Amazon Phone

octoberasian

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http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/15/amazon-phone-pictures/

Before we move on, we should probably address that whole six cameras thing, huh? Well, the rear one is a standard phone camera for taking photos, and apparently one of the five on the front is also just a standard camera. The four other face cameras, though, are apparently for something especially unique: the phone's 3D interface. All those cameras reportedly enable the phone to track the position of your head and where you're looking, thus enabling glasses-free 3D from any angle. BGR says the four face cams are low-power infrared sensors.

So, what's powering that effect besides cameras? 2GB of RAM and an unnamed Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, apparently. Rather than going 1080p, the handset is also said to push 720p (also similar to the Moto X).

2014-04-15_09-13-12.png


More here: http://bgr.com/2014/04/15/amazon-smartphone-photos-specs-kindle-phone-exclusive/
 
An x720 screen? Srsly? Just as 1080 devices are being talked of going away from flagships, Amazon is using a 720 panel?
 
An x720 screen? Srsly? Just as 1080 devices are being talked of going away from flagships, Amazon is using a 720 panel?

come on, 720p isn't bad

4.7" 720p = 316ppi

the iPhone 5S is 4" 1136x640 = 326ppi

are you complaining iPhone 5S sucks as well?

I'd rather have better battery life than a 2k screen on my 5" phone
 
come on, 720p isn't bad

4.7" 720p = 316ppi

the iPhone 5S is 4" 1136x640 = 326ppi

are you complaining iPhone 5S sucks as well?

I'd rather have better battery life than a 2k screen on my 5" phone

Yes. ;)

720 isn't bad, but come on. Amazon is trying to break into an already stacked market filled with high-end devices with the latest and greatest...and Amazon's attempt is using obsolete tech? Are they trying to have their device fail?

The 4 IR sensors will be a far larger battery drain than than a better LCD.
 
Yes. ;)

720 isn't bad, but come on. Amazon is trying to break into an already stacked market filled with high-end devices with the latest and greatest...and Amazon's attempt is using obsolete tech? Are they trying to have their device fail?

The 4 IR sensors will be a far larger battery drain than than a better LCD.

So glasses free 3D on a phone is obsolete tech?
 
Yes. ;)

720 isn't bad, but come on. Amazon is trying to break into an already stacked market filled with high-end devices with the latest and greatest...and Amazon's attempt is using obsolete tech? Are they trying to have their device fail?

The 4 IR sensors will be a far larger battery drain than than a better LCD.

but yeah, amazon's unique factor will be 4 IR sensors/UI/3D instead of a 4k LCD screen

looking at the nook's IR sensors, i wonder how bad it can be
 
come on, 720p isn't bad

4.7" 720p = 316ppi

the iPhone 5S is 4" 1136x640 = 326ppi

are you complaining iPhone 5S sucks as well?

I'd rather have better battery life than a 2k screen on my 5" phone

Personally, the quality of the screen matters alot more than the number of pixels. ~330ppi is sharp enough for me, for now at least). 1080p means jack and crap if blacks are washed out and/or I can't read anything at high noon (yes, I've been spoiled by Nokia's AMOLED ClearBlack displays).
 
but yeah, amazon's unique factor will be 4 IR sensors/UI/3D instead of a 4k LCD screen

looking at the nook's IR sensors, i wonder how bad it can be


Amazon also has massive name recognition, advertising muscle, and a streaming content library thats competing with iTunes. Those are 3 huge advantages that Motorola, for example, didn't have when they released the Moto X (and even a giant like Samsung can't match the last one). Amazon simply doesn't need top tier hardware to stand out like the other Android manufacturers do.
 
Tell me, how well did the HTC EVO 3D do?

Oh that is right, glasses-free 3D flopped the last time it was tried on a phone.

Ill admit that the EVO 3D was a huge flop, but it was also only exclusive to Sprint...

The 3DS released around that time and it did glasses-free 3d very well. Were now in 2014 with the technological improvements and possibilities are much more possible.
 
That's an early prototype from last year where they just threw parts together.
 
Amazon also has massive name recognition, advertising muscle, and a streaming content library thats competing with iTunes. Those are 3 huge advantages that Motorola, for example, didn't have when they released the Moto X (and even a giant like Samsung can't match the last one). Amazon simply doesn't need top tier hardware to stand out like the other Android manufacturers do.

