[Oglon3r]

So once again let's keep it simple.
Everyone check this CNET article on Amazon's Firephone.

"The Bottom Line
Despite its daring aspirations and 3D-like party tricks, the brave, new Fire Phone's lack of Google services will alienate anyone who expects the flexibility of a modern Android phone."

Point being. It reminds me exactly to Blackberry's current Android framework situation.
Also please check the incredible read this whole post is based on.

Controlling Android's Open Source by Any Means Necessary

Google has capitalized extensively and successfully locked the Android ecosystem ala Steve Jobs mode.
For developers worldwide not only is it increasingly difficult, but entirely not recommended to leave Google play services out of the equation while developing an app.
Sure anyyone can attempt to code their app without out google play services using open-Source dependencies and sure any one can invest the time and create their own flavor of Android ala Linux style but at this point can anyone be truly successful?
Just take a look at the Firephone and the Kindle struggle to catch up to the full Android experience. The same entirely applies to Blackberry OS10 which has taken the open source side of android and developed an easy to port alternative to native development. After reading the article it makes a hell of a lot more sense why Blackberry chose to join forces with Amazon. They are the ones that have been biting the most succesfully, at the android by Google experience the closest. Blackberry knows this and it is exactly why it may, in the future completely discourage usage of Snap, and other 3rd Party App Stores that deliver their apps directly from Google's Play Store.

On the other side Firefox OS and Tizen in comparison don't even close. As a matter of fact someone earlier posted a great article on how Tizen has now been declared death on arrival.
And how could it not be? It would be suicide even for a giant like Samsung, as it could be the push Google perhaps has been dreaming of.

I mean take for example apps that depend on google location services APIs, apps that depend on google Play store APIs, apps that require seamless youtube integration and social apps that increasingly want you to have a google plus or gmail app.
Point being Android as everyone loves is no longer Android but Google OS and best believe they're moving towards that ala Chromebook style. So how far are we actually from an actual Chrome phone?
As it stands now and in every sense of the word, Android as an open source OS (AOSP) is barely on life support. All it would take for a final nail in the casket scenario is for Google to take the full plunge towards their closed ecosystem and that will pretty much mean its demise.

Such is why I laugh at people in favor of an Android BB device, or at people that support a joint venture with Google. It will simply never happen for Android without Google is as outdated an experience as it can be, and for Google to support an android fork it remains as unlikely as it has always been.

Blackberry and for that matter Amazon both need to come up with a solution for the "Google Play Services Dilemma (GPSD)" and offer developers an easy API translation alternative while forking apps. It may all seem fine and dandy, however; after truly analyzing the situation it leaves me somewhat concerned on what from the very beginning has seem like an uneasy venture. One that more and more seems to benefit Amazon's over Blackberry's needs. Meaning if Amazon fails to come up with a solution for GPSD and fast, wont that make the 10.3 Amazon push seem as a big flop as the end users will still lack access to the apps they desire? And if successful won't it be of Amazon's interests to ditch Blackberry and the OS10 Android framework to its own means? Are we so blinded by what it may "seem" as a good venture that we are willingly become Amazon's beta testers, in their rush to compete with Google Play Services (GPS)??
The future may be bright but I'm no longer sure that's a good thing any more.

[Heinz Katchup]

Amazon releasing Firephone is dumb. Amazon partnering with BlackBerry. Aww yeah!

Posted via CB10

[ljfong]

One common complaint I have read so far is that Fire Phone battery performance is awful. Double whammy as the battery is non user replaceable.

[ranzabar]

Sad to think that people fall for a device that is nothing but a shill for Amazon. Like a car salesman in your pocket.

Posted via CB10

[walt63]

Sad to think that people fall for a device that is nothing but a shill for Amazon. Like a car salesman in your pocket.

Posted via CB10

Exactly.

Amazon CEO: How can we get more data? We need more data.

Amazon COO: Smartphone?

Amazon CEO: Brilliant! Let's give it a go.

Posted via CB10

[skibnik]

Sad to think that people fall for a device that is nothing but a shill for Amazon. Like a car salesman in your pocket.

Posted via CB10

And a Google phone isn't a shill for the Google Play store?

Z30 and loving it!

[TGR1]

And a Google phone isn't a shill for the Google Play store?

Z30 and loving it!

Android phones are meant to drive Google Services. The Google phones were originally meant, I think, to set a kind of brand standard (inexpensive, quality, unlocked) and to give some uniqueness for whichever model happened to land that round's rights. But I am no longer sure what the Google-branded phones stand for anymore. It's difficult to maintain that balance of running such a thing and not alienating your partners (carriers, OEMs).

I also think that first horrible taste of directly supporting phones scared off Google from real expansion of the program and that BBRY realizes it would be too expensive to run direct sales and support, certainly at this time.

[lift]

And a Google phone isn't a shill for the Google Play store?

Z30 and loving it!

Any android phone is nothing but a data collecting device to make money for Google and the carriers by selling your information for advertising. Anyone that does not care about that should do some reading to see exactly what is happening to their privacy.
Now Amazon is trying to do the same thing because they see how much people don't care about their privacy.

[Prem WatsApp]

So that means the "Don't be evil" Google has been more successful than Microsoft and Apple in their lock-in shenanigans, beating them at their own game.

Slowly, but surreptitiously these GPS have crept in until the need for them is now perceived as indispensable (from a user's perspective - and many tech bloggers) and everyone else wonders "how the heck did that happen?"

Pretty clear, information has been given away "freely" (wittingly or unwittingly) for "free" services in exchange, and has changed and chained the mobile landscape in an unprecedented manner...

(hope we can chenge and unchen it again!)

? BlackBerry? I premdict the future's gonna be chenomenal! ?