Amazon Fire Phone Release Date REVEALED: Jeff Bezos Unveils New Smartphone in Seattle
ByAfter much speculation, Amazon has revealed its first smartphone, entering the arena dominated by a heated battle between Apple and Samsung.
According to Reuters, the Amazon Fire Phone will be available exclusively through AT&T Inc. and will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract for a 32GB device. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the device in front of hundreds of customers, executives and reporters Wednesday at an event in Seattle, Wash.
"What if there were a thousand artists standing by to redraw the picture every time you moved your head?" Bezos said.
The Fire phone will have a 4.7-inch screen (go figure), but will have a three-dimensional display that will give its maps application depth and photos new perspectives. As the event's teaser video indicated, the 3-D display will be accessible by simply movements of the user's head.
Amazon has already entered the tablet market with its line of Kindle Fire e-readers. Since the first Fire tablet came out, Amazon has progressed with a better device each time and now have the HDX model out on the market.
Like its tablet counterpart, the Fire Phone is a portable Amazon store and operates with Amazon's app market, which has about a fifth of the apps iOS and Android does. Unfortunately, this will cause users to miss out on major apps like YouTube, SnapChat and Instagram.
According to Wired, Fire Phone users will be able to scan virtually anything with the device's camera. From a book cover to a QR code to a phone number, the Fire Phone will be able to identify it and perform the necessary action.
Amazon's smartphone will also be able to identify song lyrics, like Shazam, and allow the user to purchase the song or add it to a music streaming service playlist. The phone will also be able to the same thing with movies.
While the 3-D display and accessibility via head movements is the Fire Phone's highlight, the device is protected with the ultra-strong Gorilla Glass, NBC News reported.
Amazon will ship its new smartphone July 25, ahead of Apple's impending fall release of the iPhone 6. Users can pre-order the Fire Phone now on Amazon.com.