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Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Invites Press to His Purple House

Allegory is always entertaining.

Ahead of the expected unveiling of its first smartphone next week, Amazon has sent to reporters an invitation from CEO Jeff Bezos with a hint of what’s to come in the form of a children’s book titled “Mr. Pine’s Purple House.”

The story involves a central character, a mustachioed Mr. Pine, who is looking for a way to make his house different from the 49 other white houses lining Pine Street. After numerous attempts to create a singular look — planting a tree, then a bush — he settles on something truly distinctive: Painting the house purple.

Mr. Pine’s saga likely alludes to Amazon’s new smartphone joining a crowded marketplace, dominated by Apple and Samsung — and presumably how the Seattle online retail giant’s device will differentiate itself.

The smartphone is expected to use Google’s Android operating system at its core — though employing Amazon’s heavily customized Fire interface also found on its tablets.

Amazon will likely make use of a number of front-facing cameras to provide a different sort of interactive user experience.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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