One thing that I've been wondering about is the cover with a battery and solar.
If it's *not* Liquavista it would be a pretty niche product and Kindles are all about mass market, even their premium model. Not sure backpackers and preppers are that big of a market.
Then came the report about Kindle Oasis, waterproofing as a likelihood, and Nate's finding that the KindleOasis.com site is owned by Brilliance, Amazon's audiobook subsidiary.
Thing is "thin" and "water proof" don't usually go along with "good audio".
Which, since the thing has been reported to have Bluetooth, makes me wonder if the gadget has no speakers and instead takes a page from the WinTab playbook and puts the speakers in the cover. (Instead of a keyboard.) Speakers being a relatively bigger drain on power, the battery cover makes sense that way. And with Bluetooth there is no need for a direct electrical connection.
Naturally, Bluetooth audio means the cover is optional. Headsets and earbugs would work just as well.
(As to Kobo, it is worth remembering their competitive problems--if real--are a direct result of their business model and Rakuten's level of marketing "support". Their margin is the lowest of the four remaining "global" ebook players. It would take a full thread to detail but their issues are similar to Scribd and Nook's.)