For quite a while now I’ve been ranting to anyone who will listen about why I feel cellular providers are crazy for allowing open platforms on their network. I was shocked when, seemingly without trepidation, providers like T-Mobile and Sprint opened their networks to phones from HTC and Samsung running Google’s Open Source operating system, Android.
What’s the big deal you ask? Well, from where I’m standing it would seem that historically cellular providers wanted to maintain a good bit of control over devices on their networks. Some providers limiting functionality to BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices depending on your level of service, while others such as Verizon installed their own Java based software platform on every phone.
Enter Android.
Android is an open source operating system for mobile devices, superficially targeting cell phones. I was floored when I was reading the initial release announcement and subsequent news articles regarding Android. Were cellular providers ready to release all control of the handset to the consumer? Safeguards be damned?
Contrary to my initial fears, it would seem that Android didn’t cause as many security concerns as I thought and honestly is probably the most widely used Linux distribution by the average user (including any desktop installations). So if anything, the “Year of the Linux Desktop” can be claimed as 2009 if you consider a smart phone a desktop 
My previous concerns were brought back into the light recently with news articles about the Amazon Kindle being hacked to run Linux and the Android based Barnes & Noble Nook being unlocked as a fully functional Android device. My concerns?
As noted in the Nook article, these devices are now fully authorized cellular data network devices (free of charge, might I add) that are unlocked to be used for anything. Granted with the limited horsepower provided by these e-Readers prohibits many applications, but it remains possible that in the future someone could hack a Nook or Kindle to be a free wireless modem.
See the problem?
I’m not saying open platforms aren’t the way to go. Nor am I arguing as a consumer that closed platforms offer any benefit for me. What I’m saying is that such issues bring up concerns for both the companies and the consumers on how to have open platforms and capitalist America living side by side.
That’s just my $0.02 anyways.