Except Amazon needs to. Their app library is generally classifiable as "crap" Both in content and how slowly it is updated. And given the relatively astronomical odds of Amazon making their Android platform run Google Play....they badly need this sugar coated to make customers want it badly enough to need to re-buy all their apps, presuming they even exist on Amazon's app-store.
 
Except Amazon needs to. Their app library is generally classifiable as "crap" Both in content and how slowly it is updated. And given the relatively astronomical odds of Amazon making their Android platform run Google Play....they badly need this sugar coated to make customers want it badly enough to need to re-buy all their apps, presuming they even exist on Amazon's app-store.

A problem with software won't be fixed by better hardware.
 
A problem with software won't be fixed by better hardware.

No...but who buys a $300+ subsidized smartphone with underwhelming hardware *and* underwhelming software? To really sell you need both, but when you have niether you're setting yourself up for failure. Big time.
 
So...you know that picture is of the phone in a case so that people like you cannot tell what it looks like, right?

You have no clue what the phone looks like.

Yes, I do.

Bezos_Amazon_phone.png


And you can get a pretty good idea. There's going to be 5 camera holes in the front. Hopefully they be hidden better than that picture, but 5 is a lot to hide.
 
I suspect that Amazon isn't going to get very far in smartphones if this is its strategy. 3D effects are cool, but they don't really make your phone more useful. Amazon would likely be better off rolling the cost of the IR technology into the core hardware, or simply lowering the price.

My guess? This isn't going to fare as well as the Kindle Fire tablets. Those succeed (relatively speaking) because Amazon throws away profit to lower the base price and get you hooked on services. In phones... well, many of the things you get with an Amazon Prime subscription aren't useful here, and there are already surprisingly powerful low-cost phones (see: Moto G). What does Amazon have to sell on besides a gimmick?
 
The reason why there's 3D: Ironman. Jeff Bezos wants a 3D phone cause he think he has the money to be Tony Stark. He's making his own Sci-Fi dream come true. Who can blame him?
 
Yes. ;)

720 isn't bad, but come on. Amazon is trying to break into an already stacked market filled with high-end devices with the latest and greatest...and Amazon's attempt is using obsolete tech? Are they trying to have their device fail?

They're NOT competing on specs but differentiating on features, like the 3D and no doubt much better Amazon integration. The Moto X didn't play the spec game either and was very successful, to this day its just as fast and smooth as any flagship.

The 4 IR sensors will be a far larger battery drain than than a better LCD.

Pure speculation.
 
They're NOT competing on specs but differentiating on features, like the 3D and no doubt much better Amazon integration. The Moto X didn't play the spec game either and was very successful, to this day its just as fast and smooth as any flagship.



Pure speculation.

How much better Amazon integration is possible beyond just downloading the Amazon store, Amazon App store, Kindle app, and a few other Amazon niceties that are also on Play or otherwise easily installable on any other better supported Android phone? Further as noted the additional price you pay is that the Amazon appstore is crap. Has a bunch of games, and some outdated content.

Once you get bored after 5 minutes of playing with the gimmicky 3D interface with wallpapers and icons and nothing else in the meager Amazon appstore that supports it...then what?

Oh, and probably like the rest of the Amazon device line...good luck ever getting OS updates. Did any of the other forked Android OS devices from them ever get OS updates? I ask as I honestly never heard about it. IIRC the original Kindle Fire is still running fucking Gingerbread, even though it was released after JellyBean came out (around the time the Note2 came out)....guess who is going to be forever vulnerable to Heartbleed.
 
It's all about advertising features, if you choose a bunch of hard to advertise features they won't take off, if you choose a bunch of easy to advertise features it will take off.

Look at Samsung, they have a bunch of generally useless features like head tracking and touchless no one ever uses but they are ones most people talk about.

I have no comment about this phone right now, but 3D isn't a feature anyone will care about. I like Amazon, love their tablets but that doesn't mean I will like their phone.
 
