Lookout iPhone and Android, there’s a new smartphone in town. After months of anticipation, Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos has announced its latest product: Fire Phone.
The announcement comes after weeks of build-up and excitement at what the new phone might bring. Amazon had released a teaser video showing a user holding a device they are clearly impressed with – but it was out of view. Targeting the weaknesses found with the iPhone and Android, Amazon’s Fire Phone is ideal for one handed use and is capable of showing 3-D images - quite unbelievably actually - and includes headphones that won’t tangle.
One of the most exciting features the Fire Phone also has to offer is unlimited storage through Amazon Cloud Drive. How many times has your phone run out of storage space in the middle of taking photos? That will not be a problem for the Fire Phone since users can snap away as much as they want to. The phone contains a 13 megapixel camera with an f/2.0 lens and has a quick access shutter button that gives users easy access to the camera when the screen is off.
The Fire Phone offers an intuitive feature- the phone has the ability to predict what its users will want to watch next and pre-buffers, allowing videos to start instantly. With this feature, Amazon addresses the fact that more and more smartphone users are streaming videos on their devices.
Not only are smartphone users streaming video on their phones, but music as well. Coincidently, Amazon recently launched prime music which allows prime members to stream ad-free music, create playlists, and access all of these features without internet connection. To enhance the user listening experience, the Fire Phone also includes Dolby speakers that are considered a better set of speakers than the average smartphone has.
As an Amazon product, Fire Phone is compliant with Amazon apps and resources including the ‘MayDay’ immediate help feature seen on other Amazon devices such as the Kindle Fire tablet. That means users will have instant video-conferencing tech support.
Along with MayDay, the device offers secondscreen- users the ability to ‘fling’ whatever is being watched on the Fire Phone straight to an Amazon TV.
The phone will be offered exclusively from AT&T for $199 for the 32GB version, $299 for the 64GB (other options to go off contract $649 (32GB) or $749 (64GB) or use AT&T Next to pay monthly are also available.)
As the largest online retailer, Amazon might be on its way to becoming a digital gatekeeper when it comes to devices. Are these flashy new features enough to impress customers? Does the Fire Phone offer enough for people to want to switch their current phones? We’ll know these answers once Fire Phone is released.
Edited by
Stefania Viscusi
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