The name Charlie Kindel should ring a bell or two. The long-time Microsoft employee was part of the Windows Phone team and left Microsoft over a year ago. According to GeekWire, Kindel is said to be on the move to Amazon. After 21 years at Microsoft, including the position of general manager on the Windows Phone team, what's Kindel going to be tasked with at Amazon?
It's not known, and he's reportedly keeping stomped about it all. It could well spark more speculation and rumours that Amazon is looking to ready a mobile platform. Kindel did leave Microsoft to launch BizLogr, which has developed an automated mileage reporting tool for businesses. Amazon has already been rumoured to at least be looking into the development of a smartphone.
Does the market require yet another company to dive into mobile development? It depends on whether Amazon will plan to go down the road on its own, or attempt to enter the fragmented Android market. Kindel announced the move to Amazon on his personal blog, with some truths and April Fool's content. We'll take the leap with others and believe Kindel is indeed joining Amazon.
We previously looked at reports of Amazon testing an upcoming smartphone last year, but we were fairly sceptical with the sheer competition on Android, not to mention iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone already being established. Could Amazon pull off a smartphone (or a platform) of its own, or can we look to see more support for current hardware with richer app experiences?
Charlie Kindel isn't the first Microsoft employee to jump ship to Amazon. Former Windows Phone Executive Robert Williams and Director of Developer Experience Brandon Watson have also made the move. Is the company slowly building up resources for a launch on the horizon? Only time will tell.
