So, just how 'open' is Android as far as users are concerned?

Answer - Only as 'open' as the OEMs and carriers allow.

Android fans keep bringing up how much they love the platform because it is 'open.' The 'openness' of Android is seen by many as the advantage it holds over say Apple's iOS or Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. Android's open source heritage means that you, the user, are free (nay, encouraged) to do whatever you want with it ...

... and then you wake up and realize it was all a dream!

See, Android is only as open as the OEMs (the guys who made the phone) and the carriers (the folks who provide the service that makes it useful) allow it to be.

See, the carriers (with the notable exception of Sprint) want to charge you extra to be able to tether your handset to other devices so they can use the 3G connection (and don't shoot me or fellow blogger James Kendrick for saying this ... we didn't put this rule in place!). But Android is capable of offering that as a feature for all, regardless of whether you have a tethering plan. You can even download an app from Google's Android Market to do just that. As you can imagine, the carriers were horrified by the notion that they are letting dollars slip through their fingers.

Well, remember how I said you can download an app from Google's Android Market to enable tethering on your Android handset, if you're an AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon customer then that can has turned into a could.

So much for all those 'freedoms' you thought Android gave you ...

Of course, there are ways and means around this restriction, but the very fact that this restriction is in place, and now being enforced by Google, tells you that as the end user your freedoms consist of shutting up, doing as you're told, and paying the bill.