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Amazon Fire Phone offers 3D views and gesture controls | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Amazon has unveiled its first handset, offering 3D effects - thanks to four special cameras on its front - and gesture controls. | |
The Fire Phone allows its user to change an image's perspective by moving their head, rather than creating a "pop-out" effect. | |
The owner can also scroll through a webpage or bring up menus by tilting the smartphone in their hand. | |
Chief executive Jeff Bezos announced the phone at a press event in Seattle. | |
The launch comes at a time when Amazon's tablet sales appear to be on the wane, despite recent price promotions. | The launch comes at a time when Amazon's tablet sales appear to be on the wane, despite recent price promotions. |
Mobile content | |
Another innovation introduced by the Fire Phone is a dedicated side-button to activate Firefly, an app that allows it recognise text, images and sound in the smartphone's immediate vicinity. | |
It can be used to bring up information - for example details of a wine, or the name of a song - and when relevant, the chance to buy the same or a related product from Amazon. | |
The device also takes advantage of several other online services the company offers, including: | |
Crowded market | |
Amazon shipped one million Kindle Fire-branded devices in the first three months of this year, down from 1.8 million the same period in 2013, according to IDC. | |
The research firm's data indicates that Amazon's market share of the tablet sector now stands at 1.9%, about half what it was a year ago. | The research firm's data indicates that Amazon's market share of the tablet sector now stands at 1.9%, about half what it was a year ago. |
The handset market is an even more crowded space with several existing manufacturers failing to profit from the hardware they sell. | The handset market is an even more crowded space with several existing manufacturers failing to profit from the hardware they sell. |
But with the number of global smartphone users approaching the two billion-mark, grabbing even a small fraction of the market could still prove valuable to the US firm. | But with the number of global smartphone users approaching the two billion-mark, grabbing even a small fraction of the market could still prove valuable to the US firm. |
"An Amazon smartphone would be less about profiting from device sales per se and more a way to pocket a larger share of multiple revenue streams, such as mobile retail sales, mobile content and advertising," suggested Cathy Boyle, an analyst at the market research firm eMarketer. | "An Amazon smartphone would be less about profiting from device sales per se and more a way to pocket a larger share of multiple revenue streams, such as mobile retail sales, mobile content and advertising," suggested Cathy Boyle, an analyst at the market research firm eMarketer. |
More follows... | More follows... |