Online retailer ventures into the smartphone market, hoping to stand out in a crowded field dominated by Apple and Samsung

An Amazon representative shows off the 3D map features of the company’s new smartphone.

Online retailer Amazon has unveiled its first smartphone, the Fire Phone. The new device was announced by the company’s CEO Jeff Bezos at an event in Seattle, where the company is based.

In the build-up to the event there had been speculation about a 3D display coming to smartphones for the first time with the Fire Phone.

Bezos showed off the phone’s “Dynamic Perspective” feature, which uses four cameras to create depth in the screen and create the perception of 3D, following head and hand movements.

The much-anticipated device has been rumoured for some months, and will come with a 13 megapixel camera – a higher specification than on the current generation iPhone – as well as a brighter screen designed for outdoor use.

Amazon also announced that the Fire Phone will come with a new app called Firefly, which uses the camera and visual recog-nition to identify objects ranging from books to CDs as well as listen to music before looking for it on Amazon. The feature will also recognise phone numbers and web addresses, as well as TV shows. Amazon claims it can recognise 100 million items.

Users will also have unlimited photo storage via the Amazon Cloud, and synching with the company’s recently-launched Fire TV set-top box so you can send media to your TV.

The Mayday 24-hour video help feature will also be available on Fire Phone, Amazon confirmed.

The new phone has a 4.7 inch screen, and users can navigate through the interface by tilting the phone in different directions. It is the first time the retailer has created a phone, and follows on from the success of the Kindle eReader and Kindle Fire tablet, with UK sales of eBooks overtaking those of physical copies in 2012.

Although Amazon did not confirm a release date, experts predict it will be on sale this year outside US.

The Fire Phone will be available exclusively in the US with mobile provider AT&T on July 25.

Rundown of key features

The Fire Phone has been designed, Amazon says, to be unique in a crowded market. Here is a rundown of the device’s key features.

☐ Dynamic perspective

Not quite the full 3D experience that was rumoured in the build-up to the event, this feature is the smart screen of the Fire which uses four cameras to track the user’s head movement and position, and then creates depth in images to give the perception of 3D on screen. Amazon says this will completely change the way people view images, maps and play games.

☐ Firefly

Based around the idea of object identification, Firefly uses the device’s camera and microphone to identify objects and then locate them on the Amazon website. The Seattle-based company says Firefly can spot 100 million different items, and will identify them in under one second. The feature not only works on books, CDs, DVDs and art, but also music and TV shows – by listening to them. As well as working with Amazon, Firefly can identify printed phone numbers as well as URLs.

☐ Mayday

Just like on the Kindle Fire tablet, Fire Phone owners will have access to the Mayday service, a video hotline that enables users to connect to the Amazon help desk and have any query answered, 24 hours a day.

☐ Cloud storage

One of the biggest advantages for users of the Fire Phone will be the unlimited photo storage using the Amazon Cloud. This means no limits on the number of photos you can take with the device’s 13 megapixel camera. This is also available for free.