Amazon rumored to introduce a smart phone in July

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by frahse

One problem perhaps.
The Republic Wireless phones are a special breed. Not an ordinary Moto X or Moto G.

Ah, much like the Virgin Mobile ones. That's a bummer.

I'd like to see an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite phone. eInk, high-definition 4.5" screen. Long battery life (measured in days, not hours.) Include a good web browser and email program, maybe even run a skinned version of Android. I know it will never happen, but I imagine such a different product would attract a lot of attention. My guess is that it'd be fairly inexpensive, too, compared to the current crop.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I could not get it though if its 3D. My eyes can't do 3D, they don't work like that. It would do nothing but make me dizzy.

how do you even go out? Do you shut one eye so you have no stereoscopic vision?

[pl001]

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

The 3D is definitely a gimmick. I own a Nintendo 3DS which is the same idea of a smaller screen with no need for glasses. It does work and it works well....having said that, its a battery hog (essentially lighting two screens at once to create the effect) and you must keep your head and hardware still. Any shift off axis and the screen splits in two and gives you a momentary headache, haha.

I still have an EVO3D which uses the same technology. I don't know if I'd call it a gimmick though. It's not something you'd want to use at all times, nor do you have to, but when you do it does work well. My biggest problem with the EVO3D is that they compromised 2D camera quality and the 3D file format they used isn't compatible with anything else. If Amazon fixes that I think it's a great idea. I don't consider it a must-have feature but it is pretty cool.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

how do you even go out? Do you shut one eye so you have no stereoscopic vision?

Eyes adapt pretty well, especially if its something that starts in child hood. Its the 3D effect that I have issues with, not regular life usually. Although there are times I am tired and I see 2 images of a TV for example.

When 3D was just the thing with glasses, I would only see one color, the right one. That is what happens when one eye is stronger and takes over. So it never worked for me. This new type with no glasses still makes me dizzy.

Can't really explain it much better though. So I hope if those rumor of an Amazon phone are true, they at least also offer a regular one, maybe an entry level smart phone.

I also have to wonder how popular this 3D stuff really is in the general public.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

how do you even go out? Do you shut one eye so you have no stereoscopic vision?

Actually, watching movies in 3D makes me nauseous as well. As Atunah says, vision problems can cause this. I have one eye that is much weaker than the other, and I also have a bad astigmatism. As a result, I have very poor depth perception. I think that this is why the artificial 3D causes problems for me.

Shari

[cfrizz]

Yup, bad eyes here, 3D & some of the attractions down in Disney World come very close to making me toss my cookies. And I visited down there all the way back in 82! Needless to say I avoid this kind of stuff like the plaque.

MacRumors has an update on this lackluster Amazon smartphone. They point to a possibility that it will have only 720p resolution on a 4.7" screen. I wonder if Amazon will stick to the tradition of the Kindles and Kindle apps and give it a 1/2" margin on the sides!

[pl001]

For those of you who have issues with 3D, again, everything will not be in 3D. It's only used for certain apps, videos, games, etc. It's an additional feature that doesn't need to be used at all if you don't want to. I can't imagine any company would require you to use 3D for anything.

720P is interesting. I'd be fine with that in a high end phone, since unlike some reviewers I don't have superhuman vision. In fact, I'd prefer it for performance, battery, and cost reasons. Unfortunately, that is likely a sign that it will not be high-end. If it's priced accordingly, I guess that's fine.

[Jessica Lares]

I remember getting sick the first time I played a 3D style game on my Sega Genesis back in the 90's. Pretty much all of the 3D games bother me, but it's a technology that is getting better and more realistic. I turn off the 3D on the 3DS, and don't play 3D stuff in general on it.

Fast animations in general make me sick, and I got super sick last year when iOS 7 came out. I had vertigo twice while laying in my bed, then my brain had false pains that were coming and going daily, and I felt as blood was rushing through me, so I had to go get an MRI in the end.

