> Really helps frame the panic Google must have been in to get something on the market and fast.

The way I see Google from the outside they don't seem to be panicky when entering new markets. Half of the internet already belonged to them before Android, it's not like do or die in their case. Maybe Android's technically poor choice of backend architecture may have been due to inexperience in low power device software? Microsoft has much more experience there too, and they seem to have proven my point by releasing a very responsive WP7 about a year after (it should have been). Actually, seeing Microsoft's (and Palm's) situation, Google's 'worse is better' approach may have been just what they needed, so their management certainly deserves some slack there.