Google recently got into a bit of hot water when it was announced that it would be withholding the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) source code, with cries of restriction of the so-called open source OS coming from all corners.

Now Android chief Andy Rubin has taken matters into his own hands to set the record straight. In a post on the Android developers blog, Rubin stated that the Android team has, “remained committed to fostering the development of an open platform for the mobile industry and beyond.”

He said that he didn't believe in a “one size fits all” solution, with the Android platform already being applied to many different devices, from smartphones to tablets and even notebooks.

“Miraculously, we are seeing the platform take on new use cases, features and form factors as it's being introduced in new categories and regions while still remaining consistent and compatible for third party applications.”

He said manufacturers are just as free to modify aspects of the Android OS as ever, with only basic Google compatibility requirements that needs to be followed. Rubin stated, “there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs. There are not, and never have been, any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture.”

Finally he reiterated that Android continues being an open source platform, and that the team will release new source code as soon as it's ready. “As I write this the Android team is still hard at work to bring all the new Honeycomb features to phones. As soon as this work is completed, we'll publish the code.”

That should put any doubts about Android's integrity to bed, at least for most of us. We're definitely looking forward to Android 3.0 Honeycomb on smartphones, with its improved multi-tasking, browsing, widgets and customisation support.