If it's a small device and cheap, I have no objection to it, although I will not use it as a cellphone.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by jswinden

MacRumors has an update on this lackluster Amazon smartphone. They point to a possibility that it will have only 720p resolution on a 4.7" screen. I wonder if Amazon will stick to the tradition of the Kindles and Kindle apps and give it a 1/2" margin on the sides!

Lackluster might be in the eye of the beholder. I desperately need a phone and I do not have $400 to pay for one, so all those super duper best of the best are out of my reach anyway financially.
I just want it to be a nice phone and be able to play a few games here and there if I want to and if I can connect seamlessly to my amazon account it would be great for me. Take some decent pics, etc.
Oh, and it has to have a certain size screen. I need about 4.5. I am drooling over the Samsung Mega, but is like close to $500 . Now that is a phone

So I am keeping my eyes and ears perked for this amazon rumor. It really also all depend on the plan that goes with it. If its not affordable for me like Republic and Ting would be, it doesn't matter how nice the phone is.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by jswinden

[...But frankly I don't see these things selling in numbers that would bring huge profits...

Quote Bezos: "We don't want to make profits when selling our hardware. We want to make profits when our hardware is used".
And that's why Amazon, Google, Apple and the likes make it so hard to compete for sole hardware vendors. Samsung is doing surprisingly well, obviously because their net product is that big (since they are able to manufacture most of the components on their own).
But the rest of the manufacturers obviously struggle quite a bit. And I don't see Amazon disappear...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

Good grief, is amazon taking over the world?

Thats's totally up to us, the consumers.

Quite frankly, I'm totally relaxed about such "threats".
Years ago, same has been said about Microsoft...

And realistically:
Amazon obviously aims for market leadership.
And for now, they are willing and able to accept meager profits for that goal.
But this might not be possible forever...

Even more so for Facebook.
Some claim, Facebook would be the biggest threat.
to our freedom, competitive markets and such.
Well...Let's see them make some profit first. What's even their business model? So far, they're nothing more than a bubble - a bubble that can burst anytime...

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Lackluster might be in the eye of the beholder. I desperately need a phone and I do not have $400 to pay for one, so all those super duper best of the best are out of my reach anyway financially.

Another option is the Nexus. Last August, Google slashed the price of the Nexus 4 to $199 (8GB) and $249 (16GB) to make room for the Nexus 5. I suspect they'll do the same thing with the Nexus 5 this year, bringing it down to $249 (16GB) and $299 (32GB).

I have the Nexus 4 and love it, even though I don't use it as a phone. It's a great pocket tablet. Premium device at bargain pricing.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Another option is the Nexus. Last August, Google slashed the price of the Nexus 4 to $199 (8GB) and $249 (16GB) to make room for the Nexus 5. I suspect they'll do the same thing with the Nexus 5 this year, bringing it down to $249 (16GB) and $299 (32GB).

I have the Nexus 4 and love it, even though I don't use it as a phone. It's a great pocket tablet. Premium device at bargain pricing.

Unfortunately, those lower prices are for plans that are too expensive for what I need. I'd like something under $200, so I am still hopeful with Amazon on that score.

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Unfortunately, those lower prices are for plans that are too expensive for what I need. I'd like something under $200, so I am still hopeful with Amazon on that score.

Actually, Google sells their phones unlocked - you can use a Nexus 5 with Ting, and you don't pay extra for the phone compared to others (okay, you do need a special SIM card for $10 or so.) Didn't help me with the Nexus 4 - they never released a Sprint version of that phone.

Your issue is going to be your insistence on a big screen and a new device, while keeping it in your budget. The Kyocera Hydro Edge comes close - it's $188 and the screen is 4".

A used Samsung Galaxy Nexus with 32GB of storage and a clean ESN (vital for Ting) runs about $130 mint on eBay. That hits your price point and screen size desires. But obviously, those phones are used.