Er... so with each manufacturer wanting to provide App stores, they'd now need people writing apps for Windows Mobile, Android, iPhone, Palm, S60, Nokia's Linux thing, etc...

They -- and all manufacturers -- get Android for free. I guess they may like to go the proprietary lock-in route blazed by Microsoft and Apple, and lock users into a closed milking-machine, I mean, "ecosystem".

But still there would be one thing missing. Perhaps they could mix some stem-cells with some of Jobs' DNA to make their own raving control-freak megalomaniac corporate dictator? This seems to be working out well for Apple, (but not so much for their developers).

If their finance can support it, HTC should look ahead and build up their (human) asset along their strategy line.

Get WebOS from Palm, it's an amazing system, the best mobile operating system out there, period.