Symantec vs Lookout Mobile

Charles Arthur:

The dispute indicates that the conflict about the difference between [what Symantec believes is] malware and [what Lookout Mobile deems in just] "adware" – where software on the user's computer generates intrusive advertising.

I remember the endless parade of new IE windows in Windows 98SE when I'd gotten a virus of some sort or another. I can tell you the difference means nothing to the typical end-user. Besides… this (directly from the Android Market) doesn't sound simply like 'adware' to me:

Allows the application to access the phone features of the device. An application with this permission can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone, whether a call is active, the number that call is connected to and the like.

Android is winning!

Also, from the same article, for free:

Rebundling often occurs when apps produced by reputable publishers are copied and then re-uploaded to the market by smaller publishers or by individuals as though they created them. Such copying is a persistent problem in the Android Market, where there is no pre-approval for apps.

(via The Guardian)