Amazon Releases its First Smartphone

By Shekinah Harper, Editorial Intern

Switching from an iPhone to an Android device might seem like a good idea once you see what Amazon has to offer.

Amazon has proven it is ready to compete  — recently announcing it would be releasing its first smartphone, the Amazon Fire Phone. Aside from being powered by the latest version of Fire OS 3.5.0, the Fire has one feature that will stand out to prospective customers, and make Apple creators rethink their iPhone 6. Its dynamic perspective makes every feature on the phone stand out. The custom-designed sensor system is developed to respond to how the user holds, views and moves the phone. The kicker:  a 3D perspective whether users are viewing the wallpaper on their lock screens or using the maps application to navigate.

iPhone users consistently complain about not having the ability to multitask. In carousel mode, the Fire allows scrolling, scanning and taking action without opening the app or leaving the carousel. The carousel gives users the ability to view emails, see their next appointment and view recent photos seamlessly.

A feature recognized by Kindle users is the Mayday technical support system. The Fire will be the only smartphone with Mayday which is designed to offer free, live, on-device technical support within 15 seconds or less.

Other features include a 13MP camera with optical image stabilization, producing crisp, quality photos even in low-light conditions. All photos taken will be automatically uploaded to the cloud drive which has unlimited space. No more deleting photos for future Fire users.

For those concerned about battery life, the Fire delivers up to 285 hours of standby time, up to 22 hours of talk time, up to 65 hours of audio playback, and up to 11 hours of video playback.

If the 3D perspective or 13MP camera doesn’t impress, the Fire phone will also include a full year of Prime for new and current members.

The Amazon Fire phone will be exclusively offered to AT&T users on July 25.