Amazon moving into mobile territory?
A new competitor could eventually be stepping into the ring that currently includes Apple’s iPhone, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, and other next-gen smartphones. A representative for Amazon’s Lab 126the Amazon development team which created the Kindle e-readermentioned that Amazon was considering whether such a project was “out of reach” for its next device. Considering the popularity of the Kindle, as well as the international success of Amazon itself, the answer feels like it should lean toward “no”, but we’ll have to wait and see.A mobile phone would be as monumental a leap for the company as the Kindle was in 2007. But then again, Amazon is a company devoted to growth. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, the site grew from an online book retailer to one of the largest online stores worldwide. In the UK, Amazon is the number one music and video retailer, and the third biggest retailer overall.It’s likely that we’ll see other devices from Lab126 before an Amazon iPhone-killer, however. Something in line with the iPad may be more likely. The Lab126 representative also mentioned MP3 players as one possible route. Apple’s iPod still retains dominance in this sector, with devices like Microsoft’s Zune periodically offering some stout competition. Lab126 could lead the way to a more affordably-priced alternative.Whatever decision Amazon makes in this regard will be based on how best it can continue to offer digital content. Apple is competing with the Kindle e-book platform with its iBooks app, and Google is also looking to open its own e-bookstore later in the year. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more announcements on this front as it develops.