So it really happened. After a very long period of rumors, Amazon finally made its mobile debut. I have to admit, I had low expectations after having used its Kindle Fire for a while. You see, for a company that specializes in one thing to transition into a totally different space, and especially one as competitive as mobile, well, that is not an easy thing to do.

I know, that is what people said about Apple and even Google, but let’s not forget that Android was adopted by Google via acquisition and Apple? Well, Apple is Apple. Now, don’t get me wrong, Amazon led by Bezos is a phenomenal company and they do have both the leadership and capital to make this phone a success, but I was skeptical and now that it’s out, I am even more pessimistic than before.

I watched the information pour in about the new Fire Phone and all I kept thinking was “Nope, that new feature, while it may be cute and even impressive from a technical standpoint, will absolutely not incentivize people to leave their already existing mobile ecosystem, whether that is iOS or Android.” That is the name of the game. Bringing people over to this ecosystem. If Amazon cannot do that, this phone will flop.

You see, the Fire Phone is quite gimmicky and if Samsung has taught us anything, it is that people do not need or use gimmicks. Four cameras to enable a fake 3D experience? One question. Why? I mean when was the last time you found yourself playing Angry Birds and saying to yourself “If only I was able to see the profile view of the red bird’s face, this game would be so much better!” Seriously, 3D in general did not meet its expectations on TVs and it won’t appeal to mainstream mobile users either.

You know what would appeal to mobile users and sell well? A high end smartphone with battery life as good as our old Nokia phones! I am talking four, five days of usage. Not possible yet with today’s battery technology? Fine, then how about a premium device at a lower price point so non geeks can actually benefit from cutting-edge mobile technology?

I mean, if you can read between the lines of this new Amazon phone, you will understand that just like Android is to Google, this is not really a mobile play but rather a strategy to get more people into the Amazon universe of shopping. So how is it that this phone is full price? $200 on contract and $650 off? Really, Amazon? Wrong move there, Bezos. And as so many have put it, AT&T exclusive? Has Apple not taught you anything?

Anyway, some of the things you get with the phone are neat like the unlimited photo storage, the tangle-free headphones, and the Prime access you get, which has a value of $100 right there. One of the features Amazon implemented is what they are calling Mayday, which enables real-time support at the press of a button. Ok, I would have called it something else, but I guess that is pretty cool. Not a game-changer though.

The Dynamic Perspective, which is the 3D experience Amazon introduced is again, pretty cool, but not a game changer. The other big feature is Firefly, which is sort of like a real-life Amazon search engine. You point your phone at something, in real life, and it scans it, pops up information about the product and lets you buy it. On Amazon, obviously. Kind of reminds me of Scio, only a whole lot less cool. This feature should have been the reason Amazon offers the Fire Phone for free since after all, it will turn your phone into a revenue stream for the company.

If I had to compare this phone to something, I would compare it to the Nexus line by Google, only three times more expensive. In other words, take the number of Nexus phones Google sells and divide it by three. No, not really. Amazon will push this phone with all its might, unlike Google, but in my opinion, no marketing power can make this phone a huge success. It is just not good enough.

Check out The Verge’s hands on video with the Fire Phone below and do tell me, will you buy this phone?