Over the weekend news of the Cease & Desist from Google to Steve Kondik AKA Cyanogen over his popular Android Mods raised concerns about how open Android is.
In summation Google openly allows modifications to Android as well rooting of phones with Android on them but providing non-Android Google proprietary applications such as YouTube, GMail, GTalk, etc in Android modifications publicly is not allowed due to relatively loose manufacturer & carrier agreements.
The knee-jerk reaction I am sure is that novices will declare that Android is thus not truly open with already ridiculous declarations that Window Mobile is more open.
Google is in communication with Cyanogen as Steve has already posted on Twitter that he may have a solution with his Mods that is agreeable with Google which may somehow block them from working on non-Google experience phones or not have the Google applications altogether.
If Google does not end up giving him a job as an Android engineer than they at least should provide him with this supposed Android Mascot from Google Japan.
Danny Choo this weekend claims to be giving away 10 of these little key chain Android figurines which he states are worth 5,356 US dollars on Ebay.
Why so much money for this little trinket that seems like something you would find in a bubble gym machine?
Seems it has some high tech Japanese super powers
“The head spins, arms move and the legs wiggle from side to side. Its solar powered and when fully charged will walk around on the desk and occasionally leap up 25 meters into the air when you shake its left arm. Also, if you swallow it, it will come out the other end in camouflage brown or bright orange.”
Not only is it solar powered and can jump a quarter a football field but it seems it may come with a scantily clad voluptuous Japanimation figurine & handcuffs as a bewildering added touch.
Where is the Cease & Desist on this Android “mod”?
2 comments… read them below or add one
The story is not so simple… It turns out Cyanogen can't re-distribute the HTC/Qualcomm/TI drivers either. So even if he solves the Google apps issue, he still can't distribute the ROM :S
Andrés,
Thats interesting as no one has mentioned the manufacturer drivers but Cyanogen has come to a resolution on the Mods which I believe would still have those said drivers minus the Google apps.