Amazon Smartphone Reportedly Already in Production, Set for Mid-2013 Debut

Amazon Smartphone Reportedly Already in Production, Set for Mid-2013 Debut

According to a new report from the Taiwan Economic News, Amazon is ready to compete in the mobile phone market with its own Android based offering.

9to5Mac:

According to a new report from the Taiwan Economic News, the Internet retail giant has selected the infamous Foxconn to manufacture the handset. Additionally, Amazon is said to have ordered 5 million units and will launch the device at $100 to $200 sometime in the second quarter or third quarter of 2013.

The Kindle Fire, the Kindle tablet/e-book reader based on the Android OS, but with many custom changes to the base OS, has certainly aided Android’s marketshare. The Kindle has helped Android make gains on Apple’s iPad. (Although, as usual, Amazon has not released specific sales numbers.)

Amazon already has a healthy toe-hold in the device world with its Kindle line, and its Amazon Appstore, so they could definitely be a contender to deal with in the handset game. It’s going to be fun to watch.

Of course, this is still basically a rumor, but what do you think? Could Amazon make its mark in the smartphone world like they have in tablets?