Amazon Kindle smartphone near tip insiders
The smartphone wars are about to crank up a notch, with retailer Amazon tipped to be readying a handset of its own that, while likely based on Android, would undoubtedly diverge from Google’s ambitions for the platform. Amazon is working with Foxconn – the company that also produces Apple’s iPhone – according to insider whispers to Bloomberg , with the retailer apparently quietly building up its mobile patent portfolio in a pre-emptive defense against smartphone lawsuits. That IP shopping spree has seen Amazon negotiate with InterDigital, among others, though the company went on to sell its patents to Intel. Amazon also recently employed IP expert Matt Gordon, who will lead the retailer’s patent acquisitions and investments moving forward. Exactly what Amazon’s device will look like is unknown, though it’s not hard to speculate on the combination of software and hardware. The Kindle Fire tablet, for instance, runs a heavily-reskinned version of Android on relatively mainstream comp...