Amazon unveils 3D Fire Phone


Amazon.com has unveiled Fire Phone, a 3D smartphone, as part of its strategy to boost sales of digital music, videos and merchandise from its e-commerce site.

The new smartphone features a screen with holographic images, hands-free scrolling. It also includes software that can recognize merchandise and art through its camera lens.

The Fire Phone features four cameras that can track faces to show images that appear to have depth similar to a hologram. The phone will allow users to scroll through Web or book pages just by tilting the device.

The phone is available at $199 to $299 with a two-year contract. Without a contract, the Fire phone will sell for $649 to $749.

Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, while demonstrating the phone said it has a 4.7-inch screen, which is slightly bigger than Apple's iPhone, a 13-megapixel camera and earphones that resist tangling.

Bezos said "You can take action in seconds," he said, hinting at the commercial applications. A user, for instance, could point the phone at a pack of gum and then order it. The user also could point the phone at a painting to learn about the artist and other facts.

The phone comes with one year of free membership in its $99 Prime program, which offers free two-day shipping as well as online video streaming. The Fire phone will work exclusively on AT&T Inc.

In addition, the phone will use a version of Google’s Android operating system, however it will not have access to Google's Play store, with one-million-plus apps.



Comments