Editor 's note : This is another in a series of Business Insider commentaries debunking common tech myths . ( Business Insider ) -- Google loves to talk about how `` open '' it is . But the reality is that it 's actually not always open ; only when it 's convenient to Google . And , anyway , `` open '' is n't necessarily better . For example , Google especially loves to boast that its Android software for phones and tablets is `` open . '' You 'd think that means that anyone would have control over their phones , to install all the apps they want , change the way it looks , and update to the latest version of Android . But that 's not what it means . It really means that Google 's close partners -- mobile operators and phone manufacturers , but not consumers -- can chop up Android to their liking . That 's why many new Android phones ship with pre-installed `` crapware '' apps . It 's why some have shortcomings , like the inability to install apps that are n't from Google 's official app market . And it 's why most Android owners have to wait a long time for Android software updates -- if the updates are ever made available for their specific phones . Meanwhile , despite all the talk about Android being `` open , '' there are even some things that Google 's huge Android partners ca n't change . For example , when Motorola wanted to swap out Google 's built-in location services on its Android phones for a competing service from a startup called Skyhook Wireless , Google effectively forced them to stop , according to a lawsuit that Skyhook filed against Google . What 's `` open '' about allegedly forcing your partners to use Google 's tools and guidelines instead of competing tools ? Android is just one example . Google has recently been inconsistent about its definition of `` open '' when it comes to web video technology , too . And if Google were really serious about being `` open , '' they 'd share their search and advertising algorithms with the world . Now that would be `` open . '' But of course Google would never do that -- that 's proprietary information that ca n't fall into the hands of competitors . Google has every incentive to keep its core business information `` closed , '' and it will likely continue to . The more we look , the more we see that `` open '' Google is really more like `` open when convenient or favorable to Google . '' This is perfectly fine : Google is a for-profit company and can do whatever it wants . But anyone who thinks its actions are transparent or truly `` open '' is pretending . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dan Frommer . Copyright © 2010 Business Insider .
Google has been inconsistent when it comes to web video technology . Many new Android phones ship with pre-installed `` crapware '' apps . Google is `` open '' when it is convenient or favorable to Google -- which is their right .