We're not sure it's news every time one OS manufacturer pokes fun at another, but here we go again anyway. During a panel on netbooks (attended and reported by LaptopMag's Mark Spoonauer) at CES, Microsoft GM of consumer products James DeBragga took a swipe at Android after it was lauded as being versatile and free. DeBragga sort of agreed, calling it "free like a puppy" in that it's cute at first but has to be trained and can be a hassle. And, yes, pee on your rug. (It really tied the room together.)
Now there may be some truth to that (erm, not the rug part), and DeBragga's point was that an open and free platform like Android doesn't have the proper muscle behind it for a proper support infastructure and is "leashed" to the Android Market. That's certainly a concern, and we're seeing results of Android's relative immaturity in the recent Nexus One launch. But we'd argue that it's not that Android (and Google) doesn't have the capability of proper support, it's just that the organization appears muddied at the moment.
Either way: It's a cute line, but probably one that has more bark than bite.
