Android is open source, but not to us. What I’m quickly realizing, albeit late, is Google’s repetitive mantra of Android’s superiority due to its open nature, is a complete stretch of the truth. In fact, as the community continues to indicate, the very open nature of Android is what’s hindering it, not helping it.

So why has Google spun Android as the open source savior of mobile devices? Simply because it offers complete customization, an open marketplace, and the ability to be adopted by any manufacturer for really any device? To some this equals openness, to others, fragmentation.

Either way you spin it, Android is neither open nor fragmented. What’s occurring is a misstep in the very foundation of the operating system. If the platform was truly open, it would function far more like its Linux role-model than it does now.

Simply put, if I can install Linux on closed PC systems like Windows or Mac, then why can’t I choose which Android platform I prefer installed on my mobile device?

If manufacturers would like to customize Android’s core functions, layout, add bloatware, and limit features or updates, that’s their prerogative. Rather than restrict the user via devices, Google should be limiting the manufacturers by pushing them towards the open marketplace.

A truly open system should allow users to adopt any platform they choose agnostic of the device. So by default, the user gets to choose which open platform is best for them. New devices can start on a basic level with access to the open marketplace. Choose whether you want default Android, HTC Sense, Motoblur, or Samsung’s layer, etc. Companies can monetize it if they choose. And the user now has complete control of their new device. Not to mention a new opportunity for telecom companies to support, teach, and promote features to new customers.

Forced competition is a great thing, and hopefully will lead updates to be on par with their hardware counterparts. By bringing open back to the user, Android can stand to gain huge improvements to their user experience, and an even faster, more competitive growth cycle.