According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is looking to expand its footprint in the mobile arena by developing a few smartphones of its own. Rumors of a Kindle phone have been flying around for some time, but the new report claims that Amazon is working on a couple of smartphones, as well as an audio-only streaming device. One of the devices will be a higher-end device, that will tout a glasses-free 3D display. The device may also incorporate eye-tracking technology that will enable visuals that “seem to float above the screen like a hologram.” This technology is akin to the eye-tracking tech that Samsung was rumored to bring to its flagship Samsung Galaxy S4.
According to the report, Amazon is developing smartphone prototypes at Amazon’s Lab126 in Cupertino, where the projects are known as “Alphabet Projects,” with project names of Project A,B,C and D. If the development produces successful progress, the Amazon hardware could make its debut in the coming months.
Amazon has already had a huge success with its Kindle line of tablets, and has seen its online stores grow immensely over the last few years. The Amazon phones are a logical move for the company, as the rumored smartphones in development will be directly tied to Amazon content that Kindle users have already purchased.
Time will tell if these smartphones will see the light of day soon, and if Amazon will be shipping them with their customized Android OS, which does not allow for usage of many Google and Play Store apps. What do you think of an Amazon smartphone? And is a 3D display really necessary? Remember the EVO3D? Yeah, that didn’t do so well….
[Via: Engadget]