The Fire Phone is a smartphone designed and developed by Amazon.com.[4] It was announced on June 18, 2014 and available for pre-order the same day; it launched as an AT&T exclusive on July 25, 2014. It runs on the Fire OS operating system. This phone marks Amazon's first foray into the smartphone market, following the success of the Kindle Fire tablets.[5]
The phone is notable for its hallmark feature "Dynamic Perspective":
using four front-facing cameras and the gyroscope to track the user's
movements, the OS adjusts the UI so that it gives the impression of
depth and 3D.[6] Other notable Amazon services on the phone include X-Ray,
used for identifying and finding information about media; Mayday, the
24-hour customer service tool; and Firefly, a tool that automatically
recognizes text, sounds, and objects then offers a way to buy it through
Amazon's online store.[7]
Reception towards the Fire Phone was mixed. Reviewers were divided
over the features of the device, many calling them gimmicks without much
practical use, whereas others felt that they were innovations in the
smartphone market. Many also panned the integration with the Amazon
store, expressing dissatisfaction over the invasiveness of the
recommendations in the phone's software. Nearly all outlets agreed that
it was best to "wait and see", calling out previous examples of Amazon's
iterations that improved on a mediocre product
Development
The Fire Phone was rumored to be under development for several years
prior to its release. Amazon reportedly started work on the phone in
2010, showing a prototype to AT&T in 2011.[8] The first mention of a possible phone designed by Amazon appeared August 2010 in the New York Times, with a source within Lab 126
claiming that "entering the mobile phone market... seemed out of
Amazon's reach. But... Amazon had not definitively rejected the idea of
building a phone in the future."[9] Shortly thereafter, some claimed that Amazon might purchase WebOS from Hewlett-Packard, using its software and patents to build a phone.[10]
Later, in 2012, The Wall Street Journal contended that Amazon was testing a smartphone, with a screen size between four and five inches.[11] Bloomberg also reported that Amazon was looking to acquire patents in order to defend against allegations of infringement concerning the use of wireless technology of the phone.[12] The Verge claimed that "multiple sources" confirmed the existence of the Amazon phone[13] and that it would be announced alongside the updated Kindle Fire and Kindle Paperwhite in September.[14]
In 2013, reports claimed that Amazon would partner with HTC[15] to create a "Kindle Phone" that would be free with Amazon Prime membership.[16]
Amazon denied these rumors, stating that the company "will not launch a
phone this year" and that if it did, it "would not be free".[17] Although many rumors turned out not to be accurate, several final specs, the use of 3D,[18] and the release date[19] were correctly reported.[20
]
Critical reception
The reception to the Fire Phone was mixed. Although reviewers found
Firefly and the Dynamic Perspective features to be significant
differentiators,[33][36][37] they also noticed several drawbacks. Such drawbacks include the 2013-level technical specs (including the lack of Bluetooth LE),[33][36][38][39] the underdeveloped OS,[33] its high price,[8][39][40] and the exclusivity of the device to AT&T's network.[8][39][41] The hardware also received a mediocre reception: while some liked the design,[42] others were concerned about the durability of the glass[33] as well as the thickness and weight.[33][39] However, the headphones were well received by at least one reviewer from Gizmodo, who said that "all cheap headphones should at least be this great."
Engadget's
Brad Molen stated, "Although Amazon's debut phone isn't bad, per se,
but there's little incentive to switch carriers or platforms to buy it.
Its unique features don't provide enough utility, and come at the
expense of battery life and performance.". They also criticized the
"limited [Amazon] ecosystem", including the lack of frequently used apps
available on other platforms. The reviewer gave the phone a final
rating of 70 out of 100.[43]
Re/code's
Walt Mossberg opined that the Fire Phone is "perfectly suited for
people heavily invested in the company's ecosystem... But to top Apple
and Samsung, Amazon needs to do better."[44]
David Pierce from The Verge
gave the phone a 5.9 out of 10; although praising the phone's camera
taking abilities, the "solid" battery life, and "cool ideas like Dynamic
Perspective and Firefly", the main drawbacks included the confusing
interface, bland design, Firefly's poor accuracy, and the phone's
commercialism. He concluded by saying, "Amazon’s first smartphone is a
series of interesting ideas in a package that is ... much less than the
sum of its parts."[45]
Farhad Manjoo of The New York Times
compared the phone to "Mr. Pine's purple house" (in which the eponymous
character paints his house purple to stand out from others), stating
that "Amazon has built a nice, solid, plain white house. You'll love
living in it, if you can ignore all the purple.". This references the
"superficial features" of the Fire Phone, "born of the same superficial
impulse", including Dynamic Perspective. They also criticized the
phone's appearance, stating that it "looked more like a prototype than a
finished product." Unlike The Verge, The New York Times felt that the interface was "relatively simple to navigate".[46]
The Wall Street Journal's
Geoffrey Fowler praised Amazon for "attempting to make inroads that
might disrupt the giants", remarking that the smartphone market needed
new ideas. All the same, the reviewer compared the phone's features to
"the grown-up equivalent of a 9-year-old riding a bike with his hands in
the air" - gimmicks, without much real-world usage. They also stated
that the battery never lasted for an entire day, a "telephonic cardinal
sin".[47]
ZDNet's
Zach Whittaker wrote that the Fire Phone could be described in two
ways: a motion sickness inducer, or a gimmicky device at best, but one
that has great potential. Unlike other reviewers, he felt that the phone
was "beautifully constructed" and "easier to hold". Dynamic
Perspective, on the other hand, gave him motion sickness and made the
text harder to read. He concluded that the Fire Phone had strong
hardware, but that the software let it down.[48]
Commercial reception
The Fire Phone occupied the number one spot on the "Best Selling"
list on Amazon.com, before sales dropped precipitously after two weeks.[49]
Amazon shares dipped by 10% 24 July 2014, one day prior to its launch
on AT&T, due to increased losses incurred by the development of the
Fire Phone.[50]
On 25 July 2014, several AT&T stores reported little to no sales,
although several stores experienced increased foot traffic and interest
for the Fire Phone.[51] Amazon has yet to release official sales figures for the device.
According to Chitika
Insights, an advertising company, by analysing ad impressions from 25
July to 14 August 2014 (20 days after the release of the device), the
Fire Phone comprised of approximately 0.02% of the smartphone market in
the United States and Canada. The device's usage share "remained steady
but relatively flat".[52
fire phone first smartphone with 3d screen
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