From the horse's mouth...
See the Google I/O 2010 video "Android UI design patterns" at approx. 44mins.
Q: What's Google's stance on hardware manufacturers overlaying their own UI enhancements over stock Android? Is this something which will be discouraged in the future?"
A: "We think it's great for ... both the products and for us as designers to see what other people do with it. So, you know, we're perfectly happy with that as the plan going forward."
Biting the hand that feeds IT
