Best Buy is meanwhile clearly keen to take a share of the action and insert its brand into yet another aspect of the mobile world - recently it has been swiftly expanding its wireless activities, with cellular and broadband plans and dedicated bricks-and-mortar stores.
A virtual Android store could follow - in response to a question about the Amazon plan, The Wall Street Journal says Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn said he would consider his own.
His CTO Robert Stephens later told Dow Jones: “We are exploring this concept at this very early stage, but we have no concrete plans at this time. Google, though, is an obvious partner.” Best Buy accounts for almost 20% of consumer electronics sales in the US.
While all these activities could boost Android software sales and allow users to work with the experience that suits them best, it will detract from Google's control and the hegemony of Android Market - in stark contrast to the monolithic and tightly controlled Apple App Store.
This article originally appeared in Rethink Wireless