Amazon Smartphone
Amazon Smartphone
Photo via BGR.

Rumor has it – and we’ve confirmed – that Amazon will launch its first smartphone on June 18. The device will be unique in the marketplace thanks to its ability to deliver 3D effects courtesy of four front-mounted IR cameras. What wasn’t known is how Amazon planned to scan our faces to handle the UI elements. TechCrunch has learned that Amazon is using Omron’s Okao Vision face sensing technology to track the user’s head. The Japanese firm’s technology was modified by an internal team at Amazon to allow its upcoming phone to deliver unique stereoscopic effects from a standard LCD screen. For example, as I previously reported, a user can tilt the smartphone or their head left or right to browse and access hidden side panels. Watch the video (below) Amazon released along with the invitation to its launch event. Our source tells us that sort of motion is exactly how the technology works.

Read the full story at TechCrunch.

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