Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) Now Getting into the Smartphone Battleground?

Many days, if it wasn’t for rumors,  tech news would be nothing. Chalk this up as anoterh “news” item  that actualy looks, smells and tastes like a rumor. (And no, rumors don’t taste like chicken.)

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)The new rumor surrounds e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), which is reportedly close to entering the smartphone wars with its own smartphone. This rumor had been floating around in the ether a few months ago, but now there are apparently multiple anonymous sources (are there any other when it comes to rumors?) that apparently are giving some real tailwinds behind the talk now. The latest word is that Amazon will soon be launching a smartphone with a 4.7-inch display panel and will likely run on the Android operating system by Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG).

There are no other details yet about the hardware or pricing – only that the rumor is the phone will launch sometime during the second quarter – which means it’s just weeks away. There was some speculation earlier that Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was considering a move into smartphones, but  might make an acquisition play for BlackBerry, a k a Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) to build a smartphone with  a BlackBerry-type OS, or Amazon would buy a company that made e-reader displays.

Google Inc. (GOOG)What do you think about Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) getting into the smartphone market? Is Amazon on the way to becoming a wireless carrier? Would you even be interested in an Amazon smartphone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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