How much better Amazon integration is possible beyond just downloading the Amazon store, Amazon App store, Kindle app, and a few other Amazon niceties that are also on Play or otherwise easily installable on any other better supported Android phone? Further as noted the additional price you pay is that the Amazon appstore is crap. Has a bunch of games, and some outdated content.

Once you get bored after 5 minutes of playing with the gimmicky 3D interface with wallpapers and icons and nothing else in the meager Amazon appstore that supports it...then what?

Oh, and probably like the rest of the Amazon device line...good luck ever getting OS updates. Did any of the other forked Android OS devices from them ever get OS updates? I ask as I honestly never heard about it. IIRC the original Kindle Fire is still running fucking Gingerbread, even though it was released after JellyBean came out (around the time the Note2 came out)....guess who is going to be forever vulnerable to Heartbleed.

I agree with this. And if the phone turns out to be like this, then it'll fail, as it should. The Facebook phone failed too. But at least lets wait and see and not write it off just now, shall we?
 
Personally, the quality of the screen matters alot more than the number of pixels. ~330ppi is sharp enough for me, for now at least). 1080p means jack and crap if blacks are washed out and/or I can't read anything at high noon (yes, I've been spoiled by Nokia's AMOLED ClearBlack displays).

This. Give me brightness, accurate colors, quality and battery life. Then we can talk about the number of pixels.
 
It's all about advertising features, if you choose a bunch of hard to advertise features they won't take off, if you choose a bunch of easy to advertise features it will take off.

Look at Samsung, they have a bunch of generally useless features like head tracking and touchless no one ever uses but they are ones most people talk about.

I have no comment about this phone right now, but 3D isn't a feature anyone will care about. I like Amazon, love their tablets but that doesn't mean I will like their phone.

The first 2 Galaxy S phones did not have any flashy features. Samsung has become successful because they produced a great product; though I cant exactly support anything released after the S3...
 
The first Galaxy S was a great product? Did I read that right? That phone was plagued with so many issues, one of which is the GPS never worked. The phone should have been recalled. S2 however was definitely a great phone for its time.
 
The first 2 Galaxy S phones did not have any flashy features. Samsung has become successful because they produced a great product; though I cant exactly support anything released after the S3...

You are bringing up a time prior to the feature war. The S1 was a terrible phone, the S2 was a pretty awesome phone.

Problem was, android at this point in time was a horrible platform, all you needed was .1"+ screen and a phone that lasted more than 5 hours to be high end.
 
That looks like a bunch android phones and the iPhone combined. Honestly though, an Amazon phone doesn't sound that attractive right now.
 
If that home button was circular (and not a Galaxy copy :D) then the fun times could really begin.
 
http://bgr.com/2014/05/01/amazon-smartphone-photos-kindle-phone-images-exclusive/

Render of how the new Amazon Phone will look like:
2014-05-01_15-23-47.png


Apple's lawyers are probably watching this closely. :p
What if Samsung or LG sues first?

It looks like a Nexus 4 with iPhone..

BTW, my friend from Amazon who is on the mobile development team tells me this is the first time he's seen this render... But that could be the NDA. However, he was the one to tell me the other picture is just an early prototype.
 
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Amazon and Google need to really dive in the business and start their own service up. My cellphone bill could use some relief.
 
Kindle, boring/ugly. Kindle Fire, boring/ugly. Fire TV, boring/ugly.

...I wonder how the Amazon phone is going to turn out.
 
I wonder how well this will sell or keep customers seeing as most probably haven't experience the Amazon App Store.
 
I wonder how well this will sell or keep customers seeing as most probably haven't experience the Amazon App Store.

I bet it doesn't do bad if it sells for cheap on and off-contract. Maybe $200 off-contract or less with ads or something. Wouldn't doubt if Amazon strikes some deal with a carrier to subsidize a certain amount of data for the customer for free or reduced rate, kinda like they do with the Kindles.
 
I bet it doesn't do bad if it sells for cheap on and off-contract. Maybe $200 off-contract or less with ads or something. Wouldn't doubt if Amazon strikes some deal with a carrier to subsidize a certain amount of data for the customer for free or reduced rate, kinda like they do with the Kindles.

I think this stays Amazon front page only. Fixed amount, etc etc, charge more for the Sprint model... :D
 
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