WSJ: Amazon, component suppliers testing a smartphone

PanARMENIAN.Net - Amazon.com is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a smartphone, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting that the Internet retail giant, which sells the Kindle Fire tablet computers, is considering broadening its mobile-device offerings, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Officials at some of Amazon's parts suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Seattle-based company is testing a smartphone and mass production of the new device may start late this year or early next year, the Journal reports.

Amazon.com is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a smartphone, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting that the Internet retail giant, which sells the Kindle Fire tablet computers, is considering broadening its mobile-device offerings.

Officials at some of Amazon's parts suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Seattle-based company is testing a smartphone and mass production of the new device may start late this year or early next year.

After leading the market for electronic books with its Kindle readers, Amazon entered the tablet market last year with its Kindle Fire, which runs on Google’s Android operating system. The device's $199 price tag, compared with $499 or higher for Apple's iPad, indicated that Amazon, instead of seeking profit on the sale of the tablets themselves, is trying to make money by selling digital content on the devices.

One person, according to WSJ, said that the screen of Amazon's smartphone currently being tested measures between four and five inches.