With the smartphone market becoming more and more competitive, Amazon is now looking to to get a piece of it as well. By trying to compete against Apple and Google however, the risks seem to outweigh the benefits for Amazon. However, their plan to push deep into hardware seems may be the key to their success. In order to make this worth it, Amazon will have to maintain a direct link with customers. Devices like the Kindle aid in that cause, but a smartphone doesn't seem to fit the definition. For all we know, making and selling smartphones could be a very costly venture for the company. Disregarding the competition from Google and Apple, getting into this market will cost Amazon hundreds of millions of dollars.