It looks like Amazon.com's finally going to release the second version of its Kindle electronic book.

Why else would the company be holding a big press conference with Chief Executive Jeff Bezos at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York on Feb. 9?

"We're not saying," spokesman Andrew Herdener said.

Maybe they'll say during Amazon.com's earnings call on Thursday.

The gadget has a fan base on Wall Street, where some analysts seem to have visions of the next iPod, so perhaps the release could offset a potentially chilly holiday earnings report.

Amazon has said its holiday sales were strong, despite an overall drop in Web retail during the season, but we'll see how expensive it was for the company to keep the boxes flowing with low prices and shipping deals.

So far word of the apparent Kindle launch hasn't helped AMZN stock much - it's down about 3 percent to $48.19 at last check.

I wonder how the company handle the transition from Kindle 1.0 to 2.0.

The first edition's still being sold at Amazon.com but it's sold out, with shipments expected in four to six weeks - after the Feb. 9 event.

Maybe they're just announcing the accessory light, although it sounds much higher profile.

Here's Jeff Bezos during the Nov. 19, 2007, press conference where he introduced Kindle 1.0:

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)