We first reported on a potential Amazon smartphone all of three years ago, so it's almost a surprise to hear the thing is set to be officially launched later this month.
Amazon supremo Jeff Bezos will do the deed in Seattle on the 18th, meaning the latest attempt to make 3D work on mobile phones gets underway in less than two weeks.
The mobile 3D scene has been dead since LG's Optimus 3D and Optimus Pad flopped in early 2011, but Amazon's take on 3D is reportedly very different, involving a hologram-style 3D display that follows you around using a quartet of motion-tracking cameras on the front of the device.
Sounds good in theory, and Amazon has put out a 50-second teaser clip of people saying how wonderful it all is to crank up the anticipation factor – “it moved with me”, one lady says in amazement.
That went out with the original tweet announcing the event itself, then a second tweet was sent out saying if you're likely to be around Seattle on the 18th, you can request an invite. Good luck. That was accompanied by the image we've used above, which doesn't really give much of anything away.
While all that leaves little doubt that it's indeed a phone we're talking about here, Bloomberg seems to have pushed the boat out furthest in speculating exactly what Amazon's handset will offer. It quotes “a person with knowledge of the matter” as saying that while it'll be very much a different proposition to the Kindle Fire tablet, Amazon will follow a similar pricing strategy, looking for very little profit from sales of the device itself but expecting to cash in on the Amazon infrastructure it taps into.
Expect plenty more speculation in the next two weeks.
