Amazon’s smartphone could be ready to ship as soon as September.
That’s according to The Wall Street Journal, which cites people with knowledge of Amazon’s plans. A hardware announcement is expected in June.
The Internet has been nailing down a list of supposed features for years. Amazon patents dating back to 2008 detail 3D head and gesture tracking in smartphones; one is held by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself. (Via TechRadar, ZDNet, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)
Friday’s reports indicate not much has changed from earlier rumors: Amazon’s device will reportedly feature glasses-free 3D and four front-facing cameras that will track the motion of a user’s retinas.
Digital Trends suspects the phone would use the same modified version of Android Amazon is using for its Fire tablet line.
For the moment, it’s not clear if or how Amazon plans to provide carrier services, or if it will cut agreements with existing wireless providers.
We also still don’t know what price Amazon intends to set for its device, but there’s evidence it could go for cheap: GigaOM explains Amazon is traditionally comfortable with making its devices loss leaders. (Via Amazon)
“Amazon typically doesn’t seek to earn profits from hardware sales but instead offers devices at lower prices and make money from related software, services and goods sold through Amazon.com.”
The company declined to comment on the latest rumors.
