Now that the Fire Phone event is all wrapped up, what have we learned? We’re getting a phone with a different look, but not a true 3D effect. Prime is involved, even moreso than the Kindle Fire tablets. If you’re looking for a one-stop destination for all your Fire Phone info, we’ve got you covered.
To start, the screen isn’t really a “3D” display. The orientation of the device gives you different looks at what’s on the screen, which is why Amazon is tracking your face with four cameras ont he front of the device. You get the opportunity to “peek” around corners and such in games, so it’s a cool addition — but likely not reason to snatch one up.
Firefly, though — that might be a reason people will want this one. The service lets you snap pics of objects you may want to buy, and links you to the Amazon listing for the item. Even better, you can save items for later, letting you just walk around snapping photos of stuff you want to buy.
Firefly also lets you snap pics of things that you want to save for info, like a flyer on a light post. You snap a pic, and it scrapes the image for details, then offers to save it in a readable way.
The camera seems important to Amazon, and it’s a decent one. A 13MP shooter has a f/2.0 aperture, which Amazon feels is the right hardware. They also give you unlimited photo storage, which is maybe the biggest deal about this phone if you’re serious about mobile photography. It also has a dedicated shutter button, so you can always get a quick pic snapped in a pinch. Three capture modes and “smart HDR” will also come in handy.
X-Ray is another neat feature, and it allows you to send a movie you find on your Fire Phone to a Fire TV. It also acts as a second screen to the Fire TV, giving you info about a show you’re watching.
The Fire Phone is a decent offering, and we like that it provides Prime features. Android 4.2.2 and Fire OS 3.5 will drive this one, too. The price tag is typical of a smartphone, but we expected Amazon to come in under the average. What do you say — interested in the Amazon phone? Let us know in the comment below!
Zero interest in this phone. If you’re going to try and submerge yourself into a populated market, you should really put all your cards on the table and not leave the end user wanting more of what they can already get on other top-end Android devices.
I just realized something. They never said how fast you can go from screen off to taking a picture….hmm….
It’s Amazon…who really gives a shit or wants to own it other than the uninitiated.
It’s for people with current dumb phones. The problem is AT&T. Many people I know who have converted to a smart phone basically still talk and text. They might take a picture. I’d guess people that under utilize a smart phone or still have a dumb phone are near 60%.
Why should Amazon attempt to grab the market share from top users? There is probably more many to be made selling books to people who will never read it.
Another gimmicks phones… Nexus 5 or OnePlus one is still better value
Gimmicks apart, thanks to Android that the Amazon phone, BB 10.2 & Nokia X came into existence with the silver spoon of a robust OS platform + a million apps ready to use
FLOP!!!
Kind of looks like an iPhone with a GS5 home button. Ugly.