Amazon reportedly wants to make first smartphone offering free

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 54

    Samesung is screwed if this thing comes out.  They're already selling an inferior good, so they won't hold any advantage over Amazon in consumers' minds.  How can they hope to compete with free?

     

    I'm assuming the phone will be free and Amazon will offer you a deal on the service, in the US probably in conjunction with one of our also-ran (read: desperate) cellular networks.  You'd probably have to subscribe to Amazon Prime.  And you wouldn't get a lot of minutes or a lot of data.

     

    But I could see this finally killing off dumbphones entirely, and ripping a huge chunk out of Samesung's hide.

     

    The biggest loser in all of this: Google.  Amazon will have successfully forked Android and used it to steer millions of customers away from Google instead of toward it.  Talk about being hoisted on your own petard...

  • Reply 42 of 54
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post

     

    It'll analyze your emails, search terms, websites, text messages and voice conversations, and make shopping recommendations, just for you. 


     

    And not only that!

    (1) "Your call will connect to this Amazon Free-phone user after this exciting sponsorship advertisement."

    (2) "Your call to this Amazon Free-phone user will connect after you take a brief survey about your shopping habits."

    (3) "Thank you for using an Amazon Free-phone; your call will proceed after you view the following video and respond to the political survey that follows"

    (4) "Before we connect your call to 9-1-1, would you like to hear about thrilling timeshare opportunities? Would you like to book a cruise? Would you like to save money on automobile insurance? Would you like to subscribe ot the Washington Post?"

    (5) "All your base are belong to us."

    (6) "We have captured your photo, your call will now be connected so that we can sample your voice.

    (7) "You have 30 seconds remaining on this free call and then you will be required to view another 1-minute advertising video to continue."

    (8) "You must purchase at least one item of at least $50 value on Amazon.com to keep your same phone number for another month."

    (9) "You exceeded your 500 kbyte monthly data cap one week ago and are being billed at an overage rate of $0.50c/kbyte.

  • Reply 43 of 54
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rednival View Post

     

    There have been free phones for years.   

     

    Apple isn't the one that needs to worry about this.  Samsung and LG have A LOT more to be worried about than Apple does.  People buy Apple with the mindset that it is a premium product or because they want iOS, but Samsung and LG make cheap Android smartphones that carriers give away or sell for $50 with contract.  This Amazon phone would go for the jugular in that niche of cheap phones. 


     

    An excellent point.  I had a Palm Pre for free for 2 years. At first I liked it, enjoyed the smartphone experience, and felt that WebOS was a good interface (and I still think it's a nice interface).  But... I disliked the crappy keyboard, disliked that GPS didn't work reliably unless I paid for Nav services, and couldn't get many apps that I wanted. Eventually I switched to iOS and am not looking back.  The "free" phone merely introduced me to smartphones, and catalyzed my purchase of an iPhone. I doubt I'd have gone straight to an iPhone, but the Palm acted as a "gateway drug" and got me into the habit.

     

    I think the Amazon phone may act in the same way.  It may be popular as an initial smartphone for a segment of the consumer base, but they will soon migrate to iOS when they tire of whatever gimmick Amazon uses to monetize the phone, and when they tire of what is likely to be aesthetically and mechanically inferior product.  And who the heck wants to worry about spyware and viruses on their phone?  NOT ME!

     

    PS:

    Quote:

    Samsung and LG make cheap Android smartphones that carriers give away or sell for $50 with contract.


       Well so does Apple!  The iPhone 4 is a great unit, and it's FREE (with standard contract).  Free, but not cheap!   :)

  • Reply 44 of 54
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AnalogJack View Post



    Like the saying: I can't afford cheap shoes, similarly... I can't afford a free phone.

     

    I've never heard that saying before. 

    But I like it. 

    Whom shall I credit for the coinage?

  • Reply 45 of 54
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    ilovestuff wrote: »
    Also, it's a huge party line, you have to wait for everyone to shut up before you can say anything, and everyone else can hear what you say and make comments.

    Better. An Amazon "customer service representative" eavesdrops on every call and interjects with "helpful" suggestions.

    "Oh, I hear you are planning a BBQ. I added some salad tongs to your shopping cart."
  • Reply 46 of 54
    Originally Posted by Dunks View Post

    Better. An Amazon "customer service representative" eavesdrops on every call and interjects with "helpful" suggestions.



    "Oh, I hear you are planning a BBQ. I added some salad tongs to your shopping cart."

     

    "By the way, you should be receiving a package on Thursday. It's the new outdoor fire pit I ordered for you via One-Click™ for your barbecue on Saturday, as outlined in my calendar. That should give you just enough time to assemble it. You're welcome."

  • Reply 47 of 54

    Amazon has said that the rumour is crap. There will be no free phone.

  • Reply 49 of 54
    joshajosha Posts: 901member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ILM1997 View Post



    This sounds anticompetitive ... If Apple can't charge a little over than Amazon why does Amazon get to undercut all business and offer for free ?

    Exactly what first came to me. 

    Apple gets hell for charging more than Amazon,

     but Amazon can give away a phone which competes with others which cost.

    My head is spinning trying to make sense of these legal games.

  • Reply 50 of 54
    joshajosha Posts: 901member
    Quote:

    PS:

       Well so does Apple!  The iPhone 4 is a great unit, and it's FREE (with standard contract).  Free, but not cheap!   :)


    That free iPhone4 on my carrier is 8GB on a light data plan.

    I now have an iPhone4 16GB, I'd hate to be limited to 8GB.

  • Reply 51 of 54
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    josha wrote: »
    Exactly what first came to me. 
    Apple gets hell for charging more than Amazon,
     but Amazon can give away a phone which competes with others which cost.
    My head is spinning trying to make sense of these legal games.

    Your head can stop spinning circles now. There is no "free smartphone" coming from Amazon. Post 48 and 49 already noted it.
  • Reply 52 of 54
    ipenipen Posts: 410member

    Great news for consumer.  I'll get one when it's available.

  • Reply 53 of 54
    ipenipen Posts: 410member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dunks View Post





    Better. An Amazon "customer service representative" eavesdrops on every call and interjects with "helpful" suggestions.



    "Oh, I hear you are planning a BBQ. I added some salad tongs to your shopping cart."

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

     

    "By the way, you should be receiving a package on Thursday. It's the new outdoor fire pit I ordered for you via One-Click™ for your barbecue on Saturday, as outlined in my calendar. That should give you just enough time to assemble it. You're welcome."


     

    Ha, that's a good laugh.  But Amazon just copying NSA.

  • Reply 54 of 54
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot View Post

     

     

    I've never heard that saying before. 

    But I like it. 

    Whom shall I credit for the coinage?


     

    Not sure, I'm told my my Greek friend that it's an old Jewish saying.

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