Amazon Revives Smartphone Ambitions with 'Transformer' Device

Amazon is reviving its smartphone ambitions after over a decade since its last attempt. The company's new phone, codenamed 'Transformer', aims to be a 'mobile personalization device' that integrates with Amazon's smart assistant Alexa. According to Reuters, four people familiar with the matter have confirmed the project.

The idea behind the Transformer is to make interacting with various Amazon services easier, including buying from the e-commerce giant, watching Prime Video, or listening to Prime Music. Artificial intelligence will play a key role in this integration, but it's unclear whether Alexa will be the primary operating system of the phone. Another company's AI might be used instead.

While Amazon's previous attempt at a smartphone, the Fire Phone, was a massive flop and was pulled from the market after just a year, the technology landscape has changed significantly since then. The report notes that the new phone is still in early stages and may be scrapped entirely by Amazon.