There Aren't a Lot of Reasons to Get Excited About a New Amazon Smartphone

The company is reportedly building a new AI-powered mobile device. If Amazon follows through on the plan, experts warn it would be next to impossible to break into a crowded market.

more than a decade after bailing on the dismal Fire Phone, Amazon is giving the smartphone a second try. Reuters reports that Amazon's Devices and Services unit is working on a smartphone—dubbed Transformer—with Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant and shopping as a major focus of the experience.

Details are slim. It's unclear what this smartphone would cost, how much Amazon is spending to develop Transformer, and what operating system it will run. There's no word on when it will launch, and there's still also a chance the project could be scrapped altogether. When reached by WIRED, an Amazon spokesperson said the company doesn't comment on rumors and speculation.

Amazon famously launched the ...