you just raised the bar for godfathers!

More like the bar for godmothers.   (Her guitar - not mine. I'd never spring for gold hardware! )

Hehe, not a kid either. 

I'd rather they put their efforts into a genuine open tablet PC and forget about the smartphone idea entirely.

Sure, that'd be nice, but I'd also like to see something akin to the Xbox Linux project to build a stripped-down kernel and system that can be installed on older or unused cell phones so they're not just gathering dust.  Sure, the stock Android would be enough for entertainment value, but I'd like the possibility for something different and conceivably more useful.

Agree. Ever hear of a Raspberry Pi? Or an Arduino or Pandaboard?

Wat? Dude, I seriously hope you're trolling there.    
I'm ordering an Arduino with a few goodies tomorrow and a Pi on the next paycheck (from Element14 of course...).  Pandaboard... maybe someday, though I had been eyeing the Beagleboard for a while.  Hmm... dual Cortex A9 but no bios or nonvolatile memory OR single Cortex A8... yeah, Pandaboard it is.
...And of course I'll be first in line to get a Parallella when that comes out, though I'm not coder enough to take real advantage of the 64-core co-processor.  Then again, maybe that'll be a good reason to start learning in earnest...

My point was going along with xtabber's comment about re-purposing old and unused phones.  Working in a call center for a big phone provider, I've suggested as much to many customers, and they seem to think it's pretty cool that the phones are still usable, just not as phones per se, unless with Google Voice or Skype over Wifi.  Installing a Linux, they could be used in a similar way, but it would be much more open for experimentation and possible innovation, and extend the possible useful life of the device.

Just sayin...

Apology in return; I kinda figured it was a joke, but just in case... 
Actually, I should have know better; this IS donationcoder, and we've covered that ground in many many threads before this one.  That said, I'm still tabbing up all the supplies my son and I need to rig up the Arduino for purposes of controlling lights.  He's always been in for a good light show, and the Arduino seems a good way to get him on the ground floor learning the mechanics.  Next year, motors and filters!