Posts tagged amazon

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Google will several big announcements during its Google I/O keynote today — and one of them will almost certainly be about Android TV.

Sources familiar with the plans claim we’ll see “at least one” set-top box powered by the search giant’s latest entertainment platform during the event. In addition to playing movies and music, they’ll also allow users to play Android games through their TVs.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos touts Fire Phone's services at the Seattle launch event. But will Amazon's first phone really deliver? Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos touts Fire Phone’s services at the Seattle launch event. But will Amazon’s first phone really deliver? Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

Amazon’s new Fire Phone boasts plenty of unique features; flashy stuff like 3-D effects, the intriguing scan-to-buy app Firefly, and 24/7 tech support via Mayday. But should the Fire Phone be your next smartphone?

Here are five possibly fatal flaws you need to be aware of before you place an order for Amazon’s first smartphone.

Jeff Bezo's Fire Phone may look gimmicky, but it's got some cool tricks the iPhone doesn't

Jeff Bezo’s Fire Phone may look gimmicky, but it’s got some cool tricks the iPhone doesn’t. Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

Amazon introduced its first smartphone to the world this morning and while the jury is still out on whether its incredible Dynamic Perspective feature is a UI revolution or just another 3-D gimmick, Jeff Bezos and the Amazon team have pumped Fire Phone full of features that could make it more than just the world’s best buying machine.

From Firefly’s compulsive-purchasing features to Mayday’s instant tech-support tether, Fire Phone has a few tricks up its sleeve that we weren’t expecting. But will that be enough to convince consumers to buy one of the AT&T-exclusive phones?

Check out these six things your iPhone and Android can’t do, but Fire Phone can:

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveils the Fire Phone at a press event Wednesday in Seattle. Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveils the Fire Phone at a press event Wednesday in Seattle. Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

Years of speculation are finally over: Amazon is taking on the iPhone with a handset of its own that offers advanced features and a tight integration with Amazon Prime.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos triumphantly pulled the new Fire Phone from his pocket this morning in front of a Seattle crowd of 300 reporters and Prime fanatics, revealing a new handset that looks like an iPhone but houses tons of Amazon special features to set it apart from Apple’s and Samsung’s top wares.

To do battle with the iPhone and Apple’s enormous ecosystem, Bezos says Amazon chose a 4.7-inch screen for the device after testing models between 4.3 inches and 5.5 inches. Like the iPhone 5s, the Fire Phone uses Gorilla Glass 3 for the front display, but Amazon has wrapped the enclosure in an injection-molded rubber frame.

Amazon-Appstore

BlackBerry has today announced that it is teaming up with Amazon to bring Android apps and other content to BlackBerry 10. The licensing deal will see the Amazon Appstore pre-installed with the BB 10.3 update coming this fall, making 200,000 Android apps readily available to BlackBerry users.

BlackBerry also confirmed it will be closing its own music and video stores this July.

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