from Hacker News

Skyhook: Google forced Motorola to delay the Droid X

by azharcs on 9/18/10, 11:22 AM with 27 comments

• by Zak on 9/18/10, 5:32 PM

  Honestly, I'd like to see Google use this lever against carriers and manufacturers a bit more to ban any or all of the following:

  * Locked bootloaders

  * Disabled or substituted major features (e.g. wifi tethering)

  * Apps that can't be uninstalled

  * Skins that can't be disabled

  * Proprietary drivers

  * SIM locking

  I'm aware that Google does not yet have the clout to pull off most of the above yet, but maybe someday.

• by jonknee on 9/18/10, 3:57 PM

  They weren't forced, it's open source. They could have shipped it without the Android trademark and Google applications. Apple also forced out Skyhook. Location based services are central to mobile computing, it's in Google's best interest to keep that built in to the Android platform and consistent.

• by martythemaniak on 9/18/10, 4:01 PM

  Well, on hand you have people complaining that Android is too open and allows carriers to load crapware and disable tethering. On the other hand, we have people complaining that Android is too closed because Motorola couldn't switch location providers. Which one is it?

• by cma on 9/18/10, 3:46 PM

  Android has always been sold as an open system + proprietary google apps. If you want access to the proprietary system (and presumably the Android trademark), you fall in line. Any company is free to make a phone without the proprietary google apps, but not selectively.

  Yet for all this, Google still allows vendors to do things like lock the phone's search to Bing.

• by jscore on 9/18/10, 3:55 PM

  Obviously it's one side of the story from Skyhook, as they're trying to spread their point of view. Would love to hear Google's viewpoint.

• by grkhetan on 9/18/10, 2:54 PM

  I used to love Google, and will still love Google. But this action of theirs disappointed me. Google thinks that they are an "open" and esp android is very "open", i.e. it is free and open source. Manufacturers can modify the code and adapt to their hardware. Thats all well and good. But when Motorola modifies the code to add skyhook wireless for location, Google says take it off, or else.... This is really not good and does not match up with Google's ideals.

  And note that skyhook wireless is a known firm for such a thing, in fact they had the first databases for wifi location search and iphones also used to use them

• by dstein on 9/18/10, 3:56 PM

  Google Android is just begging to get forked, and splintered. Manufacturers like Motorola and Samsung might have to bend to Google's will, but I doubt carriers will sit tightly while Google's fangs sink deeper into their industry.