[Ankh]

Originally Posted by =X=

I think David's point #2 is the point your making.

I totally agree with David's succinct description, but I went beyond that:
- Android proposition for future mobile devices is of specific interest for me.
- I don't feel need for (yet another) cloud device, I need fully functional computer that offers cloud services.
- IMHO, Google, in their narrow vision of "cloud is everything" is playing directly against their own interests. Simply put, it is Apple who delivered on that front first, who now owns the concept of (so defined) tablet, and any attempt to provide "a cheap(er) tablet" or "iPad killer" has a big chance to end up as an inferior wannabe.

Originally Posted by =X=

However Google isn't as tyrinical as Apple or Microsoft.

Isn't it?

Google, when everything is said and done, is a company, with their own agenda and interests. They are "good" when their business model is acceptable to most of us, "bad" when we feel that they go directly against our interests. Google has not practised heavy-handed approach in the past, but I have no guarantees that this will stay so. And I do believe that stakes are high and that we are witnessing a transition that will shape the technology for a long time. I am old enough to remember that Microsoft was once perceived as "good guys", when they fought and brought down IBM's monopoly. Once bitten, twice shy.

Originally Posted by =X=

And vendors do have the choice of what they wish to include. If you look at the Nexus Phone HTC deciced to follow the Nexus form and remove the sd card. Samsung chose to keep it and also chose to keep the old keys layout. After this summer we'll see who made the right choice. My money's on Samsung...literally.

Sigh... The vendors, bless them, are still clueless when it comes to handling the open source.

The one who has access to the source of infrastructure, is not limited only to offering software that sits on top of the infrastructure. They can carve a vertical software layer and pack whatever they want into the system. Drivers, anything.

Samsung is powerful hardware house, there is no doubt that they will make a pile of money... but the major impact on the end game I expect from Canonical. I hate the guts of "Unity" desktop, but that's precisely what Android world needs to differentiate themselves against iPad.