Google Denies Tightening Control Over the Android OS

Google has hit back at widespread reports that it is trying to clamp-down on the divergence of the Android operating system saying that it is still committed to an open-source approach to the software.

Writing on the Android Developer's blog, Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering at Google said that the Android platform had spurred the development of hundreds of different types of devices - many of which were not originally contemplated when the platform was first created.

This fragmentation has been a concern to software developers, but it is a boon to the handset manufacturers who are able to personalise their handsets and avoid becoming just manufacturers of "beige boxes".

However, Rubin did confirm that if someone wishes to market a device as Android-compatible or include Google applications on the device, then the company would require the device to conform with some basic compatibility requirements.

"Our 'anti-fragmentation' program 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." he wrote - trying to counter reports that the apparent clamp-down on handset manufacturers was a recent issue.

"Our approach remains unchanged: there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs. There are not, and never have been, any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture."

On the issue of the lock-down of the Honeycomb release which sparked much of the initial speculation, he confirmed that the software would be released as open-source, but not until "it is ready".