Google: Will Google start charging for a version of Android that includes Google Applications and Patent protection?

Already the Google Apps aren't part of the "open" android distribution - if Google starts charging for those, with the added value of patent "insurance", will the android device manufacturers that Google cares about (the ones that bundle it's apps in a standard way) all pay?

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Cameron Crest, CIO, Business IT Consultant, Owner Cr... (more)

No. Google intends to keep Android as a free and open platform.

Also, understand the difference between Android and Google Apps services:

The Google Apps Service is not (and cannot by definition) be part of the Android platform.

Android is operating system software that needs to be loaded onto a mobile device to use.

Google Apps is a web service. It sits in the cloud, not on a device. It is accessed through any internet browser on any computer/device that has one.

Google apps is not software. It isn't loaded or "bundled" into ANY operating system.

There are free and paid versions of Google Apps. Both can be accessed through a browser on any mobile device.

So, on the Iphone, on a blackberry, on an android phone, or any phone or tablet, you can access and use Google Apps.

Your experience accessing Google Apps is dependent on the capabilities of the browser you are using on your device. The internet browser on a blackberry will view the web differently than the safari browser on an iphone or the webOS browser on HP touchpad.

Fire up the browser on your device and go to google.com and log in with your apps username and password to access mail, docs, sites and all 60+ google services.

Try these:
mail.google.com
mail.google.com/tasks/android
calendar.google.com
docs.google.com
sites.google.com
voice.google.com
trends.google.com

If you always have a good internet connection, Instead of downloading an app for these, just bookmark them and put the bookmark on your home screen.

An "app" loaded on your device to access Google Apps Services like docs or email isn't necessary -but some offer offline functionality and speed when your connection to the internet is lacking. All Google Apps Services are running in the cloud -not on your computer or device.