Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartphones with Google’s apps

Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by ocdtrekkie on Monday June 05, 2017 @11:01AM (#14488070)

Actually, this is exactly incorrect. The reason Amazon couldn't include any Google Play Store compatibility in Kindle or Fire products, for example, is because in order to do so, Google illegally requires OEMs to also bundle other apps... like Google Play Books, a direct competitor to Amazon's Kindle. This is a practice called "tying" in antitrust law.

The fact that Google doesn't allow OEMs to pick and choose what apps are included is the subject of an EU antitrust investigation, and Google has already been prohibited from doing so in Russia. It's also illegal under US law, but Google has an incredibly significant amount of money invested in the right US politicians.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by johnsmith21006 on Monday June 05, 2017 @11:33AM (#14488311)

Amazon will NOT allow competing products like the Google Home to be sold on Amazon as well as Apple TV and CC yet Google still has the Echo in search. Think you have it wrong and Amazon a problem not Google. I am a big Amazon customer but can still see what it is.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by ocdtrekkie on Monday June 05, 2017 @12:06PM (#14488653)

Why do you think Amazon did that? It was in response to Google's behavior. Google refused to allow their products to work with Amazon's products (without the painful concessions I mention here), so Amazon refused to sell them.

It sounds like you've unfortunately only heard a small part of the story.

Side note: Replying with the same incorrect comment three times is truly unnecessary.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by hooluupog on Monday June 05, 2017 @12:44PM (#14489050)

Why should google's products must work with Amazon's products?It's not Amazon who sell google's products but google sell its own products via amazon online shopping platform.Does amazon echo have to work with google's product or install google's software or services to appear in search results?

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by s73ver on Monday June 05, 2017 @01:13PM (#14489298)

This is pure hyperbole. "Painful concessions," really?

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by ocdtrekkie on Monday June 05, 2017 @01:40PM (#14489525)

I can't imagine a more painful concession than requiring that Amazon be forced to include a competitor's eBook platform on their device if they want to use an app store. I don't think that's hyperbole at all.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by threeseed on Monday June 05, 2017 @12:07PM (#14488658)

You need to stop posting the same argument everywhere.

It's a stupid one anyway since everyone knows that the only reason Google has been allowed to operate Search the way it does (limited transparency + oversight) is because we know that it doesn't interfere with search results. If they ever did and deliberately removed competitors governments would simply force Search to be an independent company.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by Oletros on Monday June 05, 2017 @11:22AM (#14488218)

False, the reason for Amazon not including Play Store is because they didn't wanted it and they forked Android.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by gondo on Monday June 05, 2017 @11:16AM (#14488183)

if it was true, why didn't Amazon sue Google?

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by threeseed on Monday June 05, 2017 @12:02PM (#14488610)

Because look what happened with Microsoft. You are talking about a multi decade long process that will go to trial. This sort of thing distracts companies and often ends up killing them.

I don't know about the merits here but I can understand why Amazon would rather leave it up to governments.

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Re:Amazon reportedly working on proper Android ‘Ice’ smartph... by gondo on Monday June 05, 2017 @01:19PM (#14489364)

what happened with Microsoft? i know what happened with Oracle when they sued Google about java in android. nothing. except they lost because they were wrong.

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