Let’s step into the time diverge, shall we? Privately, we’d similarto to go behind to the talk of AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega at MWC final year when we asked him about the carrier’s support for Android (or lack thereof):Chris: Fine, and expanding upon which the little bit, I heard you verbalise at CTIA final year and you mentioned which… we referredto fundamentally the same comments about Android at that time. We pronounced which we thought that it was promising, we liked what we saw, but which was at the time when there were the lot of questions about why AT&T wasn’t in the OHA. I’m wondering if your thoughts, your opinions have altered since then. Has AT&T’s direction with Android altered at all?

Ralph: No, actually, I think that they have been rather validated in that… we similarto the Android as an operating complement upon the own, though you wish to have sure that you have, as well as customers have the option, to put applications on which device which are not just Google applications, so when a G1 came out and T-Mobile launched it, it’s primarily a Google phone. And we wish to give business a choice of alternative applications on wh ich device, not only a same Google applications.

Chris: So you’re fundamentally waiting for Android to be de-branded, so to speak?

Ralph: Good, to be open. (Laughter.) Right? I meant, the total idea behind Android is which it’s gonna be an open OS, and so I don’t wanna hurl an open OS to market that has essentially Google apps upon it, as well as I think that’s gonna happen. I meant, I see the lot of wakeup, I think it’s got the great future, and WE consider it creates a lot of clarity that the OS is open-source, apart from Google apps that have been additionally really good.A year after, enter a Motorola Backflip — AT&T’s really initial Android device. Does it hold true to de la Vega’s beliefs? Good, it depends upon whose glas ses we read a statements through. Yes, true, it definitely doesn’t have “primarily Google apps upon it” thanks to the carrier’s controversial decision to remove Google poke as well as replace it with Yahoo — though as for giving “business a preference of alternative applications,” that’s an additional makeadifference altogether. It seems which Backflips are being shipped but a ability to spin upon non-Market installations, definition that AT&T has effectively locked you into getting all of your calm through the walled grassed area. Supplement in the Yahoo debacle and the egregious volume of unremovable crapware they’ve left in ROM, and you begin to wonder: because did AT&T bother partnering up with Android if they weren’t starting to take it severely? Positively doesn’t bode good for the Mini 3 as well as the rest of the container, rightaway, does it?