Android Honeycomb delay: Google’s Andy Rubin strikes back

Keeping Android Honeycomb back for tweaking has got Google a lot of harsh press recently and that seems to have cheesed off Google’s Android head honcho, Andy Rubin. He’s taken to the official Android Developers Blog to slam the press for spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) about the OS…

The delay in open-sourcing Android Honeycomb after it arrived on the Motorola Xoom has led to oodles of speculation that Google is changing its strategy. Rubin calls press reports “misinformation” and says Android “will continue to be an open source platform and will continue releasing source code when it is ready. As I write this the Android team is still hard at work to bring the new Honeycomb features to phones. As soon as this work is completed, we’ll publish the code.”

Rubin says keeping Android Honeycomb back doesn’t mean that Google wants to standise the chipset for Android devices or to stop device makers from slapping on UI skins like those boasted by the Samsung Galaxy line or numerous tasty HTC handsets.

One interesting assertion though is that Google has been actively fighting fragmentation of the Android platform: “Our ‘anti-fragmentation’ programme has been in place since Android 1.0 and remains a priority for us to provide a great user experience for consumers and a consistent platform for developers.” Plenty of developers would argue that programme has not been all that successful.

While Rubin clearly seems to be telling the truth when he says Google has no plans to lock down Android any time soon, there is no question that certain manufacturers will receive preferential treatment from the company in return for cooperation on Google’s priorities. That’s how Motorola came to have Android Honeycomb before its rivals, HTC was given the rights to pump out the Google Nexus One and Samsung built the Google Nexus S.

You can read the full Rubin blog post at the link below. Hop into the comments and let us know what you make of his view. Can Google arrest the fragmentation of Android? And do you think it should take more control of the platform to avoid janky UI skins and carrier apps?

Out now | £NA | Android Developers Blog

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