Latest in the line of Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) products is its recently released smartphone named Fire which is impressive at first glance courtesy of its sleek looks, smart design and durable feel. In fact, owing to its black color and glass backing, it could well be taken as an Apple product but for its maker’s logo gracing its back. However, the device has been termed as a ‘let-down’ by Consumer Reports owing to several reasons.
When Consumer Reports editor Mike Gikas appeared on CNBC for Power Lunch on Thursday, something that he pointed out clearly was that this phone was designed to be a potent weapon as far as the company’s commercial interests were concerned. To begin with, there was nothing extraordinary in what it could do since other brands that have been in the market from before possess the same capabilities. That said, like every product it has its pros and cons and prospective buyers might as well examine and understand these in depth before making up their minds.
One of its biggest advantages is that it facilitates easy access to the Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) website and all its features and is so deeply integrated that even the customer service is just a click away. Other plus points that work in its favor are its awesome 3-D display and an amazing user interface that responds to several gestures as a means to exploring settings and menu options.
There are drawbacks too, the most prominent being its short battery life wherein the Fire lasts for only a fraction of 20 hours that other brands last up to. But a major point that goes against this Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is the complete exclusion of Google and its services. This is likely to hinder the phone’s versatility and thus serve to alienate a large chunk of users who depend on Google for even the most mundane tasks.
Overall, the Fire is like a mixed bag wherein there are some outstanding introductions placed next to compromises and ability solely limited to serve the retail giant’s interest. Therefore, its impact subsequent to launch could be described as lukewarm but certainly short of excitement necessary to create a spark. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) should work on future improvements of this device.
This article has been written by Vinita Basu and edited by Serkan Unal.
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