they're only hoping to make the default UI so good that it discourages other manufacturers from rolling their own This sounds a lot like the rational for the N

they're only hoping to make the default UI so good that it discourages other manufacturers from rolling their own This sounds a lot like the rational for the Nexus One. Google will a set a standard so high it will become the baseline for everyone else, minimizing fragmentation (if not eliminating it). It didn't work then and I'm not sure why they think this is going to work now. Handset makers do not want to become "box makers" for Google, period. If that means splintering Android into a million pieces, so be it. Google has painted themselves into a corner. The most touted benefit of Android (that it's "open") is proving to be its biggest drawback. But now the question is how do they can maintain control of their platform without mimicking Apple?