Amazon is making another attempt in the smartphone market, and you can likely surmise what it entails.

      Amazon once attempted to launch a smartphone, but it was an utter failure. Now, the company is giving it another try, this time emphasizing AI.

      Amazon encountered difficulties with the Fire Phone in 2014, a project personally overseen by Jeff Bezos. The device only lasted a little over a year before Amazon discontinued it and incurred a loss of $170 million in unsold stock. Now, Amazon is making another attempt in the smartphone arena.

      As reported by Reuters, Amazon is working on a new phone internally, codenamed “Transformer.” This initiative is part of a division called ZeroOne, which is dedicated to creating innovative devices. J Allard, a former Microsoft executive known for his work on the Xbox and Zune, leads the project.

      What features will the new Amazon phone have?

      The phone is aimed at being a personalization device that keeps users connected to Alexa, Prime Video, Prime Music, and Amazon shopping throughout their daily activities. A significant focus is on AI integration, potentially eliminating the need for traditional app stores altogether. This means less app scrolling and more direct interaction with Alexa to accomplish tasks.

      This idea aligns with Carl Pei's vision of the future for Nothing phones, as shared in his recent SXSW interview.

      Interestingly, Amazon has also considered a “dumbphone” version with limited functionality, inspired in part by the Light Phone. A more straightforward device could be marketed as a secondary phone that helps reduce distractions rather than adding to them.

      Will this new approach succeed?

      That remains to be seen. The Fire Phone's failure stemmed from its lack of popular apps, overheating issues, and giving users insufficient reasons to move away from their iPhones or Android devices. Amazon faces the same hurdle now, as Apple and Samsung dominate nearly 40% of global smartphone sales combined.

      Amazon hopes that a phone centered around Alexa and its extensive ecosystem could differentiate it from competitors. Whether consumers will support this is another matter. The timeline for Transformer is unclear, and Reuters indicates that the project might still be abandoned.

      In my view, the dumbphone concept could be a more promising direction for Amazon. Entering an already crowded smartphone market could be challenging, so marketing an AI-powered “dumbphone” as a secondary device to aid in shopping could resonate well with users.

      Rachit is an experienced technology journalist with over seven years of experience reporting on the consumer technology sector.

      Google's latest Android Canary update introduces significant changes, though nothing is guaranteed.

      Google has released a new Android Canary build, which appears more refined than expected for an experimental version. However, the purpose of this release is to test concepts rather than to make commitments.

      The Android Canary 2603 includes practical features like app lock, chat bubbles, and a revamped screen recorder. It’s available for a variety of Pixel devices, but this update is primarily intended for developers, not general users.

      Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces 25W wireless charging, but it may not perform as advertised.

      With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung rolled out various enhancements to the battery and charging. The battery size, along with wired and wireless charging speeds, received a slight bump. After years of consumer feedback, Samsung's latest flagship finally increased the wireless charging speed to 25W, a significant upgrade from the previous standard of 15W. However, achieving those speeds might prove to be more challenging than anticipated.

      Recently reported issues with Android 16 indicate a potential bug affecting VPN connections.

      A new issue in Android 16 is alarming security experts and VPN providers, suggesting that a system-level bug could silently interfere with VPN connections on impacted devices. This problem has reportedly existed for months, possibly leaving users unaware and exposed while believing their internet traffic remains secure.