At the end of last year, rumors concerning an Amazon Kindle smartphone were reignited, when sources inside component suppliers Foxconn said they had been tasked with building the device, and that it would be reaching stores sometime in the middle of 2013.
The origin of the rumor was none other than DigiTimes, a Chinese publication with a history of printing both accurate and inaccurate rumors, and now it’s back again with some more news on the Amazon phone. This time, we’ve got some information on the device’s specification, as DigiTimes’ sources say that after flirting with the idea of using a 4.3-inch screen, Amazon has finally chosen a 4.7-inch display instead.
The smaller screen was dismissed after Amazon watched the world become obsessed with larger displays on their phones. It’s a good point, as a 4.3-inch Android phone is viewed as something for first time buyers these days, and not a device to be lusted after. Not good news if you’re trying to break into the very crowded market for the first time.
Altering a key component like this does fit well with rumors which appeared earlier this month, when it was said the device’s expected launch had been delayed due to production problems and issues with the, “Flat panel supply chain.” Amazon was apparently forced to revise its release schedule, with volume production not expected to start until June at the earliest.
Talk of an Amazon smartphone reached a crescendo last year, just before Amazon’s September press event, where it launched the Kindle HD 8.9 and the Kindle Paperwhite, and not a phone as was rumored at the last minute. If and when it does arrive, previous speculation has linked it with a similarly unrecognizable version of Android as that found on the Kindle tablets, and a possible price tag of $200.
Last year, when faced with a question from Charlie Rose concerning the existence of an Amazon phone, CEO Jeff Bezos declined to give an explicit answer, and said only that we should, “Stay tuned.”
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