Amazon recently unveiled its long-awaited smartphone, the Fire Phone. Built around the Amazon Prime experience, the Fire Phone runs the same heavily tweaked version of Android found on the Kindle Fire –that means it has a lot of apps, but not every app in Google Play – most notably no Snapchat or YouTube. The phone’s “Firefly” feature is one of its most innovative aspect, and lets you point the phone at just about any product to find it instantly on Amazon. Firefly can also scan text like phone numbers, restaurant signs and QR codes, then identify that text to make calls, create contacts and more. The phone’s other standout feature are the four cameras at each corner of its screen, which help create a custom sensor system that responds to the way you hold your phone. The phone is fine, but it’s not a must-own. It’s too heavy, too awkward, and too late. If you’re an Amazon fanatic who’s gotta have it, the phone will be available exclusively on AT&T on July 25.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.