Amazon is teasing customers with a mysterious new video posted to its site.
"That's pretty good ... that ... I'm impressed."
"That's pretty damn intuitive."
"That's really cool; I would use that a lot."
(Via Amazon)
You're likely asking the same question we are — what is hiding just outside the frame? What is "really cool"? Admittedly, we tried looking closely at the reflection in this woman's glasses, but no dice. Darn, Amazon probably accounted for that.
But that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out a few thoughts and predictions for what's below frame number one.
A writer for Business Insider says it's probably Amazon's long-rumored phone, which is said to feature eye- or head-tracking cameras on the front of the device and glasses-free 3D imagery.
And since you can clearly see the people moving their heads around in the video, we'd venture to say that's not a bad guess. (Via Amazon)
BGR published a report back in April detailing the alleged specs of such a smartphone. It's said to sport a Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, 4.7-inch screen, and a 13 megapixel camera. And the outlet gives a little more information about those eye-tracking cameras.
"The device's extra cameras are used to track the position of the user's face and eyes in relation to the phone's display. This allows Amazon's software to make constant adjustments to the positioning of on-screen elements, altering the perspective of visuals on the screen." (Via BGR)
In case you weren't already convinced Amazon's going to release a smartphone, a writer for Bloomberg builds an argument as to why.
The outlet quotes a tech-analyst who says it's about adding more devices for customers to consume Amazon content. "Amazon's play here isn't to make a ton of money off smartphone sales; it's to get people to spend more money with Amazon as a whole." (Via Bloomberg)
Amazon is inviting customers, developers, and journalists to attend the June 18 launch event in Seattle. The company has set up a sign-up page to request an invitation. Oh, and one more bit of evidence: the sign-up page asks if you're "interested in developing apps utilizing a new type of sensor."
Yeah there's probably going to be a 3D, eye- or head-tracking phone from Amazon, ladies and gents.
