5 Reasons Why Android is Becoming the Go-To Mobile Device for Activists | Movements.org: "Android, the open-source mobile operating system developed by Google, is quickly becoming the smartphone of choice for activists. It’s growing in popularity around the world, recently becoming the number two smartphone in the world behind Nokia’s Symbian operating system and outranks the iPhone in the U.S. Here are 5 reasons why Android should be on any activist's radar.
1. More Possibilities with Open Source
Android is an open-source platform, meaning that the source code is accessible to anyone, allowing for developers to create apps that extend the functionality of devices. With closed platforms like Apple’s iPhone, on the other hand, the manufacturer and/or network have much more control over what users can do with their devices."
I just typed a way-too-long response to this and then received an error when I clicked 'Post Comment' and lost it all.--;
ReplyDeleteTo summarize:
-Sponsor: Google
-No mention of jailbreak/root/hacking of devices that would enable ANY phone this functionality even though they are talking about circumventing other structured systems
-No mention of the fact that Google's version of "open-source" involves them currently witholding the source code to their latest tablet OS Android 3.0, which not only undermines the title but the reason we shouldn't be skeptical since it's 100% not available
-No mention of the fact that all Android devices have a remote killswitch for content.. fun fact: it's a security feature to allow Google the ability to remote erase viruses that are posted to their "free" Market (This killswitch also exists on Apple iDevices, and can be turned off by hacking either one)
-Speaking of their free market, they actively censor their store at the behest of their carrier partners so that, for example, the AT&T HTC Captivate cannot access software that would circumvent AT&T's draconian tethering plans
-Also: they allow their partners to block whatever the hell they want, like the removal of content that the consumer does not want (like Bing search, included because of multi-million dollar contracts on some phones-yes, this really means you can't switch the phone's search to Google on a Google phone..)
-This is clearly a fucking advertisement
Just saw this--I was wondering if it was basically an advertisement (Apple isn't a sponsor), but then I thought, well, maybe I'm overly suspicious. Your comment make me think that I'm not suspicious enough. I'm going to move it into a post.
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