AT&T, Meet Amazon’s Smartphone

The rumor mills have been a buzz recently with talks of Amazon releasing its smartphone – which will likely happen later today. However, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that whenever the device is launched, AT&T will be the exclusive carrier.

The move would extend Amazon’s relationship with the mobile and wireless provider, which also serves the Kindle tablet and e-reader customers.

“Amazon aims to begin shipping phones by the end of September, ahead of the holiday shopping season,” explained the Journal. “The e-commerce giant is moving deeper into gadgets beyond its Kindle tablet, including the Fire TV set-top video streaming device and the smartphone.”

The news source added that this relationship extension could help AT&T attract new customers – and retain old ones. The smartphone market is fierce, and Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. reportedly have a combined 60 percent share of the U.S. market.

Rumors about Amazon’s smartphone were fueled with the release of a YouTube video that strongly implied the notion of such a device. The commercial features people looking down at something and calling it “cool” and “amazing,” but the item is never revealed.

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