Amazon's expected Android tablet is expected to mount a strong challenge to Apple's iPad, partly because its price tag is said to be less than $300, well below the $499 starting price of Apple's popular device.

Still, the of the tablet market, according to Gartner, a hard lead to break.

Analysts at IDC and Forrester Research, among other IT research firms, have noted that Amazon.com would be able to easily sell content for an , which would make up for any financial losses that resulted from selling devices at below cost.

TechCrunch reported on Sept. 2 http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/02/amazon-kindle-tablet/ that it had a chance to handle and use a pre-release version of the Amazon table. The online news site said the Android-based device has a full-color 7-in. touchscreen device, and will be priced at $250.

The TechCrunch reviewer said it looked very similar to the Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook.