Amazon working to move further into hardware space with 3D smartphone, audio device

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announcing new Kindle

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is working to expand its hardware offerings, this year, beyond the Kindle e-readers and tablets (like the Kindle Fire). According to the new report, Amazon is working on two smartphones, including a high-end model with a 3D display. Like other smartphones currently on the market, this display could be interacted with via a user’s eyes:

One of the devices is a high-end smartphone featuring a screen that allows for 3-D images without glasses, these people said. Using retina-tracking technology, images on the smartphone would seem to float above the screen like a hologram and appear three-dimensional at all angles, they said. Users may be able to navigate through content using just their eyes, two of the people said.

An audio-only streaming device is reportedly also in the works. Recent reports have also pegged Amazon as developing an Apple TV-competitor. Since the Kindle Fire tablet runs on Google’s Android operating system it is likely that Amazon’s next hardware devices could run on a similar forked-Android system.

According to the WSJ, these new devices could launch in the coming months, but the projects could be tabled for various reasons at any time:

Though Amazon has goals of releasing some of these devices in coming months, these people cautioned that some or all of the devices could be shelved because of performance, financial or other concerns.

Notably, while the features make a great demo, other smartphone hardware makers have not succeeded in either the 3D display or eye-tracking spaces due to reliability and practicality issues. HTC sold an Evo 3D phone that could work without glasses. The phone did not end up to be the smash hit that its creators had hoped. Samsung recently launched its Galaxy S4 with eye-tracking features that do not work so well.

Cross posted on 9to5Google.com

Image via Huffington Post