Android Less Open than Facebook?
April 15, 2011
I have been thinking about Google and openness since I learned that Facebook is “opening” its data centers. Suddenly Google looks a lot less open than Facebook.
ZDNet’s “Taking Back Android: Should Google Be Controlling the Ecosystem?” raises an interesting question. The article actually questions Google’s commitment to openness.
Google, the worlds search engine, can’t seem to stay out of the media spotlight these days. This time though, the controversy does not stem from the inadvertent disclosure of personal information. Now Google seems to be tightening grip on applications that utilize Android. According to Bloomberg, Google is no longer allowing Android to freely form partnerships or customize software without it’s approval. Kind of like the “big brother” approach to doing business.
This need for consent before creation is directly in opposition of Google’s pledge to the truly open mobile OS they claimed to support and is being compared to Apple, with it’s control of iOS. Though in all fairness, the Android ecosystem has become a tad unruly. Its multiple device makers and many carriers have caused a bit of chaos and confusion and in some cases compromised user experience. For Google it seems to be about quality over quantity which wouldn’t be so awful except that Google doesn’t actually sell a product, the telecoms companies sell the product, Google simply provides the platform.
This leaves us with a couple of questions. Just how much of a role and responsibility should Google be shouldering in all of this and why don’t telecoms create their own platforms? And Facebook’s open data center angle makes Google look less open and slightly clumsy, doesn’t it?
Leslie Radcliffe, April 15, 2011
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Check ReChat (Android messenger):
– Facebook, Yahoo!®, Google Talk, WLM/MSN, Jabber/XMPP;
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WLM/MSN: rooms (create/invite).
Jabber/XMPP: rooms (create/invite).