My idea of a happy mobile device is Apple's model for their App Store (including their recently improved review process transparency) and the ability to install apps directly without the need to go through the store (i.e. via direct download from the phone, bluetooth, whatever).

Ultimately, I think Verizon will pull google's App Store from Android and only include their own by default. They're the best performing (in terms of coverage) carrier in the US so they believe they can do whateeeeever they want. I'm curious to see how their review process goes. As much crap as Apple gets about theirs, I doubt Verizon can do it better.

This move is not about giving users a choice. Verizon doesn't have a track record of giving users a choice. I can't choose to get rid of the 50 pre-installed garbage apps on my Droid Incredible. I also can't choose to get rid of the 85 (embellishing a bit here) Verizon advertisements that show up on boot. Verizon locked down the Razr v3 and the v600 so important features couldn't be used. They did this so they could sell their own half-assed services for a monthly fee. So much choice and so open. They aren't the only one. On AT&T, you can't install an app on (some? all?) Android phones without going through the Android Market. Huh? What happened to being open?  By the way, carriers happened. Wasn't that the entire freaking point of Android? Why is the UI on practically every Android device I pick up different? It's like the Linux distro wars all over again and, as you might imagine, I still don't care for the existing solutions (holding my breath for Android 3 tho).

Jobs and his crew have the balls to stick up to the dim wits at the carriers. (Though they aren't perfect, see my point above about installing apps directly being important. And hopefully they continue to insist that Verizon can't red-up the iPhone.) Apparently Motorola and Sammy don't. Or maybe it's just that they don't care and just want to crank out as many phones as possible per year. Who knows what's going on but it's keeping them afloat so hey, why not let the market sort it out. It's my opinion that google needs to give carriers and device manufacturers more direction. Namely, no crap on the phone (Nascar app on the Evo? WTF is it an E-Machine? No Verizon app store by default..). Standardizing the positions at the bottom...stuff like that.

So to sum it up, don't put adware and crappy branding on a phone I'm paying $200 bucks for. Also, just put the OS creator's app store on it by default. If I want your shitty store, I'll go install it myself.

P.S. Rooting doesn't count or it follows that iOS is just as open as Android.

P.S.S. Data providers in the US are seriously fucked up and the market hasn't been able to solve that to date.