Google currently has the primary control over Android platform. It decides what goes or doesn’t go into the platform and actual vendors of Android devices have little sway. This, according to the CEO of Skyhook, is leading to a kind of ‘mutinying’ where a major, non-Google vendor wants to launch an Android device independent of Google. This would also mean that such a vendor wouldn’t have an access to Google Play.
Skyhook Wireless is known for being among the best Wi-Fi based positioning services provider. The company has been providing the service for both iOS and Android devices earlier. However, later Apple developed a similar service of its own while Google also tried so but had somewhat humiliating results.
Skyhook has been part of these wildly successful platforms. So when the CEO of Skyhook, Ted Morgan, says that his company is not part of yet another major non-Google Android device’s launch, it is obvious to pique our interest. According to Morgan, the device will definitely not be a ‘Google-experience’, referring to the plethora of Google-centric features in all Android devices, thanks to the fact that they use Android platform.
Morgan very meaningfully goes on to say that, ‘Everyone’s emboldened by the success of Amazon.’ This means either that a vendor which was formerly shipping Android devices now wants to go solo, without Google on board. Or that a new venturer is going to enter the realm of Android and without being condoned by Google. This, most probably, could be Amazon itself which has proved that it can leverage its status as being among the largest online retailers to make its products a success.
So will we be seeing an Android device, from Amazon, coming this year? If that’s the case, we may also expect an alternative app marketplace for the device.
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