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Apple has recieved a lot of hate for locking down their Application store to only applications they approve to run on their iPhone. This allows Apple to lock out any application that is malicious, competes with Apple’s services, breaks any laws or anything Apple just plain doesn’t like. On the other hand, the HTC Dream G1 lets anyone write an application and allows it to put on their phone.  Windows Mobile devices and Nokia’s Internet Tablet allow you to download software from any website and install it on your device and letting you do what you want with your device whether tht is just using the pre-installed apps or writing your own application and running that on your device. There are arguments in favor of both methods and Apple has been disliked for enforcing their strict policies that restrict iPhone users from installing Voice over IP applications like Skype on their iPhones.  On the other hand, people could install all sorts of weird applications on their Windows Mobile device, like I did with my Dell Axim X50 pocket PC, and have applications that don’t work or could corrupt your device breaking features or just bricking your device.  I will round-up all the advantages and disadvantages of having an open system and will then suggest what the best system is.

Advantages:

1. Install what ever you want and do what you wish with your device- At the end of the day you own that device and you really should be able to install anything, within the limitation of the laws, on that device because it is your property and bought it to use it for what you want it for.
2. Choice- If the service provider is filtering which applications can and cannot be installed on your device.  So as an example, if the Gphone would only allow Google Talk and you are a heavy skype user that would force you to either adopt a new service or just stop you from using your phone for VOIP.
3. Options- Finally, keeping your options open is always a good thing. Apple is not allowing certain categories of applications be allowed to  on their device and I really like having the option of doing almost anything on my device.

Disadvantages:

1. Malicious Applications- If you are installing applications on your devices whether it be a computer, handheld computer, or a cell phone people could try to purposly sabbotage you and write a application to break your device.
2. Unmaintained Applications- Some people might right an application with the highest quality in mind but, they are just not an accomplished enough programmer to make it work right or they just give up and leave any users stuck with a half done application. The application may just not work right or could mess up your device and by closing the system the provider can weed out the bad applications.

Solutions:

In the end opening up to any software gives the user the freedoms they really have the legal right to in buying a device. While I do agree that applications should be filtered for quality assurance reasons only  for the best interest of the consumer not the company, the best method I have come across is the method of approval for Mozilla Firefox add-ons. They way it works is anyone can develop and add-on for free and submit it. Then the community can test a pre-release version and people would have to agree specially to use an addon that is not fully developed. I think if Apple were to adopt this and let peope install what they want then, they will probly gain even more users because the users have more options on what they can use their iPhone for.

I also would like Maemo and other open platforms to adopt this because, I hate it when applications suddenly stop working or crash after an update.  Also, for saftey and  preventing acidentally installing malicious applications you should always read comments made by other users of the application to see if they have any complaints. Also, make sure that it is not some random person’s website and make sure the site seems legitimate and it not some scam to ruin your device and steal your data.