Here in the mobile industry there is never a costant clear winner. Looking back a few years ago, Apple was the top dog. Standing here today, Android and Samsung are reigning over. Windows Phone, although small, is starting to pick up ever so slightly. Who knows where we will be in a few years from now? Will Apple be back on top? Will Samsung still be reigning with Android smartphones, or will they have moved on to their own smartphone software, Tizen? Will Windows Phone have made some serious strides by then? These are all very possible situations given what we have and know now. However, another possibility is also on the table if what some rumors going around end up being true.

This particular rumor has been entertained by many for a while, and for good reason. I've stated that I think the smartphone market is one of the hardest to break into and gain ground on, especially in the United States. As I've mentioned before in previous articles, we're pretty much set in our ways in what companies we like and don't like. Even Sony feels that they need to pull themselves off of the market in order to focus on other areas that are more interested in their smartphones (I also think that has something to do with carrier exclusives, but that's just me). If Sony can't do it, who can?

If I had to bank on anybody, I would bank on Amazon. 

I feel like the rumor of Amazon entering the smartphone side of gadgets isn't far-fetched at all, although maybe a little premature when the rumor started around 2011. At that time, Amazon was just starting to branch off from the e-Reader and start making their line of tablets, the Kindle Fire. But now that it's nearly 2014 and the Kindle Fire is as popular as ever, I have a feeling that it won't be long before Amazon does inevitably enter the smartphone market. And given how well Amazon has handled e-Readers and tablets, I'm hoping to see the same in a smartphone from them as well.

I do think they could succeed. This could fall back on the fact that I'm just the type of person that has a little too much hope sometimes, but I really feel like Amazon is such a large company with such a huge influence in the United States already that their smartphones could very well end up being just as popular as their line of e-Readers and tablets, especially if they end up making it just as affordable. After all, if there was ever a time to make an affordable smartphone it seems like the time would be now, with phones like the Moto G and the Nexus 5 having such a positive impact on what used to be considered a somewhat taboo subject among the techie crowd. (Anything but a flagship? Gross.)

And on top of all that, I happen to find Amazon's level of customer service (presently) some of the best anybody can find anywhere. Any time I have had an issue with an Amazon order or service and have gotten ahold of them, the issue has been resolved fully and in a timely manner. I could only hope that if they entered the smartphone market their level of customer service would remain unchanged. This alone is something that could draw in customers as good customer service is generally something we don't get to experience here.

So although I wouldn't know all of the details that would be included in an Amazon phone, I do hope that we do eventually see one, and hopefully sometime soon. Since Amazon has been able to build an empire with what gadgets they've already made, I have a strong feeling they have the means to do so with a smartphone demographic as well. 

Readers, what are your thoughts on an Amazon smartphone? What OS would you want running on it, and who would you want to manufacture the device? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Images via Good eReader, The Droid Guy