Intel Porting Android for x86 Notebooks, Tablets

By Kevin Parrish
published

Intel is porting Android to x86 for Atom-based devices.

Intel is reportedly working on a fully native x86 version of Google's Android operating system for Atom-powered netbooks and tablets. The company may actually porting the highly-anticipated "Froyo" v2.2--Google released the SDK back in May and just made the source code available on Wednesday. However this of course may depend on whether Google will finalize FroYo before Intel's expected release of the x86 Android OS later this summer.

Originally Android was written to run on ARM processors. However Intel's senior vice president and general manager of the Software and Services Group Renee James said that the process of "Atomizing" the OS wasn't difficult at all thanks to the company's previous experience with Linux. The overall process is expected to wrap up soon.

"Our expectation is that (native x86 Android) will be based on the Froyo release and will be available this summer to developers," James said. She also added that the code used to construct the x86 Android OS will be piped back into the "open branch," and will be accessible to the Android developer community.

Although the software is expected to be used on Atom-based tablets and netbooks, Intel is hoping that this port will provide hardware partners another OS-based option for Atom-powered smartphones in the future.

Kevin Parrish
24 Comments Comment from the forums
  • kyeana
    That is good news, although personally i would still prefer a normal linux distribution on a netbook, as they have much larger distro specific repositories.

    I do like all the love android is getting though :)
    Reply
  • webbwbb
    That last paragraph is very quizzical. I really do not know how or why Intel thinks Atom processors would work in a smart phone. If they are able to achieve massive power reductions they will still be about 10 times what they should which will not only drain a battery but may even require an active cooling system. It just seems like an unachievable goal.
    Reply
  • wcooper007
    hey webbwbb have you not been keeping up with the news on the atom procs the newest ver. that they have has two models one which is for netbooks and nettops and the other for SMARTPHONES.... and its power consumption is almost equal to that of the arm processor and its able to preform about 2x faster than anything else on the market at this time soo do some reading man your way behind...
    Reply
  • samwelaye
    finally, a very viable option to windows 7 starter on the netbooks
    Reply
  • flightmare
    Nice they are working on 2.x, Android x86 project is still on 1.6.
    Reply
  • crashtest
    webbwbbThat last paragraph is very quizzical. I really do not know how or why Intel thinks Atom processors would work in a smart phone. If they are able to achieve massive power reductions they will still be about 10 times what they should which will not only drain a battery but may even require an active cooling system. It just seems like an unachievable goal.
    They are talking about Moorestown
    Reply
  • voodoobunny
    Android on quad-core Atom FTW!

    Imagine a tablet with FroYo or Gingerbread and a quad-core Atom...
    Reply
  • zdzichu
    Quite schizophrenical for Intel. They already have full distribution (MeeGo) working with tablets, netbooks and phones. Touching Android looks like marketing gimmick without real value.
    Reply
  • I think Intel is just covering all their bases so that Moorestown takes off properly in the smart phone market. They have MeeGo and Android ready for their chips which will make them more attractive to hardware developers.
    Reply
  • @zdzichu More OS choices for atom = more sales. Pretty obvious.
    Reply