The Quick Answer
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But what does the difference really mean? Well, if you just want an inexpensive tablet for browsing the web, going through emails, and watching videos, there isn’t that big a difference. If you want the entire ecosystem of Android apps without jumping through hoops, you might want to get a more typical Android tablet.
Android, Google Mobile Services, and AOSP
There are really two Androids. There’s the Google “Android” you see on devices from Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, and other big device manufacturers. And this isn’t just the Android OS—it’s an Android device the manufacturers have had certified by Google. The device uses the Android OS, and ships with Google Mobile Services, which includes the Google Play Store and other Google apps like Gmail and Google Maps.
But Android is also an open source project. The open source project is known, simply enough, as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The AOSP code is licensed under a permissive open-source license, and any manufacturer or developer can take the code and use it for what they want.
Google Mobile Services is not part of the Android open source project, and lots of things that people think of as “Android” — including the Google Play Store and all of Google’s services — aren’t included in Android. They’re licensed separately.
The cheapest Android tablets—the kind you get for $30 straight from a factory in China—are just this AOSP code. If you want Google Play on them, you have to install Google’s apps separately after you get the tablet.
Google Play Services is Only for Google’s Android
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But You Can Turn a Fire Tablet Into a “Google Android” Device
Android users who want access to the entire Play Store and all of Google’s apps—without hacking about—may want a standard Android tablet.
