Windows Mobile was technically capable of all this; custom versions of Windows mobile back-ported to older phones were far more prevalent than custom versions of Android are now despite Android being open source and based on Linux.
This should be a cautionary tale for those thinking that this technical initiative will have huge benefits for consumers -- it didn't work out well for Windows Mobile users because the manufacturers and carriers are still the gatekeepers. Just because they can more easily produce new versions doesn't mean they will.
This should be a cautionary tale for those thinking that this technical initiative will have huge benefits for consumers -- it didn't work out well for Windows Mobile users because the manufacturers and carriers are still the gatekeepers. Just because they can more easily produce new versions doesn't mean they will.