We've heard reports that Amazon is hiring Android developers and suspected that an Android Kindle or a multi-purpose Android tablet was in the works. Now, thanks to a casual remark by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, we're even more convinced that the speculation was correct.
In an interview with Consumer Reports, Bezos gave a cryptic, but rather suggestive reply when asked about Amazon's plans regarding Android devices:
Asked today about the possibility of Amazon launching a multipurpose tablet device, [Amazon's] president and CEO Jeff Bezos said to “stay tuned” on the company’s plans. In an interview at Consumer Reports' offices, Bezos also signaled that any such device, should it come, is more likely to supplement than to supplant the Kindle, which he calls Amazon’s “purpose-built e-reading device.”
Bezos continued to further emphasize that the popularity of tablet devices does not spell doom for the Kindle and that there will continue to be a spot for "dedicated reading devices." This would suggest that the mysterious multi-purpose Android device would not seek to compete with e-book readers such as the Barnes and Noble Nook, but would instead try to chip away at the Apple iPad's share of the mobile computing market.
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Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook.
