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Amazon kindles talk of smartphone

Amazon joins Facebook this week on the list of companies hinting that they may be planning a smartphone launch. The company has hired Charlie Kindel, who formerly headed up Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. According to CNBC, Kindel says he’s working on “something secret” at Amazon, and according to Kindel’s Linked In profile, he is hiring developers, program managers and product managers.

Amazon does not release sales numbers for its Kindle Fire tablets, but some industry sources estimate that the Kindle products are outsold only by the iPad. The Kindle is primarily a loss leader for Amazon’s vast media inventory, so some have questioned the logic of an Amazon device with a smaller screen.

Also, as carriers become more willing to accomodate unlocked phones, the market for unlocked smartphones is booming and Amazon is a major retailer of these. So the company could be competing with itself if it tries to offer its own smartphone.

Based on Kindel’s post on his Linked In profile, it is clear that he is hiring software developers and that Amazon will be increasingly focused on mobile software. It is possible that the company plans to partner with an existing device maker to offer a new operating system or user interface. Just as Facebook likely wants to put its own apps front and center for users, Amazon could benefit from a user interface that focused on its content.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Martha DeGrasse
Martha DeGrassehttp://www.nbreports.com
Martha DeGrasse is the publisher of Network Builder Reports (nbreports.com). At RCR, Martha authored more than 20 in-depth feature reports and more than 2,400 news articles. She also created the Mobile Minute and the 5 Things to Know Today series. Prior to joining RCR Wireless News, Martha produced business and technology news for CNN and Dow Jones in New York and managed the online editorial group at Hoover’s Online before taking a number of years off to be at home when her children were young. Martha is the board president of Austin's Trinity Center and is a member of the Women's Wireless Leadership Forum.