What Could Make Amazon's Smartphone Tough to Turn Down? Free Data for Amazon Services
If Amazon’s rumored smartphone let you stream music and Prime Instant Video for free, would you be interested? According to BGR, such data perks could accompany the device, which is expected to launch within the next few months.
The wireless data plan for the smartphone is reportedly called “Prime Data,” and would use AT&T’s network to provide Amazon Prime subscribers with free data for the company’s digital services.
It sounds a bit out there, but Amazon has a history of taking losses in one area to increase the potential for revenue in another.
A move like this could explain the Amazon Prime price increase from $79 to $99, aside from the shipping concerns the company shared a few months back.
Smartphone data has long been a sore spot for wireless subscribers. Apps have grown more data hungry over time, yet wireless plans have actually regressed where data is concerned. On most carriers, unlimited data is a thing of the past, so while consumers technically have the ability to stream music, TV shows and movies on the go, actually doing so can become an expensive proposition.
Should Amazon introduce something like Prime Data, it would help its smartphone stand out significantly in a field crowded by iPhones, Android devices and Windows Phone handsets.
I personally use an iPhone and haven’t felt the tug toward other devices since the launch of iOS 7, but something like Prime Data could get me looking very seriously at Amazon’s smartphone. It’s disappointing to have devices that are as capable as they are, yet are held back by the networks they run on and the data plans that are available.
If Amazon is willing to foot some of the bill to let its Prime subscribers stream music, movies and TV shows while on the go, it makes the Amazon smartphone much more attractive than it otherwise would’ve been.
What do you think? Would you take a good, hard look at Amazon’s phone if it let you use Amazon’s digital services for free? Drop us a line below.