Anonymous14 days ago
Amazon is developing a new smartphone codenamed "Project Transformer" under its secretive ZeroOne unit, led by former Microsoft Xbox executive J Allard, more than a decade after the Fire Phone debacle cost the company at least $170 million in write-downs. The AI-and-satellite-focused device faces a market where Apple and Samsung control over 75% of US sales and where smartphone shipments are expected to fall 13% in 2026 — raising questions about whether Amazon's formidable ecosystem advantages can overcome the graveyard of failed smartphone challengers that includes Microsoft's $7.6 billion Nokia write-off, Essential Phone, and the Facebook-HTC partnership.