Amazon Plans To Launch Smartphone In June: WSJ

(RTTNews) - Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is preparing to release a smartphone in the second half of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the company's plans, as part of a broad push into hardware that would pit it against Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

The report said that the online retailer aims to announce the phone by the end of June and begin shipping phones by the end of September, ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The phone would employ retina-tracking technology embedded in four front-facing cameras, or sensors, to make some images appear to be 3-D, similar to a hologram. The design and pricing of the smartphone are unclear and these people cautioned that Amazon may alter its launch plans due to performance or other concerns.

The report further said that Amazon has been inviting select app and software developers to hotels to demonstrate the handset in suites protected by security guards.