Amazon Smartphone Reportedly In The Works, Possible Reveal Tomorrow

As many of you already know, Amazon is planning to hold a press event tomorrow. We'll be there, and we're expecting Amazon to reveal at least a new Kindle Fire. Rumors are saying that there may be more than that – a "Paperwhite" Kindle eReader, for instance, or even a second Kindle Fire reveal. The idea that Amazon will reveal two different Kindle Fire tablets tomorrow is already pretty crazy, but here's one that seems even crazier: Amazon might be planning to announce a new smartphone tomorrow.

Yes, you heard that right – The Verge reports that Amazon has a smartphone of its own in the works, and it might announce the device during tomorrow's press event. The Verge's sources "confirmed" that such a smartphone exists, and said that it will come running a modified version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Apparently, it will support Nokia Maps instead of Google Maps, which seems to jibe with Nokia's announcement earlier today that it will soon be adding a major Nokia Maps partner. Very interesting indeed.

There aren't too many other details at the moment, as these sources say that the phone is incomplete. Why would Amazon want to announce the phone tomorrow then? Nokia and Motorola both announced a new round of phones today, HTC has an event coming up later on in the month, and the iPhone 5 looks set for reveal on September 12. If Amazon was planning to announce a smartphone of its own, it would probably want to keep up with its competitors, which might be why we'll get an announcement tomorrow.

If Amazon is truly planning to enter the smartphone business, this is pretty big news. With the current rumors telling us that Amazon may be planning a new, beefed up Kindle Fire that can challenge the likes of the Nexus 7, it becomes easier to believe that the company is also plotting a smartphone reveal. Stay tuned, because we'll have the information you need tomorrow, straight from Amazon's press event.

[via Android Community]