Amazon is quickly learning that 3D gimmicks and a lack of third-party app support aren’t attributes consumers tend to look for in a smartphone, with one report suggesting that the retail giant has sold fewer than 35,000 Fire Phones since the device made its debut back in July.
Many have tried and failed to compete with Google Play on Android, but Verizon is hoping it can buck that trend with its own app store alternative that will allow software developers to “to take full advantage of specific features of wireless-carrier networks,” The Information reports.
Some smartphone manufacturers know how to make midrange devices that are actually worth your money, and the new Nubia 5S mini LTE from ZTE is one of them. It looks good and it’s affordable at $279 off-contract, and yet it’s surprisingly impressive under the hood.
Amazon has reduced its Fire TV to $84 for a limited time. The $15 saving celebrates “a boatload of new apps” now available on the Fire TV platform, such as Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Flappy Birds Family, which is currently a Fire TV exclusive.
Amazon is the latest company to move into the ultra-hot area of mobile payments with a new hardware/software combination called Amazon Local Register.
It’s essentially a credit card reader that attaches to your tablet or smartphone, and is accompanied by an app, allowing small business to take credit card payments.
