46.9 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Amazon Selling Others’ Phones With New Apps, Ads

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

Amazon’s newly configured phones are expected to delight users with such convenient features as single sign-in access to services.

In the wake of its Fire phone failure, Amazon has now begun selling newly designed special editions of other manufacturers’ cell phones at a $50 discount. These phones will be loaded with ads on the lock screen and numerous Amazon apps on the home screen. The consumer will have the ability to hide those apps, but will not be able to uninstall them.

According to Amazon.com Inc., the discount is a benefit of its $100-a-year Prime loyalty program, which requires membership. Amazon is betting that those customers will especially like having single sign-in access to the company’s various services without having to download as many as 10 individual apps for video, Kindle e-books, music and shopping.

Unlike the Fire phone, the new phones will not have high-tech components such as infrared cameras to track the user’s positions and make images appear three-dimensional. They will also be devoid of Firefly technology for scanning bar codes, business cards and various products, though it is possible to get a lower-tech version called Flow.

Most notably, the newly configured phones will run a standard version of Google’s Android system, as opposed to Amazon’s highly modified version, called Fire OS. This will allow the phones to run the range of apps available for Android.

The new program’s discounts mean that Amazon is offering Motorola’s latest Moto G phone for $150 instead of $200. The R1 HD phone from Blu, a Florida-based phone company, will sell for $50 instead of $100. Neither of these offer a two-year service contract.

Amazon has a history of selling phones produced by other manufacturers, but these are the first to have Amazon apps and ads built in. The new phones will start shipping on July 12. The company assures users that the lock-screen ads on the special editions will not block incoming notifications. Amazon also states that they will be personalized based on shopping and other Amazon activities.

The special edition phones are unlocked, which will enable customers to switch carriers, though restrictions apply because the four major carriers utilize two competing network technologies.

Isaac Jemal

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -