amazon

We’ve been waiting for a long time for Amazon to get into the smartphone game and now unnamed sources have told The Wall Street Journal that the company has been developing a smartphone with a full 3D screen. The Journal says that “Amazon has been developing a wide-ranging lineup of gadgets, including… an audio-only streaming device” and two smartphones, one of which will have a 3D display. The Journal’s sources say that the 3D display will use “retina-tracking technology” to make “images on the smartphone… seem to float above the screen like a hologram and appear three-dimensional at all angles.” The device could even allow users to “navigate through content using just their eyes,” two sources said. The reported smartphone would mark Amazon’s first attempt to get into the mobile handset business after experiencing some solid success with its Kindle Fire line of tablets. A release date for the new device is uncertain but according to the latest rumors it won’t launch until at least after June.

Earlier reports have suggested that Amazon (AMZN) is preparing to launch its long-rumored Kindle smartphone later this year. According to Digitimes, the new device will include a 4.7-inch display, slightly bigger than the 4.3-inch display that the company had originally planned. Amazon is said to have increased the screen size in response to the growing demand for larger devices among consumers. The company has also reportedly been working on “enhancing other specifications of the smartphone,” which may relate to recent reports of manufacturing delays. The Kindle smartphone will presumably run a heavily customized version of Android, similar to the Kindle Fire tablet, and could cost between $100 and $249. The device is expected to be released sometime after June.