Amazon smartphone

Rumors of an Amazon smartphone grow louder

Internet retailer may offer a peek of the long-rumored device running an Android variant at tomorrow's press event, according to The Verge.

Amazon is expected to announce new Kindles at the September 6 event in Santa Monica.
(Credit: Amazon)

On the eve of Amazon's expected unveiling of new Kindles comes word that we may get a peek at the Internet retail giant's long-rumored smartphone.

The phone, which is reportedly still in development, could make its debut at a press event tomorrow, multiple sources tell The Verge . CNET has contacted Amazon for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

These are not the first rumblings we've heard of Amazon working on a smartphone of its own. The phone, which would run a variant of the Kindle Fire Android operating system, is expected to challenge the iPhone and Android-based phones.

Citigroup analysts suggested last November that the Seattle-based e-commerce giant was working with Foxconn to develop a smartphone slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2012. Amazon was rumored in July to already be testing such a device with a screen size of between four and five inches.

The company has been pretty tight-lipped over what will be discussed tomorrow, but several leaks -- and the fact that it's been nearly a year since the last hardware refresh -- point to a range of new Kindle devices. CNET reported last week that Amazon will debut two 7-inch Kindle Fires at the event, including a high-end model with a zippy processor, a camera, physical volume controls, an HDMI port, and larger storage than a second, more bare-bones version.

It seems likely that Amazon will also increase the resolution on the Kindle Fire's display. It may even subsidize the cost of the device with an ad-supported version, as it has with a lower-cost Kindle e-reader. And it seems all but certain that Amazon will update its Kindle e-ink readers as well, with a "Paperwhite" backlit model rumored. The press conference begins tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. PT. We'll be kicking off our coverage a bit earlier (around 10 a.m. PT). Join us from the Barker Hangar -- yep, the company has rented a hangar -- as we cover the event live.

more @ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57507028-94/rumors-of-an-amazon-smartphone-grow-louder/