Google is trying to telling cleanup Android, carriers and manufacturers that they cannot get too crazy with their changes. Soets whacked the g by experts. Damned if you do ...?
Androids growth have also carried out Apple's iPhone, which continues to grow in number, flat on market share.
When I go to a best buy (BBY) today, will appear on 40 Android devices next to some feature phones, an odd Blackberry or Windows phone 7 and some of the iPhone. Go to a Radio Shack or most U.S. carrier showroom and see the same thing.
So you think is constantly news about what Android is doing right?
It is hardly the case.
I spend most of my day to wade through reports on how Android devices are too cheap or that the user interface is ugly and either too much or too little as the iPhone. The quality of apps are not snuff or screens are too large or small, battery life is horrible and the phones are too thick. Over and over.
This, for the mobile OS that destroys everything else out there.
The two biggest complaints that I hear that Android devices are not updated quickly enough (true!) and that Android devices are fragmented--which is a symptom of the first problem. Manufacturers and carriers are not motivated to update their mobile phones to the latest version of their OS because they want to sell new phones, not to keep their customers on the old ones.
Add to carriers and manufacturers are adding complicated and often devastating overlays to Android, which makes that much more difficult to upgrade. That is why the Google Nexus products, which are sold free of carrier or manufacturer excesses, are so important. They are updated quickly and gives you the real experiences of Google.
But the initiative was not sufficient Nexus.
According to Businessweek, has Google in recent months to try to remedy the latter two issues. By applying its long held "anti-fragmentation" measures, the talking carriers and manufacturers that they cannot get too crazy with their changes. I can imagine that companies upgrade their units after releasing them is treated better than those who don't.
But that does not sit well with many who condemn the Androids ' open '-ness as a free ticket. Google, which seemed to have some anticipation when you build out Android-developers license, gave themselves some controls for the platform as open source don't get overly.
There were similar outrage when Google announced that it would not publish the source code of Honeycomb until it had cleaned up the code.
Android 3.0, Honeycomb, is designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes and improve Android Favorites like widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization. At the same time, we're excited to offer these new features to Android tablets, we have more work to do before we can deliver them to other types of devices including phones. Until then, we have decided not to release the Honeycomb to open source. We are committed to provide Android as an open platform across many device types and will publish the source as soon as it is complete.
Other options open to manufacturers and carriers who want to play Google games but still want access to the code Android. Amazon now has a fully functioning app store that provides device manufacturers the opportunity to enjoy the apps without Google's standard market--which only applies to approved devices.
CellularSouth released actually only the first Android device with Amazon's app store in the default installation.
Facebook and Microsoft (MSFT) have also been edged by Google.
Google's Rubin says that such clauses have always been a part of the Android licence, but interviewed for this story says that Google recently has tightened its policy. Facebook, for example, has worked to develop its own version of Android for smartphones. Managers at the social network is dissatisfied that Google may review Facebook's tweaks to Android, says the two people who were not comfortable talking about was named operations. Google has also tried to hold up the release of the Verizon Android devices that use Microsoft's Bing search engine rival, according to two people (VZ) familiar with the discussions.
While it seems intuitive that Google wants to limit the benefit is that both these competitors could derive from Android, with the help of clauses in Android-developers license, it does not sit well with people that simplifies Android as "open".
Both of these companies are probably on their way to the Department of Justice over these issues.
It is these types of actions that have led to find fault with Justice Dept., says a person with knowledge of the matter. Google spokeswoman Shari Yoder Doherty declined to comment on Google and its partners or complaints to the Government.
For what it's worth, almost two-thirds of Android devices that have checked in to the Android market over the past two weeks run Android 2.2, a relatively new version of Android. The second most popular flavor is Android 2.1, which, together with 2.2, makes up over 90% of all Android devices.
EETimes extends this concern to chipmakers say that Intel does not get a fair shake. Interestingly, the opposite is true for Android-powered GoogleTV, Intel only, at least for the time being.
How carriers and manufacturers respond? An option for some is heading over to Microsoft's Windows phone 7 or develop their own Smartphone OS. Motorola (MMI) is rumoured to do just that (they had a Linux distribution before Android, received bad) so it is not clear whether they think that they now can do better. Samsung has its smartphone OS, Bada, as it puts on its low end phones, and also sells Windows phone 7 devices that focus. HTC, ASUS, LG is in a similar situation, build both Android and WP7 devices.
Windows phone 7 is still an untested land for manufacturers, and with the latest Nokia announced, they have and wonder if there is nepotism there also.
What do experts, who just this week complaining Androids fragmentation, to clean up the perceived muddle?
Android is no longer open, and Google is beginning to assert control. Andy Rubin, Vic Gundotra, Eric Schmidt: brazen, lying hypocrites, all of them.
Poor old Android can't catch a break.
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