Is Amazon Looking To Develop Its Own Smartphone

Is Amazon really going to jump into the ring with Samsung, Apple, HTC, LG, Nokia and the rest of the world that's slugging it out for smartphone supremacy? Don't put it past the company, says a new Bloomberg report. Reportedly, unnamed sources are suggesting that the world's most famous online e-tailer could be shaping plans to compete with iOS and Android mainstays in the smartphone realm. Of course, this wouldn't be Amazon's first foray into hardware; it's already seen some success with Kindle and even the Kindle Fire, proving that it wants to compete on the tablet front. Smartphones are another game entirely, and its been shown time and time again that reaping profits can be tough over there.

Still, Amazon has the connections. It knows how to produce inexpensive hardware, and it could easily tap into Foxconn's supply chain to keep the goods coming. Amazon also has a wicked ecosystem of apps and media, and could perhaps use an ad-subsidized model to make devices even more affordable for users. Strangely, the report also mentions that it could be about more than just making a phone: it could be able using this as an excuse to acquire patents that cover wireless technologies, in order to avoid the legal battles that companies like HTC and Samsung are facing versus Apple.


There's no word just yet on what the size of the eventual phone would be, nor if Amazon has plans to ship multiple form factors. Still, it's an interesting proposal; now, is Amazon in the running to acquire Nokia and / or RIM? Hmm.