Report: Acer's Dual-Boot Netbook Arriving August

By Jane McEntegart
published

Remember that other Google operating system? Android, yeah that's the one.

It's been a while since we first heard about Acer's plans for a dual-boot Android and Windows XP netbook. Today Digitimes says we can expect to see the machine as soon as August.

We were plenty excited to see an Android netbook from Acer when this netbook was first announced, but now that Google is busy readying its Chrome OS for availability in late 2010, we find ourselves bored by Android news. What have you done, Google?

Are you still excited about an Android netbook or are you, like us, just eager to see a Chrome netbook? Let us know in the comments below!

Jane McEntegart
8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • 08nwsula
    I think we need a better look at android before we start worrying about chrome too much.
    Reply
  • talys
    What's the big deal? There are already a flood of notebooks/motherboards that support instant-boot linux with browser and a few apps. Usually, it's a "oh, that's cool" -- and then never used again. This is especially true if you keep your computer on 24/7, and there's no "boot up" required.

    If Google really wants to people to change habits, they will need to make something that is a better mail client than Outlook -- including Outlook's blistering-fast instant search.
    Reply
  • hemelskonijn
    Android and Chrome are like apples and oranges both created equal under god.

    Now serious there is no way of telling what chrome will turn out to be so yes i prefer to stick with android for now.
    I for one would like an android laptop though i would not want windows XP to be on it.
    In a way this might be a good way to get more people to use android or *nix since they can get familiar without having to be trown in the deep end.

    For those things the netbooks are marketed android is way more then enough any way.
    And since its not a resource hog and it has a huge and filled app-store this might become a hit even if they have a bigger brother named chrome in the makings.
    Reply
  • rpmrush
    Chrome is exciting. Android might be cool for phones, but even netbooks require a full featured OS. I'm hoping it will be Chrome. I'm tired of bootlegging OS's. Linux isn't a possibility for me. My wife would drive me nuts with compatibility issues. If Chrome turns out to be free, compatible, lightweight with full real innovative features..It'll be what many of us have been hoping for.
    Reply
  • Both Android and Chrome OS are based on a Linux kernel. As far as I can understand, from a functional point of view, they differ mainly in the look and feel and, possibly, in the support by Chrome OS of some kind of network file system able to keep documents synchronised between the cloud and the local terminal.

    They shouldn't be too much different and I don't consider too strange to imagine an evolutive path from Android to Chrome OS.
    Reply
  • bluesquidny
    apple tablet running chrome with virtualy no hardware. all sexy. heard it here first
    Reply
  • The google or Android os does not impress me much.
    It is not much different from other Linux versions out there, and I guess most people will use Windows for their daily activities anyways.

    If there's a difference in hardware, then I'd be interested (eg: risc or geode processor or something non x86 compatible device).
    But the software could not really catch my attention.
    I think it's time more articles on toms are written about the benefits of other architectures over the x86 architecture Windows uses. I seem to read a lot that the x86 architecture has a lot of flaws, so it'd be interesting to see if we can benefit from running Linux on other architectures. I'm sure battery life isn't the only reason x86 architectures perform less.
    Reply
  • northslopeofw
    I think an android/XP dual boot netbook is a great idea. If one is looking for a netbook, then low end games, surfing, and an occasional word doc should run great on a low resource OS. Why not, it would fill the gap until chrome OS is out. If you need more than that, then a netbook really isn't for you anyway.
    Reply