Amazon phone in a position to displaying images in three dimensions could ship this autumn.
Microsoft Office For iPad: 7 Questions Answered
(Click image for larger view and slideshow.)
Amazon is preparing to release a smartphone of its own this autumn, based on a report published Friday afternoon within the Wall Street Journal.
The report indicates that Amazon intends to announce the device on the end of June and to ship the device in September.
Amazon is reported planning to incorporate a screen in a position to displaying 3D imagery without 3D glasses. Based on anonymous sources cited within the report, the telephone includes four front-facing retina-tracking sensors to make some images appear in 3D, like holograms.
It can also be possible to exploit such sensors for device interaction, if Amazon includes the suitable APIs. For instance, by linking eye movement data to the scrolling function in an application, a developer could implement the way to traverse lists of email messages with a look. Whether such interaction would prove preferable to a dash-based interface continues to be seen.
The phone presumably will run Fire OS, Amazon’s Android variant. Coincidentally, Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O, begins on June 25th. If Amazon is planning a June announcement, it will possibly try doing so on June 24th, to upstage Google.
Amazon didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
In October, AppleInsider published a report making similar claims. It says Amazon’s phone, dubbed “Project Smith” internally, will include 4 3D sensors to trace gestures — like Microsoft Kinect — and that it’s going to even have two cameras: a front-facing 12-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 13-megapixel camera. The report cited Primax, Liteon, and Sunny Optical because the primary component suppliers for this hardware.
“Project Smith” is claimed to be according to a 4.7-inch touch panel, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. Taiwanese phone maker HTC is expounded to be working with Amazon to supply the device.
An anonymous post on Hacker News last year by someone claiming to have knowledge about Amazon’s phone suggests the telephone may include how to take pictures of things and get them organized automatically through Amazon.
Amazon in reality just introduced equivalent to device for its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service: Amazon Dash. But such functionality would fit an Amazon phone considering Amazon views its hardware with a view to promote purchases of digital and now physical products.
Amazon also recently launched Fire TV, a $99 streaming TV box that gives Amazon video content and competes with Apple TV, Roku, and other streaming media devices.
Our InformationWeek Elite 100 issue — our 26th ranking of technology innovators — shines a focus on businesses which are succeeding as a result of their digital strategies. We take an in depth at take a look at the head five companies on this year’s ranking and the eight winners of our Business Innovation awards, and offer 20 great ideas which you could use for your company. We also provide a ranked list of our Elite 100 innovators. Read our InformationWeek Elite 100 issue today.
Thomas Claburn was writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications including New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and tv, having earned a not particularly useful … View Full Bio
More Insights