HP Looking at Android for Netbooks
With all the talk of Windows 7 and how Microsoft will have a version of the OS specifically designed for netbooks, it’s refreshing to hear that notebook manufacturers are still considering other operating systems for upcoming netbooks.
Reports of the company’s interest in Android first reported in the Wall Street Journal, and the HP has since confirmed that it is looking the Google OS for both netbooks and smartphones.
Reuters today reports that, while a HP spokeswoman said only that company was studying Android to "understand all of the OS choices in the marketplace that might be used by our competitors, or that might possibly be of value to our customers too," the company stopped short of committing to the OS and instead added, "We want to assess the capabilities that Android might present for the computer and communications industries."
Since there are no license fees for Android, it would be an ideal candidate for HP if it were to offer a netbook aimed at competing on price.
The news comes following numerous reports about Microsoft’s Windows 7 Starter Edition possibly enabling $200 netbooks. While Windows 7 Starter Edition is the cheapest option, many have raised concerns about the version which reportedly limits the user to have only three programs running at once. Microsoft has said before that it would like for users of lesser versions of Windows 7 to upgrade and such limits would quickly produce results.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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hellwig My Android G1 runs a ARM-based processor. Is there an x86 version of Android or are we talking about shying away from Intel and Via, possibly towards NVIDIA's Tegra or some other ARM processor for netbooks??Reply -
SAL-e hellwigMy Android G1 runs a ARM-based processor. Is there an x86 version of Android or are we talking about shying away from Intel and Via, possibly towards NVIDIA's Tegra or some other ARM processor for netbooks??Android basically is custom Java SDK running on top of custom Linux kernel for ARM. It should be quite easy to replace the ARM kernel with x86 kernel and Android could run on x86 based netbook. Although I think the feature of the netbooks/MIDs is in fact in ARM architecture. bogdan111that sounds strange. why not just use a normal distribution of linux.I would agree with you, but all companies that are offering Linux on netbooks are finding that many of the customers are very entrenched in Windows paradigm and do not want to re-learn how to use PC under Linux. This is becoming a support issue for OEMs. That is why they are looking for something that has been accepted by average user. Or in other words OEMs want the netbooks to be used as an appliance. That would be ok with me as long they do not try to lock the device and allow me to install my custom version of Android or other Linux distribution.Reply -
kyeana hmmm interesting... :-)Reply
if they did go through with it i would imagine it to help with g1 phone sales as well