Kindle will soon sport technologies using Windows Mobile from Microsoft. That's what I see when I had a couple of minutes to digest the news that Amazon and Microsoft signed a cross-licensing deal.
Talk about taking a shortcut. For all parties involved, it makes good sense. With Apple's iPad weeks away and Android tablets not far behind, Amazon's Kindle would have looked very dated up against these new mobile devices. Heck, the Kindle even looked aged against Apple tablet rumors.
By gaining access to Microsoft technology, Amazon can shave months if not years off the next gen Kindle development. We might even see something from Amazon in 2010 after all. There was no guarantee that Amazon would be able to garner the kind of developer enthusiasm Apple and Google has been able to generate with its own developer program.
In essence, Kindle now looks more relevant as a tablet.
What about Microsoft? Market-share for Windows Mobile and its other technologies. Not to mention the fact that it gained a valuable distribution partner. Both companies, now interlocked in the mobile space, will play of each other.
Oh, and both companies are headquartered in Seattle. I'm sure we'll learn more in days if not hours what this deal means.
More at Electronista.
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