Amazon is venturing back into smartphone territory with a new device codenamed "Ice". The popular online retail company is rumored to be in the process of developing a new smartphone, a follow-up to its disastrous Amazon Fire Phone.
The rumor was first reported by NDTV's Gadgets 360 which claims to have heard from a couple of unnamed sources that Amazon is working on a smartphone. According to BGR, the rumored Android smartphone will be nothing like the Amazon Fire Phone and may, in fact, be something that Google will agree with.
Amazon's latest foray into the smartphone business will now feature Google services and apps giving prospective users more to work with. The predecessor to the Ice only allowed apps available from the Amazon store which was one reason why no one really wanted the Fire Phone. The Amazon Ice will also come with a 5.2-inch display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage and will run on Android 7.1.1.
The Amazon Fire Phone was such a disappointment that the company drastically cut the price of the smartphone from an already low $200 to a mind-boggling 99 cents after just a month in the market. Another reason why the Fire Phone was a major failure is its inability to be customized according to the owner's taste. Other phones allowed owners to choose colors and such while the Amazon Fire Phone did not.
Many people also had issues with the "Buy" button. Amazon's effort to lead their customers into purchasing from the retailer was too in-your-face. People generally want to decide for themselves. It's their call if they want to buy something or not or. They want to choose if they want to buy from Amazon or not. The "Buy" button was too forced and consumers did not like the idea of being forced.
SlashGear reported that Amazon will be changing a number of things with the Ice including its approach in selling the new smartphone. The Amazon Fire Phone failed because the online retail giant focused on selling the device through their website and in a few stores. It was also offered through AT&T, the Amazon Fire's exclusive carrier.
Amazon is now supposedly planning on concentrating their business in emerging markets which means it may not be sold in the United States and other huge markets, at least initially. The Amazon Ice Phone, if it will go with the name, will be available in India and other countries where it will have less competition. The Ice will supposedly be worth $93 and available by the end of 2017.
