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What do people think about this?

On the one hand, I think it's a great idea. Unify the experience, users switch from device to device happily. Good for Google, not so goof for the phone manufacturers.
On the other hand, doesn't this go against the whole Linux mentality? Google is removing a freedom from a set of developers to develop it for their platform...

The Nexus One is still available, Google only gave up on selling it through the web, you can buy it store now...

As to the unified UI, that is a good idea. It is one of the problems with Android at the moment, I look at the range and go "I want that phone, with that UI and those extensions"... I can't get the 'phone I want with the tools I want.

E.g. If I want a physical keyboard, high res display (Motorola DROID/Milestone), with the Sense UI and Sony's media software, I'm out of luck.

Also, if I jump from one Apple iPhone to another, I know how to use it and the core UI and apps remain the same. On the Android, I have to re-learn how to do different things, or I have to learn how to disable the pretty UI extensions, so that I can get back to a standard way of using it. Okay, for me, that isn't a real problem, but for people who find an iPhone unfathomable, they won't stand a chance when looking at the various Android offerings...

I confess that I know nothing about Android. If it's an open platform, can you not run whatever GUI you want on any hardware you choose? Or are all the available GUIs not open?

It is open source, so there is nothing to stop somebody taking the source code and making their own branch... But Google are free to dictate how "their" version will look and feel, they own the Android trademark. If they change the licensing terms, those that insist on using their own UI will be free to do so, but they won't be able to sell it as an Android device, they probably also wouldn't be allowed to access the Android Store...

It could destroy Android, fragmenting not only the look-and-feel, but splintering the market with numerous Linux 'phones with different brand names, confusing the public even more... It is Linux's main strength and its main weakness.

Provided all applications can run with all GUIs, then surely it's down to natural selection to evolve the best interface. I see no reason for any particular product to be locked out of the Android store unless it is broken in some fundamental way?

I am very seriously considering an Android companion, so this is relevant to my interests.

It is all down to the branding, if they don't use the official Android version, they won't be licensed to use the Android Store either...

It isn't as bad for them as with the iPhone, users can download apps directly from websites... The problem is, most users haven't a clue about that, they just browse the store for the apps they want, which means the individual manufacturers will need their own stores, fragmenting even further.

It also assumes that the manufacturers don't do anything else to the Android source, other than use their own UI over top. If they start adding or removing features from the core Android as well, app developers will need to customise for each version...

Won't this effectively put an end to HTC's brilliant Sense UI? If so, count me out*.

*not that it matters since I'm using a BlackBerry at the moment.