Report: Amazon to Announce Smartphone Today
Less than a year after it entered the tablet space, Amazon is preparing an entry into the smartphone market.
Today's Amazon event will focus on the unveiling of a few new models of Kindle ereaders. However, it seems Amazon also has something else up its sleeve for today's California event. According to the Verge, the etail giant will also announce its very first smartphone.
Apparently multiple sources have confirmed to the Verge that Amazon is working on a phone that will be shown off at today's event. The Verge's sources say this phone will run a version of the Kindle Fire OS, which is itself based on Android 4.0. Other than these little scraps of details, there isn't much else to report other than the fact that the phone likely won't be available anytime soon. The device is said to be unfinished, so today's event will likely just be a teaser of bigger things to come.
While Amazon's phone isn't quite ready for the market, it's nice to finally be able put all these Amazon smartphone rumors to bed. Amazon is also announcing two new Kindles today, the Kindle Fire 2 and the new Kindle Touch with backlight, so while we might not get much information on this new phone, there will be plenty to talk about. It's been almost a year since the original Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire were announced. Tune in later on for more on today's event!
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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ikefu Cool but... why would you want an Android phone that is handicapped by Amazon locking it down to only their approved apps and app store?Reply -
ozvip3r There modified 2.3 might work for there specific tablets, lets see if they go with a custom version of 4.0/4.1 and how it feels on a phone.Reply -
donovands ozvip3rThere modified 2.3 might work for there specific tablets, lets see if they go with a custom version of 4.0/4.1 and how it feels on a phone.Reply
This. The only way this could work is if they offer tremendous value. The Fire sold well because it exploited a niche that wasn't being serviced well (small factor tablet) and a price point that was unheard of at the time. This would be a lot more difficult to do with a phone where Carriers often subsidize handsets. That would leave only the unlocked market. But heck, for those of us who live in countries where Carriers don't subsidize phones, if this bugger comes in at $200 with half the performance of an iphone I'd pick one up. -
donovands Ugh. Sorry. Wrong quote. This is the quote I was responding to. ikefuCool but... why would you want an Android phone that is handicapped by Amazon locking it down to only their approved apps and app store?Reply -
house70 I was actually hoping to see them using Firefox OS; an altered Android is not what I'm looking for.Reply -
back_by_demand Wow, I am already impressed, reporting on a story the same day, that's tough goingReply