Is Android forked? Give Amazon a chance

<!--CONTENT START--><img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="226" hspace="8" src="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6047/androidcrushkilliphonea.jpg" vspace="8" width="300" /><br/><br/>For such a seemingly simple concept, "open" sure is a contentious term these days.<br/><br/>I've previously written at length on TUAW about the topic of Android's openness and, semi-relatedly, the GNU Public License. Last week, news came that Google is making serious changes in how it manages the Android ecosystem, and those changes have led many commentators to conclude that Android's much-touted "open" nature is, and always has been, little better than a sham.<br/><br/>I believe, however, that there are genuine ways in which Android is more open than most operating systems, and that these differences could have surprising ramifications for what happens next as Google wrestles its partner OEMs for control. We may see an Amazon-branded version of Android that does not have Google's blessing, and with it, an Android fragmentation issue that makes dealing with the current ecosystem look like child's play.

Is Android forked? Give Amazon a chance

For such a seemingly simple concept, "open" sure is a contentious term these days. I've previously written at length on TUAW a...

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