Amazon's Smartphone May Use Tilt Gestures
No one likes finger prints and smudges all over their smartphone screen. Amazon might have a solution, if you believe the latest reports. Amazon's hotly rumored smartphone may sport a combination of cameras and sensors that let you navigate the device by tilting.
According to a report from BGR, tilting will reveal more information on the screen so you can keep touching or tapping to a minimum. BGR's sources gave several use case examples. For instance, while searching for a restaurant in the maps app, tilting the phone will show Yelp ratings for each location on the map.
MORE: Amazon Smartphone Rumors: Glasses-Free 3D, Specs and More
Amazon's apps on the smartphone won't have traditional menu buttons, according to BGR. Tilting the phone left or right will cause menus and other functions to slide in on panels over the current screen. For instance, in the messaging app, a tilt could open the phone's camera roll, letting you quickly insert a picture.
We've already seen several reports that point to a unique 3D interface for Amazon's possible Kindle Fire-style smartphone, which uses four, low-power infrared cameras on each front corner to create faux holographic images. The same cameras and onboard sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes will power this gesture-based interface, according to BGR. We speculate this method for navigating the device may also aid in one-handed use, in addition to preventing finger prints.
In addition to the glasses-free 3D Screen, we expect Amazon's smartphone to sport a Android-based Fire OS that's already in its Kindle Fire range of tablets. No name has been confirmed or settled on for the smartphone, but we expect Amazon will stick to its tradition of naming its devices after a fire-related word, a la the Kindle Fire.
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