Say hello to the Holophone: Amazon developing 3D handset with a 'floating hologram' screen that can be viewed without glasses



Phone rumoured to show images that 'float above the screen like holograms'

Company also said to be working on an 'audio-only' streaming device

Amazon is said to be working on a phone with a glasses-free 3D screen.

According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, the device will use retina-tracking technology to make images on the smartphone's display appear to 'float above the screen like a hologram and appear three-dimensional at all angles.'

The company is also rumoured to be working on an 'audio-only' streaming device.



Following Amazon's foray into the tablet market with the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD - being shown off here by CEO Jeff Bezo - the company is said to now be working on a smartphone with a 3D screen

AMAZON TO LAUNCH SET-TOP BOX

Amazon is set to launch a TV box later this year to allow people to easily stream video to their living room set. The service is expected to take on existing broadcasters as well as rumoured TV services from Apple and Intel. It will use Amazon's existing video services, called Amazon Video on demand in the US and Lovefilm in the UK.

This would be similar to an iPod or MP3 that connects straight to the cloud and lets you stream music anywhere.

It's expected that the device will only work with music in your Amazon Cloud Drive account.

If the rumours are true, it won't be the first 3D smartphone.

HTC released the EVO 3D in America in June 2011.

Amazon's rumoured 3D phone would not be the first. Phone maker HTC launched the EVO 3D in June 2011. It has a 4.3inch HD screen capable of autostereoscopy - the ability to view 3D content without the need for specialised glasses. It also has two rear-facing 5MP cameras that can take photos in 3D

It has a 4.3inch HD screen capable of autostereoscopy - the ability to view 3D content without the need for specialised glasses.

It also has two rear-facing 5MP camera that can take photos in 3D.

Speculation about Amazon smartphones began in 2011.

The latest rumoured gadgets will be a follow-up to Amazon's Kindle Fire and the Kindle Fire HD.

Amazon launched the tablets in September last year.

The company is also said to be working on a set-top box that would stream video from Lovefilm - a video rental and streaming site owned by Amazon.

It will use Amazon's existing video services, called Amazon Video on demand in the US and Lovefilm in the UK.

'The e-commerce giant is planning to introduce a device this fall dedicated to streaming video over the Internet and into its customers’ living rooms, according to three people familiar with the project who aren’t authorized to discuss it,' Bloomberg has claimed.

Earlier this month Amazon introduced 14 televisions pilots, which it financed, and it is now monitoring customer feedback to decide which ones to produce as full series.

Alpha House, starring John Goodman, the Hollywood actor known for his roles in The Big Lebowski and Argo, is a pilot produced by amazon, and could eventually be watched on a Kindle TV box

Alpha House, starring John Goodman, the Hollywood actor known for his roles in The Big Lebowski and Argo, is a pilot produced by amazon, and could eventually be watched on a Kindle TV box.

The Amazon shows include Alpha House, starring John Goodman, the Hollywood actor known for his roles in The Big Lebowski and Argo.

Bill Murray, of Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, also appears.

Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios, the unit that is creating the shows, said: ‘I think the distinction between a regular TV show and an online TV show will soon fade away.

‘It just makes sense that if you’re trying to decide what TV show to make, it might be a good idea to ask customers which one they like.’

Each pilot is available on Amazon Instant Video or Lovefilm for free, with viewer feedback deciding which show will get a full series order from the company.