Thursday Buzz: Amazon Lights a Mobile Fire

You gotta hand it to Amazon: When the company enters the smartphone market, it’s ready for the cameras.

The Amazon Fire phone, announced Wednesday afternoon, is one of the more novel devices to hit the market in recent years. It’s drawing attention for its visual interface, which uses a series of cameras on the front of the screen to create the illusion of 3-D during use—something that makes for some snazzy controls. It’s a pretty buzzy effect, which you can see in this Vine clip captured by Mashable  (opens in a new tab):

Now granted, it’s too soon to tell whether this will change the direction of the industry—all those cameras on the front of the device are a wee bit unsightly, even if the effect is fascinating. But with support out of the box for Android apps and the launch of the company’s well-regarded Mayday customer service platform on a mobile device, there’s a good chance Amazon will sell a few.

Check out The Verge‘s first look at the phone  (opens in a new tab) to get a feel for its other features.

Left Vs. Right

Does your assn’s left hand know what the right hand is doing? @DelCor  (opens in a new tab)‘s @TobinConley  (opens in a new tab) explains. #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) http://t.co/0T3szFSKIv  (opens in a new tab)

— Deirdre Reid, CAE (@DeirdreReid) June 18, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Every organization has conflicting needs, and that often means the IT staff gets stuck in the middle. It’s not a fun spot to be in (and it can make you look like you don’t know what you’re doing), Delcor’s Tobin Conley explains.

“Sometimes, it is the unpleasant duty of the IT department (that is, when they themselves are not one of the offending parties) to sort out and reconcile these contradictory schemes,” he writes in a blog post  (opens in a new tab). “When they cannot (or have arrived on the scene too late), such a state of affairs can lead to confusion and consternation for members.”

Conley recommends collaborating throughout the process so you’re showing a unified front—and if needed, the IT folks can save the day. (ht @deirdrereid  (opens in a new tab))

Other good reads

Amazon wasn’t the only company launching new products Wednesday. Adobe also had a busy day, with robust updates to its Creative Cloud suite  (opens in a new tab).

Noncompete clauses have been in the news recently thanks to a fight over them in Massachusetts. If you’re asked to sign one, what should you know? Fast Company has some tips  (opens in a new tab).

SharePoint or Office Online user? You may want to take a gander at Microsoft’s proposed pricing changes  (opens in a new tab).

(Amazon press photo)