More than a decade after discontinuing its Fire Phone, Amazon is reportedly preparing to unveil another smartphone, this time primarily centered on Alexa. As reported by Reuters, the device, internally dubbed “Transformer,” will revolve around Amazon’s artificial intelligence assistant, though Alexa is not necessarily slated to be the phone’s main operating system.
The “Transformer” project is currently under development within Amazon’s ZeroOne group, a division headed by J Allard, who previously contributed to Microsoft’s Zune and Xbox. Allard’s team has reportedly investigated both advanced smartphone and basic “dumbphone” designs, drawing inspiration from the $700 minimalist Light Phone, a device characterized by a monochrome display and the absence of an application marketplace.
Application availability presented a significant hurdle for the original Fire Phone, a pitfall Amazon may endeavor to circumvent altogether this time. Individuals familiar with the new device indicate that “integrating artificial intelligence capabilities into the gadget” has been a primary objective, implying “Transformer” might depend on compact applications, similar to those found in ChatGPT, rather than a comprehensive app store.
As of now, there is no defined timeline for when Amazon might unveil “Transformer,” if at all, nor is its potential price known. The initial Fire Phone debuted at $199, yet it failed to gain popularity, leading Amazon to discontinue it just a year after its launch. Amazon has been actively striving to keep pace with its competitors in AI in recent years, a drive that could be fueling its decision to rekindle its smartphone aspirations. However, it may still encounter considerable difficulty in winning over users with its updated Alexa — earlier this year, complaints emerged online from users automatically upgraded to the LLM-powered Alexa Plus, who reported it was “flooded with ads” and exhibited slower query responses.
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