Amazon to launch an Android-based smartphone following the Kindle Fire 2?

 Yes, you read the title correctly and imagine it might be a bit of unexpected turn of events. I for one never really wanted an Amazon smartphone nor asked myself if one such device would ever exist. Foxconn, the famous hi-tech factory in China, is leaking rumors that they are working with Amazon on a device that can rival the iPhone as well as popular Android devices. A similar rumor to this was popular before the release of the first Kindle Fire and it seems to be alive yet again and is probably aimed at providing even more attention to the new tablet rather than draw attention to the actually idea of Amazon smartphone device. 

 First time I head the news was on AndroidAuthority (link) and to be truthful the report was a bit off-topic. The article was supposed to be about the Amazon smartphone but it turned into a debate and flame war involving tablet devices and a lot of guess work on why Amazon would make the smartphone in the first place. It is as I said, the news are no necessarily fake, but there is a good chance that they are only active as to market the Kindle Fire 2 better, which is still a solid strategy. Unlike the author of that article up there, let me try and give you some facts about the possible Amazon smartphone.

What is the Amazon Smartphone Really About?

 Quite simply put, it is about the money and lots and lots of money. I'll give it the author from AA, at least he go this part right - they are trying to sell more things from their stores: books, movies, TV shows, games, music etc. Remember that the Amazon Appstore is coming to Europe? You can be sure that they have understood from the critics over the year about their app offer and that they will work hard on updating in the following few years. We might see some new changes there and a lot more apps and games will be included. Since we can expect the smartphone to run on a forked version of the latest Android OS at that time, it won't certainly be using Google Play so the offer of apps has to be good!

 It is possible that Amazon might repeat the same move it did with the Kindle Fire - sell the device cheap but earn money from selling content. Any why not? We need a few solid choices for a smartphone that is affordable yet good and I am sure Amazon can deliver such a device. Still, I doubt the first versions of the smartphone will be popular anywhere outside the US so the market is quite limited for them. Since I doubt anyone really uses a smartphone to read books or watch movies, the content they will be selling will be limited more to the MP3 store and the Amazon Appstore which still gives a lot of room to creative and a lot room to make a lot of money.

The Hardware and Software Specs?

 We have no information on them, but I doubt one should expect anything special. If it is really something that is to come out this year then I suspect a nice scree and a good dual-core processor and a unique user interface and OS. If Amazon realizes the project in a few years then it will certainly be up the standards of a low-budget smartphone of that time. Amazon also seems to be doing some legal work registering some patents that are connected to wireless technology and are expected to be featured on their smartphone. Check this article out if you are interested in a more serious look at the matter.

As for the Kindle Fire 2, there are no recent news or stories so the release date is still set to be August the 7th.