Android users don't dislike their devices quite as much as previous (and inaccurate) reports indicated, apparently. On Monday, the Yankee Group made sure to correct CNN Money's interpretation of its data.

In fact, the earlier CNN Money story said that while 77 percent of iPhone owners said they would buy another iPhone, only 20 percent of Android customers said the same about another Android phone. That seemed strange to us.

The correction, via the source of the material, the Yankee Group, is that "32 percent of Google-branded phone owners intend to buy another Android phone." Meanwhile, "36 percent of Google-branded Android phone owners say they plan to buy an iPhone." Whoops.

Of course, Google-branded phone pretty much limits the data to the Google-branded and failed HTC Nexus One experiment. That is a pretty small sampling compared to the overall set of Android phones, and considering the satisfaction around other devices, like the hit Motorola Droid, probably misleading.

This is a more telling statement:

Yankee Group still believes that Android will become the next breakout mobile phone platform, making it the third most popular platform behind iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry in installed base for at least the next five years.

We'd actually say that Android has already reached that point, given the 160,000 device activations a day Google confirmed recently.

Tags: Blackberry, Cnn, Cnn Money, Google, Inaccurate Reports, iPhone, Mobile Phone, Money Story, Motorola, Next Five Years, Nexus, Rim, Sampling, Satisfaction, Whoops, Yankee Group

We are struggling to pick the correct word for this statement, "HTC Sense ... afflicts? corrupts? graces? the UI of many devices." No matter. The point is that despite what we thought, as well, it's reportedly going to be on Windows Phone 7 devices, too.

HTC Sense layers on top of a smartphone platform, whether it's Android or Windows Mobile. Some love it, and some hate it. When Microsoft announced Windows Phone earlier, it said it would exert more control over devices, and not allow custom "skinning" of the OS, such as Sense.

Still, HTC told Forbes that it believes it's still going to manage to layer Sense on top of Windows Phone 7. Drew Bamford, who heads HTC's user experience design team, told Forbes:

"Microsoft has taken firmer control of the core experience [in Windows Phone 7], but we can still innovate," says Bamford. The future version of Sense, he adds, won't look the way it does on current Windows Mobile (6.5) phones, where it basically replaces all the core applications and is fully integrated into the phone.

Nevertheless, HTC is optimistic about the Windows Phone 7 launch, according to Bamford. "We won't be able to replace as much of the core Windows Phone experience, but we will augment it," he says.

Such deep integration as is current with HTC Sense on Windows Mobile 6.5 is not going to be allowed in Windows Phone 7. Microsoft is going to be much more strict in terms of what it permits manufacturers, and third-party developers as well, to customize on Windows Phone devices.

Meanwhile, although Google has said that stock Android 3.0 will have a much more polished UI, meaning that the "need" for manufacturers to customers its UI will be reduced, HTC doesn't see an end to Sense UI on that platform, either. Bamford said,

"Google may focus more on improving the user interface on the stock Android [software], but I don't think they'll preclude manufacturer customization."

Sense and Motorola's Motoblur, as well as Samsung's TouchWiz have been criticized for adding items to the stock OS that folks don't want or need. In the case of WM 6.5, Sense actually was pretty handy, making up for much of that old-school platform's shortcomings. Android, however, doesn't have the same limitations as WM does.

What do you readers thinK? Do you love, or hate Sense, Motoblur, and other such manufacturer customizations on top of the stock OS?

Tags: Bamford, Core Applications, Core Experience, Correct Word, Forbes, Google, Graces, Launch, Microsoft Phone, Microsoft Windows, Motorola, Party Developers, Phone Experience, Samsung, Third Party, Touc, User Experience Design, User Interface, Windows Microsoft, Windows Phone

A well-known feature of Google search is that if you type in some text in Google's search entry field, and it lists some suggestions that might be what you're looking for. It's interesting what you get if you start looking for Droid (the Motorola Android smartphone on the Verizon network).

Type in "Droid is" and you'll see the above list of options. While you won't see "Droid is a million-selling Android phone," top among them you will see "Droid is better than iPhone." You are also reminded that "Droid is a trademark of Lucasfilm." Negatively, "Droid is heavy," and "Droid is slow." Positively, "Droid is awesome," and "Droid is amazing."

Go a little further, however, and you get the kicker, at least for guys. "Droid is for" what? "Droid is for men." Considering the device is a little on the unstreamlined clunky side, that might be right.

Tags: Android, Blogspot, Google, Google Search, iPhone, Kicker, Lucasfilm, Motorola, Search Entry, Smartphone, Text Search, Trademark, Verizon, Verizon Network

Microsoft and HTC on Tuesday announced a licensing agreement on patents that Microsoft asserted HTC Android phones infringed upon. This surely ramps up the legal battle around Android and patents; Apple earlier sued HTC over patents in its devices, and though mentioning both Android and Windows Mobile, many analysts feel it was Android that was targeted.

In a statement to C|Net, Microsoft stated that it was already in discussion with other device manufacturers. The exact details of the agreement are unknown, but Microsoft will receive royalties from HTC.

It's unclear if this agreement will help HTC in its fight against Apple. Analysts such as Gartner's Ken Dulaney feel that Apple chose to sue HTC because it has a limited portfolio of patents. Motorola, on the other hand, would have numerous patents to fight Apple with. Apple also did not sue Palm over webOS, although it alluded to such a threat, possibly again because of the numerous patents that Palm implied were infringed upon by the iPhone.

Tags: Android, Apple, Blogspot, Device Manufacturers, Exact Details, Gartner, Htc, iPhone, Licensing Agreement, Microsoft, Microsoft Licensing, Motorola, Net Microsoft, Palm, Patent Licensing, Patents, Ramps, Royalties, Webos

On Tuesday, Google announced it had filled a major hole in the HTC Nexus One's feature set, adding support for 3G on both AT&T and Canada's Rogers network.

Earlier, we noted that HTC Nexus One sales have been underwhelming. There are several possibilities for this, but one was pigeon-holing it with one GSM carrier in the U.S., T-Mobile. The Nexus One ships unlocked, meaning you could drop in any SIM, but it previously wouldn't support the 3G frequencies of AT&T and Rogers prior to this.

However, T-Mobile remains the only carrier that subsidizes the Nexus One. If you buy an AT&T 3G compatible version, it will be sans contract (a good thing) but at $529 instead of $179 subsidized (a not-so-good, but not necessarily bad, thing).

Check out the new option at Google's Nexus One site.

Time will tell if this change will cause a spike in Nexus One sales. Quite a few consumers have been waiting for a decent Android phone to hit AT&T, but it appears that that Motorola Backflip ain't it, according to many reviewers.

Tags: 3g, Amp, Backflip, Blogspot, Canada, Compatible Version, Consumers, Google, Motorola, New Option, Nexus, Pigeon, Possibilities, Reviewers, S Rogers, Ships, Sim, Spike, T Mobile