Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

Jul. 10, 2009

Late yesterday, Amazon.com said it has launched its beta version of Amazon Wireless (amazonwireless.com), a new site offering mobile phones and wireless service plans from Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

Amazon added that Sprint and T-Mobile's service plans will also be offered soon.

The new website talks about the elimination of "rebate hassles" and free two-day shipping. The site currently offers almost 125 phones, including a selection of various smartphones.

Wireless customers can easily shop for mobile phones by carrier, phone features, price, color and brandname.

The site's shopping cart guides customers through each stage of the purchase process, where users will find familiar Amazon features like bestseller lists, detailed product descriptions and customer reviews.

Overall, the concept of aggregating the cell phone carrier's shopping experience isn't new. Wirefly, an independent online mobile phone and plan shopper owned by Simplexity, also claims to simplify the process of selecting the right service and phone to fit a customer’s particular needs.

Over three years ago, InPhonic, the company that previously owned Wirelfy and has since filed Chapter 11, signed a multiyear deal that allowed InPhonic to become part of the Amazon wireless store via the Wirefly brand.

A spokesman for Amazon said that the company’s current store wasn't in any way related to Wirefly, saying that AmazonWireless.com was an entirely internal project with a similar interface to Endless.com, Amazon's shoe and handbag store.

On average, online wireless stores are able to offer handsets at lower rates than the wireless carriers themselves, and without the hassle of rebates, simply because they don't have the higher operational costs of physical storefronts.

But nevertheless, there has been some criticism surrounding third-party vendors, claiming they don’t offer exactly the same warranties and service that is typically offered by the mobile carriers.

This is an interesting development, and one that we are curious to see if this new trend will accelerate with other companies.

Now maybe you can start imagining that eBay could soon start selling mobile handsets and, like Amazon, offer the whole range of wireless services?

Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

    This article was featured on Business 5.0 and on Tech Blog.

Source: Amazon.com.