But Google are stating that they have not changed their minds. That these rules have always been there, they just haven't been enforcing them.

They also continue to call out Apple and other "closed" systems.

There's a huge shitstorm brewing over this with manufacturers who feel like Google is pulling the rug out from under them.

It's only early access on the face. But they're manipulating what you can and can't do well beyond that. Not giving access to certain apps, the market, etc. The OS was created to generate ad revenue. If someone goes off an implements solutions using Google's competition, Google isn't really going to be too happy about it. And they haven't been.

I don't think for a second this has anything to do with complaints from individuals. Consumers are not Google's customers. We're more their assets. Their customers are their AdSense buyers. It's always been that way and nothing has changed in this respect with Android.

I don't personally think it's a bad move from a consumer perspective. It's bad for manufacturers, but I've been calling for this type of move for a long time. I just think that Google should have been more up front about this and enforced it right from the start, giving every manufacturer equal footing at the same time. Instead they've played favorites and participated in a big bait and switch, potentially screwing a lot of their manufacturing partners in the process, who have probably spent lots and lots of dollars developing their customizations - as shit as some of them may be.

In contrast, Microsoft was very up front about this for WP7.