Toward a freer Android

Posted Oct 7, 2009 12:45 UTC (Wed) by Aissen (subscriber, #59976) [Link]

I believe those are for the 'with Google' closed source parts mentioned above.
Manufacturers who want to do their own thing with the UI (like the HTC Hero and Motoblur) aren't allowed to ship those closed source apps (apart from the Market).

It's not as simple as that. The HTC Hero includes all Google Apps and, so will Motorola DEXT/CLIQ with Blur. There are three levels of connection with Google:

• 1- having the "with Google" logo. Google will impose you to have an almost same-as-original Android build. Upgrades will be Over-The-Air (OTA), from Google servers, in collaboration with your Carrier. G1 in the US and Magic in Europe (for example) are at that level.
• 2- having Google Apps, but no special logo. You can therefore have your own interface, like the Hero or Dext. Or keep the stock android UI like the Samsung Galaxy. I guess you must be tied with Google and there must be some secret agreements (as in Level 1) to be at that level. There's no OTA on this kind of phone/device (maybe a carrier/manufacturer will prove me wrong?)
• 3- no link at all with Google. You can ship whatever you want. No proprietary Google Apps(Market, Maps, Calendar, Gmail, Talk). The Archos 5 IT is at that level (for now).