Amazon Introduces First Smartphone
By Megan Zielinski, contributing writer
Introducing “Fire” the first Amazon smartphone, powered by AT&T’s 4G LTE network, designed with new groundbreaking technologies—Dynamic Perspective, Firefly, and Mayday along with its powerful punch of hardware features, making it unparalleled to other smartphones on the market to-date.
Dynamic Perspective incorporates a customized sensor that responds to how users hold, move, and view the phone. This service allows users to one-handedly use their phone, accessing information just by tilt, swivel, and peek movements. The auto-scroll feature allows for continuous reading without having to ever touch the screen. Engaging apps and games, such as StubHub stadium view and Lili incorporates the Fire’s sensor system, presenting users with a real-life experience through the phone.
The Amazon’s Firefly acts as a personal reference guide, providing users with all information, such website links, email addresses, phone numbers, names, titles and more with the Firefly’s instant recognition capabilities. By simply pressing a button, Firefly recognizes over 70 million products such as, CDs, DVDs, Books, video games, household products, and much more—enabling users with access to product details and the link to either add items to Amazon wish list or order products from Amazon right from the phone. Firefly identifies over 240,000 movies, TV series, and 160 live TV channels. With integrated X-Ray technology, provided by IMDb, Firefly displays show details and complete information on actors—allowing users to conveniently preview content and download to watch on the device. Firefly identifies an endless amount of songs—providing listeners with artist information, related songs, and direct access to download albums on the Fire. Compatible apps such as StubHub and iHeartRadio allows users to create albums from artists identified through Firefly. Users can even immediately locate tickets for upcoming shows of their favorite artists.
The Amazon Fire also includes MayDay, Amazon’s award-winning customer service, available for free support, 24/7, every day of the year. With this service, users receive walk-through instructions with a device expert live on the Fire’s screen. Users can expect fast answers as the response time is under 15 seconds.
The phone is designed with a 13MP camera with optical image stabilization for capturing sharp photos. Intelligent High Dynamic Range automatically adjusts exposure, taking clear, detailed photos. The Fire has 1080p HD video for excellent quality video from both front and rear facing cameras and a quick access camera button is located on the side of phone for reacting quickly to capture special moments. Free unlimited cloud storage with backup allows for saving an infinite amount of photos, no deleting necessary. The Fire contains 2GB of RAM for fast launch and load times, Adreno 330 for fast, fluid graphics needed for gaming, video and more, a crisp 4.7” HD display, lightning-fast 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, built-in dual stereo speakers, and virtual surround sound with Dolby Digital audio. The device has up to 285 hours of standby time, 22 hours of talk time, 65 hours of music streaming, and 11 hours of video playback before needing to be charged.
Customers have the opportunity to pre-order the Fire at AT&T stores and online before it hits stores on July 25. The Fire will be available through AT&T’s NEXT program, with no activation fee, no annual contract, zero money down, and a 24 month installment plan of $27.09 per month including the cost of wireless with AT&T Next 18. Customers also have the option to purchase the 32 GB Fire for $199.99 with a two year wireless contract.
To sweeten the deal, for a limited time, Amazon is granting customers with an entire year of Amazon Prime — the company’s free two-day shipping service on millions of Amazon items, unlimited movie and TV show streaming with Prime Instant Video, unlimited ad-free streaming and downloading of music with Amazon’s new Prime Music, and the chance to borrow from over 50,000 eBooks through Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Already Existing Prime members that pre-order the Fire are rewarded with an additional free 12 months to their account.