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View Full Version : Android on Netbooks. Asus no; Acer yes.


monsterstack
June 3rd, 2009, 05:27 AM
According to this news article (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/06/03/ap6496907.html) [forbes.com],

The move by Acer, the world's third-largest PC maker, could raise Android's chances of becoming a widely used alternative to Windows on mobile computers.

Meanwhile, Asus seem reluctant (http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/asustek-puts-android-netbook-ice-728) [infoworld.com] to do the same:

Moments after sharing a news conference stage with Intel executive vice president Sean Maloney and Microsoft corporate vice president, OEM Division, Steven Guggenheimer, the chairman of Asustek, Jonney Shih, demurred when asked about the Android Eee PC.

I wonder why Asus are scared to offer up Android. Personally, I think the more OS choices for netbooks, so much the better. Things are starting to heat up now, what with ARM and Snapdragon and Atom and Windows 7 and all. I wonder what's going to happen.
sonofusion82
June 3rd, 2009, 06:01 AM
sharing a news conference stage with Intel executive vice president

Hmm... what do you expect Asus to say to Intel at that time? "No, we are not going to buy Atom processors, we are going to buy from smaller ARM manufacturers" ;)
monsterstack
June 3rd, 2009, 06:04 AM
Sure, but it's not just Asus being polite for the Intel bigwigs' sake. They were thoroughly apologetic for even thinking about having Android on their Netbook range.
gn2
June 3rd, 2009, 09:52 AM
I wonder why Asus are scared to offer up Android.

Could be that they don't want the hassle and birth pains of an as yet unproven netbook OS.
Or they don't like that Google retain control of the Android Software Developer Kit which is proprietary and closed source.
Android SDK T's & C's 3.2.and 3.3 (http://developer.android.com/sdk/terms.html)


Personally, I think the more OS choices for netbooks, so much the better. Things are starting to heat up now, what with ARM and Snapdragon and Atom and Windows 7 and all. I wonder what's going to happen.

I agree, genuine competition will stimulate improvement.
But unfortunately there's a cuckoo in the nest.