The dialer no longer allows special characters that are part or USSD codes. see patch:
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Contacts/+/39948dc7e34dc2041b801058dada28fedb80c388%5E!/#F0

now, everyone can still rant about how long it will take for owners to receive an updated version of Android (if ever).

and before anyone starts the iOS vs Android bantering. No, iOS does not have this particular flaw:
"Specifically, if a URL contains the * or # characters, the Phone application does not attempt to dial the corresponding phone number."
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#featuredarticles/iPhoneURLScheme_Reference/Articles/PhoneLinks.html

"you have root, you can change it" is not an excuse for putting crap into a distribution.

I ordered my Pi from Element14 on Aug 14th and it shipped on Aug 28th. I don't know what you are doing wrong such that you haven't received yours yet.

Once my Pi arrived, I downloaded an SD card image, wrote it to a card using dd, added power to the Pi and everything worked straight away. The parts that took the most effort were retrieving my spare cell phone charger and finding an HDMI cable to connect it to my TV.

Where is all the hate coming from?

sure lookout and company find malware, google removes it, etc the android alternative markets can have loads of malware (percentage wise). but at least we are fairly aware of what's going on. the apple ecosystem is still a big black box where the nastiness is ignored and unknown. even the notion that apps are vetted is completely misleading - as shown by charlie miller in syscan. apple doesn't even release stats like what the market distribution is among the different iOS devices.

companies are winning lawsuits on "clicking a phone number in an email in order to dial the number" and "switching to an app while on the phone." companies would be mad not to try to patent every tiny user interface action, technical revision, bugfix, etc. regardless of prior art or novelty. prediction, 2012 will be even bigger!!!

Woah, if you install an app, it can do stuff! Presentations (Defcon 18), numerous student thesis and a number of academic papers do nearly (or exactly) this. (agreed that apps w/o INTERNET permission probably shouldn't be able to leverage the browser, etc, but again, not new or newsworthy)

HTC gave Android Central the following statement (updated 6:20 EST): We are gratified that the Commission affirmed the judge’s initial determination on the ‘721 and ‘983 patents, and reversed its decision on the ‘263 patent and partially on the ‘647 patent. We are very pleased with the determination and we respect it. However, the ‘647 patent is a small UI experience and HTC will completely remove it from all of our phones soon.

Search google for "Reflections on Trusting Trust" it's a great ACM award speach by Ken Thompson about this very topic. try here