Amazon introduces 3D, shopping-ready Fire phone

SEATTLE - Amazon.com Inc's new cellphone seeks to offer shoppers instant gratification by recognizing thousands of products, television shows and songs and allowing users to immediately buy them - on the e-commerce giant's own site, of course.

The smartphone, which joins Amazon's "Fire" lineup of tablets and streaming devices, aims to stand out in a crowded field dominated by Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics . It represents an attempt to extend the company's dominance of online commerce into mobile phones, which are increasingly being used to buy items and view video.

But it's unclear how the phone's "Firefly" image- and audio-recognition feature or its much-touted 3D-perspectives will work in the real world, or how fickle consumers may respond to Amazon's latest bid to eliminate barriers to its core online retail business.

Users can press a button and point the phone at an object such as a can of soup or work of art, or direct it to listen to a song. If the device recognizes it, the user can buy it on Amazon, if it's sold there.

The technology, which works by matching images of items or songs to Amazon's database of over 100 million items, will be opened to app-developers for use, an approach that rivals Apple and Google have taken with their own mobile software.

Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, in a rare media appearance in Seattle, demonstrated three-dimensional display features on the 4.7-inch phone, such as greater depth perception in maps and pictures.

Four front-facing cameras track head movements and shift perspectives depending on a user's activity. Users can scroll through screens by tilting or swiveling the phone.

"One of the things that Amazon tried to do with this phone is reduce the amount of activity and input that users have to do to get results," said Dave Cotter, chief executive of SquareHub, an app that helps families share photos and other information.

"Instead of clicking a whole bunch of stuff, you hold the phone and it does things for you," said the former Amazon executive, who got his first peek at the phone more than two months ago.

Shares of Amazon climbed 2.7 percent to $334.38 on Wednesday.

Still, the smartphone represents unfamiliar territory for Amazon. Apple and Samsung now dominate the market, having pushed names like Motorola and Nokia to the sidelines.

Some may balk at the price. Industry insiders had expected the Fire phone to be far cheaper than iPhones or Galaxy devices, given Amazon sold its Fire tablets at cost.

Amazon is selling the Fire phone for $649 contract-free. From July 25, a 32-GB version will go for $199.99 with a contract on AT&T Inc. Those prices are comparable to the iPhone 5C's, though it has superior displays and other features.

To sweeten the deal, Amazon offered 12 months of membership to Prime, its two-day delivery and streaming service.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Amazon expected to unveil 3D smartphone to court mobile shoppers

SEATTLE - Amazon.com Inc's newest mobile device, a smartphone that may sport a 3D screen, is the retailer's latest attempt to exert its influence over the way consumers shop online.

Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos will preside over a mystery launch on Wednesday near its Seattle campus. Industry observers predict the arrival of a long-rumored smartphone after years of development.

It is unclear if a 3D display, as widely reported, is enough to help the new entree stand out in a crowded field dominated by Apple Inc's seven-year-old iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Galaxy devices. Three-quarters of U.S. consumers online already own a smartphone, according to online data tracking service comScore.

But its introduction reflects how smartphones and tablets are fast becoming how many consumers view and buy items online. Mobile commerce grew at almost twice the rate of online retail during the first quarter, according to comScore.

Analysts said Amazon has more opportunities outside the United States. Only 30 percent of the 5.2 billion phones on the market are smartphones, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Victor Anthony said in a June 5 research note.

"As the world shifts toward mobile, how do you make sure Amazon is front and center?" Jefferson Wang, senior partner at IBB Consulting, said in an interview.

Two sources have said the device contains 3D features visible to the eye without special glasses. Analysts expect Amazon's Prime membership program, which offers features such as movie streaming and two-day delivery, to be tied to the phone.

A phone would represent yet another new area for Amazon, which got its start selling books and has since expanded into everything from original television shows to grocery delivery. It could also boost adoption of an Amazon payments platform.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported AT&T Inc would carry the smartphone exclusively, as it did the iPhone for years and a short-lived Facebook phone made by HTC Corp that at one point was discounted to 99 cents.

"Let's hope @amazon doesn't fall victim to the @att curse that is the facebook phone," T-Mobile CEO John Legere tweeted.

A phone would be the third new device Amazon has introduced this year after its FireTV streaming video device and Dash grocery-ordering wand. In recent years, the company has moved more aggressively into hardware, selling its devices at cost in hopes of spurring purchases on Amazon's website.

It has also used its devices to test emerging markets. This year, Amazon began selling the Kindle online in Brazil after years of selling the device in stores. The move gives Amazon a chance to work through some of the country's logistics problems.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com