The fire that was kindled in tablets and spread to set-top boxes has now threatened to consume a portion of the smartphone market as Amazon prepares to launch its Fire Phone on July 25.
While consumers will have to wait a bit longer before they own Amazon's latest mobile device and first smartphone, reviewers have already gotten their hands on the Fire and have started forecasting how hot they expect it to burn.
One of Fire's most intriguing features is Dynamic Perspective, which tracks the user's face to change the content displayed on the handset's screen and creates a 3D-effect when the phone is motion. Tilt the phone to view navigation menus and shortcuts, swivel it for notifications or angle it while viewing navigation apps to realize the depth of landmarks.
Dynamic Perspective brings with it a steep learning curve and could result in a slow and steady climb for the phone, in terms of user adoption, according to one reviewer. The reviewer pointed to the tough job sales reps will have properly demoing the phone to customer.
Yet another reviewer considered Dynamic Perspective a "neat party trick" that offered so much more promise than wowing friends. The reviewer was impressed by the ability to realize the 3D effect no matter how the user was physically oriented in relation to the phone. He also was hopeful for the depth of interaction with apps the feature could provide, after viewing a real estate listing on Zillow with the Fire Phone.
There was also concern over the phone's exclusivity.
With the partnership between Amazon and AT&T, consumers only have one option to get the phone discounted through a service agreement. Rob Williams, Amazon's VP of software, stated it was important for his company to forge a solid bond with a single carrier, because the Fire was the first handset Amazon has released.
While Dynamic Perspective is the feature that has received the most attention, the Fire's Firefly feature is also poised to play a large role in the phone's success. Firefly can be thought of as an advanced QR feature that provides users with options after scanning text on flyers, posters, business cards and so on.
Amazon's demo of Firefly impressed one reviewer, but raised questions as to how well the tool would function in analyzing information that wasn't associated with Amazon.
Reviews will continue to roll in as Amazon prepares the Fire Phone for its consumer release. In the meantime, here's a summary of the Fire Phone's highlights:
Dimension: 5.5-inch x 2.6-inch x 0.35-inch
Display: 4.7-inch with 720p resolution
Cameras: 13-megapixel camera on the rear and 2.1-megapixel on the front
Storage: 32 GB or 64 GB versions
Video Capture: 1080 P
Battery Life: 22-hour talk time; 285-hour standby
