Open Android-For better and for worse [Tools & Toys]

Besides its cute little green robot mascot, what is it about Android that makes it so popular among device manufacturers and developers alike? In a word, openness. For developers, Android´s license lets them get right into the heart of the platform´s code, without signing their creative lives away. Android is based on open source software, allowing both collaboration (among disparate developers) and customization (of one´s own offering). Neither is easily done on iOS, Apple´s operating system for its iPads, iPhones, and iPods. Hardware manufacturers appreciate the open nature of Android, too. Android falls under the stewardship of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of device makers, mobile operators, and semiconductor, software, and other suppliers.