Microsoft To Invest In Cyanogen Inc. [Rumor]

Remember earlier this week when the folks at Cyanogen said that they wanted to take Android away from Google? It is an ambitious plan and it isn’t so much Cyanogen buying Android, but more like creating a version based on Android that’s so different that users would much rather use that version than Google’s.

The question is, how are they going to do that? Perhaps with a little help from Microsoft. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, word on the street has it that Microsoft is planning on taking part in an investment round in Cyanogen to the tune of around $70 million which would make the Redmond company a minority investor in the company.

Microsoft is said to be one of the several investors interested in the company and that the other interested parties are also looking to diminish Google’s hold over Android, but so far Microsoft is the only company that has been named. Unsurprisingly both Microsoft and Cyanogen have declined to comment.

Is it surprising that OEMs are starting to feel a bit suffocated with Android? While Android is technically an open source system, OEMs need to meet certain requirements before they are allowed to install Google’s services on their phones. Google also has a fair amount of say in how OEMs mod Android too, like last year when they reportedly told Samsung to scale back on the modifications they were making to the platform.

In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but it will be interesting to see what Microsoft’s alleged investment in Cyanogen would yield – more forked versions of Android in Microsoft’s future, perhaps?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, Rumors
Tags: Android, Cyanogen, Microsoft