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Inside Amazon's Fire Phone (pictures)

Dynamic Perspective and a convenient scanning app help the Fire Phone stand out from the crowd. Take a look inside Amazon's first phone.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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Amazon's Fire Phone is all its own

Built on heavily customized Android code, there's nothing quite like the Amazon Fire Phone. Sporting a smaller version of the Fire OS seen on tablets, the Fire Phone also has some features built just for the handset.

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Dynamic Perspective

The 3D-like effects you see on the lock screen, in maps, and elsewhere throughout the OS are called Dynamic Perspective, and they're meant to lend visual allure as well as functionality to the way you use your phone.

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Hey, four-eyes

Four tracking cameras on the phone's face measure the distance and angle of your head to make Dynamic Perspective work.

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A different mirror

A carousel of widgets serves as your home screens, populating the area below with useful items like past URLs and gallery photos.

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Finding the app tray

Slide the static icons up and down to shift from the carousel to your list of apps.

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Apps, apps, apps

While we're on the topic, Amazon's own app store is where you'll find compatible titles. There are no official Google apps at launch, which may be strange for Android users and hurt Amazon's sales, though there are still plenty of other popular programs.

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Mayday!

The notifications pull down is home to Mayday, a screen sharing app where you can get live customer service help.

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On the menu

Most screens have two menus. The left-hand slide-out menu mostly gives you navigation waypoints, while the context menu on the right often houses things like your history, or song lyrics.

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Firefly sanning

A scanning app built into the camera button on the side of the phone is an accurate shopping assistant -- but Firefly, as it's known, also recognizes email addresses, phone numbers, music, movies, and TV shows.

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Smooth as glass

A glass backing helps make the Fire Phone look fancy, though it will collect your fingerprints.

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Camera

The 13-megapixel camera on the back is thin on settings, but took some nice shots.

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Top view

The headset jack and power/lock key make their home on the Fire Phone's top edge.

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Bottom

It takes a standard Micro-USB charger.

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Pocketability

The handset's relatively tall, narrow dimensions and optional navigational gestures make it pretty easy to use one-handed.

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Oops

I noticed this tiny dent in the top corner of the phone. Like all handset, it isn't indestructible.

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One last look

Amazon's Dynamic Perspective gives the phone a really rich, immersive lock screen and distinct personality. The phone has some flaws you'll want to know about, so skip over to our full Amazon Fire Phone review for all the pros and cons.

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