Amazon to Debut Smartphone During Media Event on June 18

Jun 05, 2014 02:52 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Amazon announced this week that it will be holding a media event on June 18 for a yet-to-be-announced product that many expect to be the Internet retailer's first smartphone device.

A photo was released of what appears to be an Amazon-branded portable device, along with a teaser video showing people holding a small device and discussing what appears to be 3D motion tracking technology.

Back in October it was reported that Amazon was working on a smartphone device by AppleInsider.com.

Rumored features for the next device includes: a 4.7-inch touchscreen display, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and six cameras for 3D imaging.

The 3D user interface will likely be the handset's main attraction, as users will be able to manipulate onscreen objects like icons and wallpapers through gestures.

"This is a play by Amazon to get a stake in the most ubiquitous device category there is," said Jan Dawson, a technology-industry analyst who runs research and advisory firm Jackdaw, according to Bloomberg.

The recently released video makes it seem like the phone will react to head motions as well, and offer enhanced type of parallax view in Apple's iOS 7.

Amazon's event will take place on June 18. Those who want to attend can request an invitation through a special page on the retailer's website.

Click here to request an invitation.

"Amazon's play here isn't to make a ton of money off smartphone sales; it's to get people to spend more money with Amazon as a whole," said Dawson.

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