Majeed Ahmad
New member
EE Times has reported about the proliferation of forked Android in China. According to the report, China's smartphone makers are not waiting for new features stipulated by Google and are going ahead with their own hardware and software solutions.
Forked Android, the open-source version of mobile operating system, is not aligned with Google's latest software updates. Amazon first used the forked version of Android in its Kindle Fire tablet in 2011. Then, Nokia repurposed open-source Android for its entry-level smartphone called Nokia X in 2014. Kindle Fire has been a success while Nokia X handset didn't go that far.
By using a forked version of Android, makers can control the entire user experience and they don't have to pay Google the apps revenue. At the same time, they can lure Android app developers to create services for their own platform.
The implications of China smarphone makers going for forked Android could be significant. First, its shows that the smartphone makers in China are now moving beyong read-made hardware and software solutions, and that they are serious about differentiating their products. However, far more significant impact could be on Android fragmentation given the mass market potential of China gadget producers.
Will fragmentation come back to haunt Android once more like its early days? Your thoughts are welcome.
Forked Android, the open-source version of mobile operating system, is not aligned with Google's latest software updates. Amazon first used the forked version of Android in its Kindle Fire tablet in 2011. Then, Nokia repurposed open-source Android for its entry-level smartphone called Nokia X in 2014. Kindle Fire has been a success while Nokia X handset didn't go that far.
By using a forked version of Android, makers can control the entire user experience and they don't have to pay Google the apps revenue. At the same time, they can lure Android app developers to create services for their own platform.
The implications of China smarphone makers going for forked Android could be significant. First, its shows that the smartphone makers in China are now moving beyong read-made hardware and software solutions, and that they are serious about differentiating their products. However, far more significant impact could be on Android fragmentation given the mass market potential of China gadget producers.
Will fragmentation come back to haunt Android once more like its early days? Your thoughts are welcome.