Amazon is reportedly planning a phone focused on Alexa shopping and artificial intelligence

When Amazon introduced its first mobile phone, Fire phoneIn 2014, it was received so poorly that the company… It stopped selling the device after only one year. according to Reuterswhich doesn’t stop the retail giant from trying again.

Amazon is reportedly developing a new mobile device that would sync with its existing software and hardware ecosystem, including Alexa-based smart hubs and its Prime Video TV service.

The project is referred to internally as “The Transformer” and may still be in the early stages, according to Reuters. At this point, there’s no word on a potential release time frame, or much information on what might set the phone apart from the devices it will compete with from companies including Apple and Samsung.

The phone will focus on artificial intelligence features rather than downloading applications, according to the sources mentioned in the report. And perhaps inevitably, it will also make it easier than ever to buy products from Amazon and use its services, including Prime Video and Prime Music. The Alexa voice assistant will not be the primary operating system driving the phone, the sources said.

Amazon is rumored to be as well Development of an Android tabletwhich will be a break from the tablets it sells that run its own Fire OS.

An Amazon representative declined to comment on the report.

Avoid Fire Phone errors

in CNET review of the Amazon Fire Phone In 2014, Jessica Dolcourt gave the phone a 6.9/10, describing it as “bold, ambitious and fun to use”, but noted that its price, performance and specifications were suboptimal. “You have to be fully involved in the Amazon ecosystem to fully appreciate it, and even then, it doesn’t offer a lot of Amazon features that you can’t get from competing products.”

So what can Amazon do differently this time around to make sure it doesn’t have another failed phone on its hands? “Amazon has proven its ability to put its name behind electronics at a consumer price,” says Dolcourt, commenting on rumors of the company returning to the phone market. “The hardest part is creating an attractive phone that people will actually want to use. It’s not enough to tie a few perks to a huge platform – it has to be offered as a standalone device.”

It remains to be seen whether Amazon has learned from its mistakes and can create a phone capable of challenging industry leaders like Apple and Samsung. We can only hope that this rumor doesn’t break out before the Fire Phone’s successor comes to fruition.