Amazon Fire phone now £99

[Brian G Turner]

At £99, this is an absolute steal for anyone already sold on the Kindle/Fire range:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IFQ56PU/?tag=brite-21

For the specs, an absolute bargain.

My love of all things tech means I'm desperately tempted to buy one myself. The only thing is, I don't actually need one - and I'm not allowed to spend money at the moment!

Presumably Amazon are selling the Fire phone cheap to clear stocks, because a Fire 2.0 phone is coming soon?

 

[Perpetual Man]

If things have not changed then the Fire phone is only available through O2, which might be a major consideration for some people.

I'm actually using the Fire Phone at the moment and find it really quite good. I probably don't use it half as much as I should, but it is easy to use, especially if you are familiar with all things Fire.

There is a downside - the apps are limited, but a lot of standard Android apps work on it, you just have to get them on there.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

So maybe 5 or 6 people will now own it

It's not been very successful. Having been studying Mobile Smart Phone design, Development and Marketing (since 1988!) and following what's happening, I couldn't see the logic of an Amazon Phone. The eInk Reader: yes. The Amazon stick console (Video streaming and games): yes. The Fire Tablet range barely makes any sense, the phone even less. Amazon have not the expertise to properly develop mass market commodity items such as a Tablet and Phone (Design HW, SW, Marketing etc). The Fire Tablet and Phone could only make sense if Amazon had a better walled garden store than Apple iTunes and Google PlayStore. RIM/Blackberry and Microsoft can't compete with Android and Apple. Even Apple only has their minority share and vast profits because they have about x8 times profit margin and are perceived as a special / Quality / Desirable product. Amazon, Microsoft, RIM/Blackberry Phones and Tablets now can only sell by undercutting Sony, Samsung, LG, Huawei, Xiaomi, Lenovo etc.

It looks like RIM /Blackberry may shutter device production and sell their applications / GUI etc to Android and other phone makers.

It's looking like Microsoft may concentrate on Office, Outlook, Azure and other Apps for iOS and Android and shutter their phone division.

Unless Amazon has deep pockets or a clever plan they will be soon just rebranding someone else's Android Tablet and Phone (the Fire tablet and phone are really quite ordinary Android without the Google Playstore, Android is free if there is no PlayStore or Goggle Apps). They have a niche in eInk as the 7 or 8 eInk readers are down to just Amazon Kindle (biggest share) and Kobo eInk models. Hence price cuts on some Kobo.