Kindle Fire isn't a tablet. It's an attack strategy.

Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN) new tablet is certainly firing away at the competition. The $199 price is going to make the Kindle Fire the "hot" gadget of the upcoming holiday season, assuming that Amazon can begin cranking it out en masse in time for the Nov. 15 ship date.

Amazon should have no problem selling millions of these, and its ability to play seamlessly in Amazon's digital storefront will drive sales higher at the leading online retailer.

Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

  • Despite a market of cascading stock prices, Warren Buffett thinks its best bargain may be shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) itself. The share-buyback plan is popular, but there's also something to be said about the mixed message that it sends.
  • Bloomberg reports that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is readying an online television service for Xbox Live subscribers. Does this bring new meaning to the blue screen of death?
  • Rumors circulated indicating that Carl Icahn was taking a stake in Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) and that Amazon.com could buy Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX). Neither bout of chatter materialized into facts. That's why they call them rumors.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz