Lately Amazon has taken their “Fire” brand to many new heights. It seems like Amazon labels everything as “Fire” just like Apple starts with the letter “i” before every product. Amazon recently released the Amazon Fire TV (like Apple TV) that allows you to stream everything you can to your TV flawlessly.
Amazon has now moved into the smartphone market, dominated by Samsung and Apple, to try and take away some of the share. They have recently released the Amazon Fire phone and the biggest question for everyone nearing the end of a contract, looking for a new phone or just can’t wait until the iPhone 6 comes out: is it worth it?
There are a few new innovative features to the Amazon Fire phone that put it in the running with the top dogs, but most of the features are the same as any smartphone. Nothing so innovative that it is a must buy immediately.
One new feature they have introduced is called “Head-Tracking 3D” where the phone looks 3D without actually being 3D. Mainly, the phone’s lock screen and home screen feels like a View-Master with whatever picture you want for the “reel.” They accomplish this by putting four cameras into the phone that track your head in real time so it “tricks” your brain into thinking the 2D screen is projecting into a 3D screen.
There is no real use for this feature and it is mainly just a wow factor that you can show off to friends at a party or get together. Apple has a feature like this with their “dynamic” wallpapers but you are required to use the wallpapers Apple provides.
Amazon doesn’t offer something innovative with this, but it is something that could easily be a selling point for people (like me) who take a lot of photos on their phone (my camera roll currently has 10,000+ photos on it) - unlimited, automatic cloud storage into the Amazon Cloud. It is free and it is unlimited space. This means absolutely no limits to photo and video taking, which shoots in 1080p HD quality.
The most innovative feature, by far, is the new Firefly button. At the literal push of a button, Firefly will give you information on everything. Want to know the song that is playing? Press the button. TV show? Press the button. Hold the phone over an item with Firefly pressed? Amazon.com will pop up with the item for sale.
The button is pretty much a walking advertisement for Amazon but that’s okay because Amazon is one of the best websites to buy things from. Amazon Prime subscriptions are must haves in my household. Two-day free shipping is amazing. Could you imagine walking through stores about to buy an item and see it is cheaper on Amazon and free two-day shipping?
Firefly is almost a seller for me... Almost. The phone, other than that, just isn’t innovative enough to warrant the price tag - $199 for the cheapest with contract. Give it another half a year and the iPhone 6 will be out with built in Shazam.
If you’re looking to dive into a new smartphone, pick it up. It might be cool. It would save save some money by helping you buy off Amazon. With a college budget, though, it might be best to wait for something better or for a year when the Fire 2 is going to come out.
