We reported a month ago on the "five or six" new tablets Amazon is rumored to release this year. The company has invited press to a media event in Santa Monica, CA, scheduled less than a week before Apple is expected to announce its next iPhone. A clear effort to keep us guessing, the press invitations simply state, "Please join us for an Amazon Press Conference."

Amazon announced the Kindle Fire at a similarly furtive press event last fall, so while it's not 100% certain this will be a tablet announcement, it probably is. And not a moment too soon: with Google's vastly superior Nexus 7 now on the market and the iPad's market share still basically unchallenged, Amazon has some catching up to do.

Everything's speculation for now; so what do you think? Will Amazon announce a 10" iPad killer? - just an updated seven-incher? - an out-of-left-field smartphone? Cast your bet in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN