History of video games/Platforms/Fire Phone

History

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Unboxing of a 32GB Fire Phone.

Development

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The Fire Phone was developed at Amazon's Lab126.[1]

The phone was said to have been designed to compete with premium phones, such as the Apple iPhone.[2]

Launch

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The Fire Phone launched in 2014.[3]

At launch the phone cost $199 US Dollars.[4]

Around the launch of the device Time magazine noted that, while by no means a dedicated gaming device, the Fire Phone's 3D display nonetheless had unexplored gaming applications which were not being explored by the gaming demonstration used by the company.[5] The publication Gamezebo held a similar sentiment, questioning if the capability would be used beyond as a gimmick.[6]

Legacy

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By September 8, 2015 the Fire Phone was no longer available to purchase directly from Amazon.[1][7] After the device was discontinued, some former exclusive game titles for the Fire Phone were allowed to be ported to iOS.[8]

Because the Fire Phone failed to catch on in the market, and because over 170 million US dollars of inventory were written off shortly after luanch, the Fire Phone is commonly considered to be a commercial failure.[9]

Technology

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Compute

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Hardware

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A camera system was used to simulate a 3D effect on the phone screen.[10]

Software

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The smartphone ran Fire OS version 3.5, a derivative of Android.[11][12]

Games

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Tofu Fury

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A platformer that used the head tracking technology of the smartphone to allow for perspective shifts.[5] The third of a series of games released for Android and iOS smartphones.[8]

References

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  1. a b "Amazon is no longer selling the Fire Phone" (in en). Android Authority. 9 September 2015. https://www.androidauthority.com/amazon-stops-selling-the-fire-phone-641064/. 
  2. Wohlsen, Marcus (6 January, 2015). "The Amazon Fire Phone Was Always Going to Fail". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2015/01/amazon-fire-phone-always-going-fail/. 
  3. Dignan, Larry (19 June, 2014). "Amazon's Fire phone launch: Hits, misses, and takeaways". ZD Net. https://www.zdnet.com/article/amazons-fire-phone-launch-hits-misses-and-takeaways/. 
  4. Burns, Matt (18 June 2014). "Amazon Announces The $199 Fire Phone, The First Smartphone With Head-Tracking Technology". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/18/amazon-announces-the-fire-phone/. 
  5. a b Peckham, Matt (19 June 2014). "With Its Fire Phone Demo, Amazon Revealed It Still Doesn't Understand Gaming" (in en). Time. https://time.com/2899859/amazon-fire-phone-gaming/. 
  6. Oxford, Nadia (18 June 2014). "The Amazon Fire Phone: Will It Matter to Gamers?". Gamezebo. https://www.gamezebo.com/news/the-amazon-fire-phone-will-it-matter-to-gamers/. 
  7. Duryee, Tricia (8 September 2015). "Amazon finally stops selling the Fire Phone, as company adjusts its hardware strategy". GeekWire. https://www.geekwire.com/2015/amazon-finally-stops-selling-the-fire-phone/. 
  8. a b Sarkar, Samit (26 March 2015). "Amazon bringing Fire Phone-exclusive games to iOS". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2015/3/26/8291495/amazon-fire-phone-games-ios-lost-within-til-mornings-light-to-fu-fury. 
  9. Smith, Dale (6 May 2022). "The One Failure That Changed Amazon Forever". SlashGear.com. https://www.slashgear.com/855550/the-one-failure-that-changed-amazon-forever/. 
  10. Rubin, Ben Fox. "Fire Phone one year later: Why Amazon's smartphone flamed out - CNET" (in en). www.cnet.com. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/fire-phone-one-year-later-why-amazons-smartphone-flamed-out/. 
  11. Encina, Kyle (11 April 2022). "Why The Amazon Fire Phone Was A Complete Flop". SlashGear.com. https://www.slashgear.com/825535/why-the-amazon-fire-phone-was-a-complete-flop/. 
  12. Pierce, David (18 June 2014). "The Amazon smartphone is here: meet the Fire Phone". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2014/6/18/5819516/meet-the-fire-phone.