Forget Google Glass, Amazon's Got This

Only days ahead of Google Glass Tuesday, it's been revealed that Amazon will be trying out a 3-D smartphone of its own. And (not to one-up Google, or anything), this one will be glasses-free. The phone will be formally announced in a couple of months, with a ship date as soon as September — at which point the Seattle conglomerate may officially be ruling over the entire universe.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the phone will have a screen that's able to display images using "retina-tracking technology embedded in four front-facing cameras, or sensors, to make some images appear to be 3-D, similar to a hologram." The device would apparently be great for gaming (maybe similar to Her?), being especially tailored to adjust to a viewer's eyes and create a sense of depth.

The news comes as tech-lovers gear up for next Tuesday, the day when all adult Americans out there can finally get there hands on a Google Glass, for one day only (and a cool $1,500) . The "augmented reality head-mounted display” has been quite controversial — not only have privacy issues been raised, but "Google Explorers" (the exclusive group of people who have had access to the Glass since February) have even been assaulted for wearing Glass in bars. Still, the technology has also proven life-saving in some cases, and so there's a big chance that, with a few tweaks, it could become incredibly popular.

So, why might Amazon — that's never before made a phone — enter the race with the likes of Google and Apple? Well, let's face it, a holographic smartphone would probably be great for buying things — especially when used with a product-ordering wand and flying delivery drone. Ramon Llamas, an analyst at the technology research firm IDC, told the Huffington Post that online shopping has always hit a stumbling block because you can't "touch, feel, sit on" the objects you're considering buying. But with Amazon's 3-D smartphone, "That question is now answered," he said.

Which is exactly what they're after: according to Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, Amazon actually prefers to have its profit come from customers who buy services through the company's hardware, rather than coming from the hardware itself. Ominous much?