Android Is As Open As The Clenched Fist I’d Like To Punch The Carriers With
by Volker Weber
why do you choose Android? Nearly 1,000 people responded, and a large percentage focused on the same idea: the idea of "openness."
You’ll forgive me, but I have to say it: what a load of crap.
[Thanks, Simon]
Comments
If all there is closing the system, buying a non-branded Android phone should solve that (almost) entirely, right? Then they can't put lots of crap-ware onto the phone or cripple its configuration or block apps like Skype from being installed. All they can then use for restrictions is network traffic related restrictions, which is inherently possible with any device platform.
There is no "non-branded" Android phones any more. The last one was the Nexus One, which is no longer available through normal sales channels. All the phone makers like HTC, Motorola, Samsung also try to be unique, change the original Google OS to their liking, make sure you have a hard time changing it. And they all do NOT contribute their code back to Google (at least not in volumes worth mentioning), because it could help their competitors. It's probably not all the other phones blocking the Skype application but rather an exclusive deal between Verizon and Skype, having the app check if it's on a Verizon phone.
