Android Without Google

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Android without Google? Surely Android is Google?
The answer is not all. Google owns Android but the OS is open source, which means anybody can download the code and build their own version without any limitations and no involvement from Google. However, the plain android OS is different to the version we are most familiar with on our phones and android tablets.
Because a large part of the Android experience revolves around the Google experience. This means Maps, Gmail and account syncing, of course, the Android Market. None of these things are part of the open source package, and so will not be available on a device unless said device is submitted to Google for approval and the apps are licensed.

So what are the real benefits of a Google-less Android device?
There are two main benefits. One is that it helps to keep the costs down. A lot of the budget tablets come without Google functionality in order to keep their price as low as possible. This is also the reason why budget tablets also tend to come with the phone-centric Gingerbread OS rather than the tablet-specific Honeycomb, as the Honeycomb source code was not released by Google. The second benefit is for manufacturer that wants to go it alone. This is most famously seen in Amazon’s Kindle Fire, a device that is powered by Android but in which virtually all references to Android and Google have been removed. The Kindle Fire is the most famous Google-less device. Archos tablets are cheap devices that always come without Google apps, but offer a third-party alternative.
And the downside is no Android Marketplace?
Exactly. User expect to be able to download apps into their devices, but without the Market it becomes hard. In most cases manufacturers will add their own third-party app store, but these are usually a pale imitation of the real thing, as even Amazon has shown.
What you should say, ready-made opinions for you to cut out and keep
The Cynic:
You cannot underestimate the importance of Google to Android. This only increases fragmentation in the ecosystem. It reflects badly on Android when users cannot access the Market when they expect to. You get what you pay for.
The Supporter:
This is one of the great benefits of having an open source OS. Cheap tablets make the platform accessible to everyone. Tablets without apps still function as great web browsers and media players. It will be less of a problem with Ice Cream Sandwich anyway.