RE 'The Android Opportunity'

John Gruber over at Daring Fireball has posted a great article about Android, detailing what he thinks handset makers should do to prevent Android from becoming an also-ran. He also writes:

Emphasize that Android apps are background-capable, and that there is no centralized App Store under one company’s ironclad control. There are no tales of rejected Android apps because there are no rejected Android apps.

Seems like he's forgotten that Google actually do remove apps from their marketplace:

Google has reportedly pulled tethering apps from the Android Market. According to at least one developer, who contributed to the WiFi Tether for Root Users app, Google are citing their distribution agreements with carriers as the prompt for removal: “Google enters into distribution agreements with device manufacturers and Authorized Carriers to place the Market software client application for the Market on Devices. These distribution agreements may require the involuntary removal of Products in violation of the Device manufacturer’s or Authorized Carrier’s terms of service” — Google Developer Distribution Agreement

An unfortunate addition is that Google restricts developer phones from being able to download or buy paid apps from the Android Market.

Google is denying those developers access to copy-protected applications sold in the Android Market because developers have a higher level of access to the G1 phone than regular users, and could potentially break the copy protection on those applications…

Not a good way to treat your developers, I would think. If you submit a paid app, you cannot even see it on the store from your developer phone; you have to buy another Android device to test it or see what it looks like on the store.