Silk web browser, is scheduled to begin shipping on November 15.