Google Tablet to Compete With Kindle Fire

It looks like a Google tablet will be announced in the next week.

The Google tablet will look to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire. According to Gizmodo, Nexus 7 will be a 7-inch tablet with competitive pricing -- $199 for an 8GB version and $249 for a 16GB version. However, other sources report more aggressive pricing, such as $159 or $177.

By comparison, an 8GB Kindle Fire costs $199. While the tablet was a hot item during the holiday season, its popularity has been trending downward. A new version of the slate has been rumored for months, but nothing has appeared on the horizon yet. If a new model is introduced, pricing on the old model could sink to $149.

The Nexus 7, which appears to be similar to a tablet displayed by Asus at this year's Consumer Electronic show, will reportedly also have a 7-inch display with a slightly higher resolution than Fire's -- 1280 by 800 compared to the Amazon product's 1024 by 600.

New Zealand Wants to Go "No Smoking"

NO SMOKING: New Zealand's government on Thursday announced a 40 percent hike in tobacco taxes over the next four years in pursuit of a pledge to wipe out smoking by 2025. About 20 percent of adults here smoke, compared with 16 percent in the U.S., 23 percent in China and 27 percent in France.

NO KIDDING: Already among the costliest in the world, a pack of cigarettes in the South Pacific nation will run 20 New Zealand dollars ($15) on average by 2016.

NO SHELF SPACE: Starting in July, retailers must hide cigarettes for sale below the counter.

How Low Can Kindle Prices Go?

Last month, Amazon.com introduced Kindle with Special Offers, a new member of the Kindle family that gives customers access to money-saving special offers. Just five weeks later, Kindle with Special Offers became the bestselling member of the Kindle family in the U.S. Today, Amazon announced that it is now making special offers available for Kindle 3G. Kindle 3G with Special Offers is available starting today for only $164 and ships immediately. At just $164, Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the lowest price of any 3G e-reader, and includes the latest Pearl electronic ink display. Learn more about the entire Kindle family, including the $114 Kindle with Special Offers and the new $164 Kindle 3G with Special Offers, at www.amazon.com/kindle3G.

Special offers that will be available in the coming weeks include:

• $10 for a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card - customers loved this offer, so we're making it available again in time for Father's Day
• Save up to $500 off Amazon's already low prices on HDTVs with a unique 20% discount on 200 HDTVs from brands including Sony, Panasonic, LG, and VIZIO
• $1 for a Kindle book, choose from thousands of books including Water for Elephants and the Hunger Games trilogy
• Spend $10 on Kindle books and get a free $10 Amazon.com Gift Card