Android's reach into the mobile market is extending, it seems, as another manufacturer has confirmed it will be offering handsets based on the Google-backed platform. With at least three devices in the works, Samsung is confirming the announcement they made last year that the company was working on Android phones, which was questioned after several delays.
Android's growth has been slow, largely due to reluctance on hardware manufacturer's part to try out the relatively new platform. Having a big player like Samsung backing them will definitely help the Open Handset Alliance. However, as more vendors hop on board with Android, the less open it has become. Google has already, on numerous occasions, made seemingly small but important changes that restrict functionality of the OS in one way or another.
The most recent example was Google pulling a tethering app from the Android App Store, along with preventing users from flashing their phones with modified firmware if the handset was subsidized by the carrier (which most phones are). Is getting Android into the hands of more people a bigger priority than keeping the platform as open as possible? I wonder how much compromises Google will make in the long run.