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It’s been said over and over again by a number of F1 well-wishers including me, but the state continues to be sorry!

The (massive) problem with OEM Android skins.

First off, the bootloaders. This is going to be nasty – What in the heck is it with MOTOROLA, HTC etc. still locking the bootloader? What blasted good is it doing? It’s not like it’s helping them sell shiploads of devices! Look at Samsung and learn! Get your heads straight! (HTC offers an online unlocking process that almost voids your warranty & still doesn’t provide a fully unlocked bootloader. Why? Why lock it in the first place?)

Why can’t I flash stock Android without having to compromise my warranty? I can install any OS on my Windows machine without affecting warranty at all. Why then do I have to be forced to use some skinned, bloated, clowned up version of Android when I paid premium money for an ANDROID device? I didn’t buy a Sense or Touchwiz phone, I bought an Android phone!

At least, let users choose between stock and customised Android. Your skins are not really the star attractions you like to believe they are. They’re either slow, ugly, clumsy, buggy, cartoonish or all of the above.

HTC Sense 4.0, MOTO UI whatever, Samsung Touchwiz 4.0

All those skins above are awful when compared to the understated, brilliantly functional and elegant stock look & experience.

Android 4.0.x (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Android 4.1.x (Jelly Bean)

Leave stock Android alone, or put that option in place, at least. Stop being thick-headed door knobs! ICS and JB do not need any “prettifying” or “fixing”, so save it! All that skinning seems to be achieving is delayed updates & frustrated power users like me. If I wanted a restrictive OEM skin that could not be switched off/changed, I’d go to the fruit phone!

I don’t even want to get into all the framework changes and awful code screw ups that happen in order to get these skins working. Why invest that amount of time and resources to “fix” something that ain’t broken?