The rumoured collaboration between Amazon and HTC may produce a smartphone that’s intended solely for Prime customers.
Earlier in the week we reported on claims that Amazon had turned to HTC to produce three new Amazon-branded smartphones, with one in particular said to be in an ‘advanced stage of development.’
Now Bloomberg is carrying a report that backs up these claims, and also sheds new light on how this new phone might be sold to Amazon customers.
According to the report, the two companies have been in talks over a possible smartphone since June at least, though a final decision to proceed with manufacturing the device has not been reached.
The report suggests that one of Amazon’s main intentions with any own-branded smartphone would be to increase the number of devices that can access its Amazon Instant Video service, which is available to US Prime customers.
Formerly a premium fast-shipping service for Amazon products, an Amazon Prime subscription now gets US customers access to a Netflix-like movie and TV streaming service.
The uncertainty over its release means that we’re unlikely to see an Amazon-HTC smartphone launched this year, but it appears to be a case of when rather than if.
HTC for its part has been burned by unsuccessful partnerships in the past. Earlier in the year it launched the HTC First in conjunction with Facebook, but sales were underwhelming to say the least.
Elsewhere, Amazon has just confirmed that the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX tablet range will be hitting the UK this November.
Next, read our Best tablets of 2013 round-up.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
