After more than a decade, Amazon is planning to make a comeback in the smartphone space with its latest endeavor, codenamed “Transformer”. The report comes from Reuterswhich cited four unnamed sources familiar with the company’s plans as saying the brand is actively working on a new phone. Sources say Amazon’s unique angle will focus on its Alexa voice assistant and deep mobile personalization, making its collection of apps, such as Amazon Shopping, Prime Video, and Prime Music, more accessible than ever.
Alexa+ changed my life for the better.
Ambient AI in the home is finally here.
Alexa, order me a new phone.
Fire phone but with AI, maybe?
Amazon’s phone comes as part of CEO Jeff Bezos’ long-held vision of an ever-present “voice-enabled computing assistant” as its primary purchase. The report suggests that the device will lean towards AI capabilities instead of encouraging users to download traditional apps. It will connect to the LLM-powered voice assistant Alexa Plus, allowing people to interact with it throughout the day wherever they are. We may also see a return of better Fire Phone features, such as a camera-based shopping tool.
The Transformer is currently in early development within a relatively new unit in Amazon’s devices division called ZeroOne, led by Jay Allard, who previously worked on devices like the Zune music player and Xbox. We say early stages because sources have warned that the project could be scrapped altogether if Amazon changes strategy.
Not a completely dumb phone with access to your data.
How convenient for Amazon.
Amazon’s team explored multiple designs for both smartphones and dumb phones, such as the Lite Phone series, with limited functionality, black-and-white displays, and no app store, the report said. The design approach seems questionable, but it could be that Amazon sees its phone as a complementary device to regular phones rather than a replacement.
That said, phones have AI written all over them, and with Amazon’s recent push into AI investments, one thing that’s a little hard to swallow is just how much access to our data it will take to bring those AI capabilities to life. We don’t have the answer yet, but looking at it from the company’s lens, it could help them gain a wealth of new data about customers, like purchase history, content preferences, and more, that’s only available through mobile phones.
There’s a lot Amazon has yet to decide, including the operating system for its phones. The original Fire Phone came with Amazon’s own software, FireOS, so we might see it in action again or completely new. There is also no estimated price point to better gauge where this phone will fall in the current smartphone market. As with any “source report”, it’s best to take it all with a grain of salt. Only time will tell if the company takes a chance on a comeback or puts the final nail in the coffin once and for all.