If Google wanted Android to be a platform that OEM’s can build their own unique eco-systems around Amazon’s about to take them up on that opportunity with their Android tablet.
Reports from earlier in the week indicated that Amazon was on the verge of launching very first Android tablet really soon (before October). With their new tablet Amazon is expected to incorporate all of their digital services heavily into the tablet. That means that Amazon will provide access to their Android app store, their digital video rental service, their music service, and their digital book and magazine service. Google offers or is soon going to offer their own services that match all of those things that Amazon has going for themselves, but I believe the Amazon tablet will be an all Amazon all the time affair.
Amazon is the top online retailer thanks to their ever popular Amazon.com website. Now through that website Amazon has been able to build a strong customer base and launch a lot of services that cater very nicely to their registered customers as well as passersby.
With their online retail expertise and Google’s willingness to let OEM’s like Amazon have pretty much full control over Android the upcoming Amazon tablet is almost guaranteed to have Amazon’s fingerprints all over the software. This is going to be their trump card against other market contenders with their own eco-systems.