Amazon is engaged on one other cellphone.
That’s the jaw-dropper from Reuters this morning, reporting that the corporate is creating a brand new smartphone codenamed “Transformer” inside its gadgets and companies unit.
The venture is reportedly led by an inner staff referred to as ZeroOne, a year-old group whose mandate is to create “breakthrough” devices, headed by J Allard, a former Microsoft govt identified for his work on Xbox and Zune.
GeekWire first reported on Allard becoming a member of Amazon again in October 2024, working below one other Microsoft veteran, Panos Panay, who leads Amazon’s broader gadgets and companies group.
The cellphone is envisioned as an AI-driven cell personalization gadget that syncs with Alexa and serves as a persistent connection to Amazon’s ecosystem, together with purchasing, Prime Video, Prime Music, and meals supply by way of companions like Grubhub, in line with the report.
A key focus is integrating AI capabilities, probably sidestepping or bypassing commonplace app marketplaces, in line with the sources cited by Reuters.
After all, it’s not the primary time Amazon has tried to crack the smartphone market. The corporate launched the Fireplace Telephone in 2014 below the direct oversight of Jeff Bezos, packaging it with options like aa 3D show system and imaginative and prescient know-how for figuring out objects.
It flopped. The proprietary Fireplace OS lacked common apps, the multi-camera 3D characteristic drained the battery and triggered overheating, and customers weren’t . Amazon slashed the worth from $649 to $159, killed the cellphone after 14 months, and took a $170 million writedown.
This time, Amazon seems to be taking a special method. In response to Reuters, the corporate has explored each a traditional smartphone and a stripped-down gadget with restricted options, aimed toward countering display dependancy.
Alexa could be central to the expertise however wouldn’t essentially function the cellphone’s most important working system, Reuters reported. The corporate hasn’t began talks with wi-fi carriers but, and the venture’s timeline and price range stay undefined, in line with the report.
Amazon declined to remark in response to GeekWire’s inquiry.
Sources instructed Reuters the venture may nonetheless be canceled.
