"Most Android hardware is carrier locked, has proprietary firmware, or has proprietary services loaded on top and therefore is closed for users."

Does Android mandate this or can you go and create a phone that has none of the carrier restrictions you noted? I think you can.

all Android phones have three sets of restrictions:

1.) Restrictions imposed by Google, which you are free to ignore if you stick to just the released source code of Android (like the Market or their proprietary apps) 2.) Restrictions imposed by the Manufacturer (which you could ignore by making your own phone) 3.) Restrictions imposed by the Carrier (which you can presumably ignore if you make an unlocked GSM phone).

Working outside of all three of those restrictions would basically put you in the same category as OpenMoko (which while an enterprising idea was pretty much guaranteed to not go anywhere).

So I'd agree, "you" can go create a phone without any of the carrier restrictions, provided you are a handset manufacturer. I'm not a handset manufacturer, so I can't.

Huh? If you want a phone without carrier restrictions, you just need to buy it somewhere else.

It's not cheap, but it's very easy. See, for example, http://www.htcphonestore.com/

I was actually referring to making a phone, not buying one; but I thanks for the link. It could come in handy if I need a phone for development.

But what of those "Chinese Android" phones I hear about? That they're based on Android but aren't officially Android?

As far as I know, any phone that runs Android is "Officially Android", of which there are a number of Chinese handset manufacturers making handsets.

Many of them don't have access to the Market, or run Google's applications, but I don't think that makes them "not officially Android".

You can buy a developer phone. However, I'm not sure you can get one for any carrier.