Upon first glance, news that Google is pulling tethering applications from the Android Marketplace may come as quite a shock as it suggests Google is taking an Apple-like position on applications. This could not be further from the truth. While regulations on what can be sold through Marketplace make Google appear to be restrictive, we as geeks know much better.

Being able to install applications from third-party sources is one of Android’s most attractive features as a platform as it allows for an extreme level of openness. We know as computer users that we do not need a centralized portal for acquiring software; we are perfectly comfortable with using search engines to track down anything we want. It is only those who are indoctrinated to the iPhone model who will see Marketplace as the extent of what one can do on an Android mobile phone, and the telecoms are some of the most indoctrinated groups around.

This crackdown will serve to appease the telecoms with whom Google needs to maintain good relations if it wants to continue to push Android as a viable mobile platform. We as users, on the other hand, are …

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