Earlier today we picked up one of the latest rumors to add to the story of Amazon’s first smartphone, the device we expect to see the company announce tomorrow. With all the time we had already spent talking about the handset’s interesting hardware, and some unique (if not maybe a little gimmicky) software, we switched gears and instead turned our attention to sales. Word was that Amazon had found itself a little carrier interest, and that its phone might arrive as an AT&T exclusive. While that detail has yet to be confirmed (not to mention the phone itself), T-Mobile CEO John Legere has spoken up to comment on the rumors, slamming AT&T a bit in the process.
On Twitter this afternoon, Legere offered the wish, “let’s hope @amazon doesn’t fall victim to the @att curse that is the facebook phone,” adding an ominous #onemonth hashtag.
As you might recall, last spring we saw Facebook partner with HTC for the release of the HTC First(above), an Android phone that ran Facebook Home as its default launcher. User response to Home was mixed at best (at least it gave us the novelty of Chat Heads), and the First failed to attract a following. Just weeks after the phone’s debut we were seeing it undergo major price cuts, and it wasn’t long before additional launch eventswere being canceled.
None of this may directly confirm the AT&T Amazon phone rumor, but it sure does seem to suggest that T-Mobile won’t be involved in the handset’s release. Tune in tomorrow for all the details.
Update: And another Legere tweet: “Exclusivity sucks for customers. Exclusivity on @ATT sucks for the industry. #justsayin”
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