Jeff Bezos and company appear to desperately want a piece of that Android pie.
According to The Information, Amazon is looking to partner with primo smartphone OEMs to start integrating some of its services into devices, though much deeper than merely preloading applications, as it already does with Samsung’s devices.
A summary of the report—the entirety of which requires a subscription to read—states:
Amazon.com is looking to cement tighter software partnerships with Android phone makers, its latest effort to get more customers for its services on smartphones, say people briefed on different aspects of the discussions at Amazon.
Amazon has discussed working with phone brands at a “factory level” to integrate its services with devices in a deeper way than simply preloading apps as it currently does with some companies, says one person familiar with Amazon’s thinking. This would help Amazon gain a measure of influence over Android smartphone software, which is owned by a competitor, Google.
Amazon already owns a library of Android APIs for its massive selection of Android-based Kindle tablets, so this isn’t entirely farfetched. For instance, imagine paying for apps with your Amazon account instead of Google Play, which you already do if you use a Kindle device.
The story behind the story: If all this sounds similar, that’s because Amazon has already attempted it with its Fire Phone. That phone ended up not only being a laughing stock of the tech industry, but it also jeopardized some of Amazon’s hardware relationships.
There’s no word on which manufacturer it is that Amazon’s hoping to work with, though it’s likely we could end up seeing Amazon try again with its own smartphone, albeit under the wings of another brand.
[“source -cncb”]
