Amazon's Wants To Redefine The Way People Interact With Smartphones

Now, BGR just released a slew of new leaked info about the device and how Amazon plans to use its unique combination of cameras, sensors and software to redefine the smartphone experience.

The phone, which will run a custom version of Android, will reportedly use four infrared cameras on its front to be able to create visual 3-D effects, but that's not the only use of the cameras and sensors. They'll also be able to track the position of the user's head, which will allow Amazon to introduce a variety of gesture controls.

BGR heard from multiple trusted sources that if you tilt the phone in different directions while using it, the interface will display additional info without you ever having to touch the screen. For example, if you tilt the phone after searching for a restaurant in the maps app, Yelp ratings will appear on top of the various results. Or in Amazon's video store, tilting the phone could reveal IMDb ratings on top of movie thumbnails. A tilt while you're writing a text could open up a panel with the phone's camera roll, to make it quicker and easier for you to send photos.

BGR also reports that some of Amazon's smartphone apps don't even have traditional menu buttons, because most functions will be accessed by tilting the phone from left to right (tilts cause new panels to replace the ones on screen).

Not only will this tilting technology differentiate Amazon's phone from the increasingly large selection of other options on the market, but it will make it easier for people to use the 4.7-inch device with only one hand. After all, they won't have to use their other one to tap the screen as often, since most functions will be controlled by tilt.

BGR's sources also highlighted one of Amazon's software features: If you take pictures of printed text, the phone will be able to recognize it and convert it into a note using something called optical character recognition technology. There are several potential use cases for this tech that could be valuable, like saving business card information to a new contact or translating foreign text into English.

Check out BGR's report for even more examples of how Amazon's phone could function.