Android Netbooks?

[Screwdriver0815]

Hi,

as a satisfied user of an Android mobile (Google Nexus one), I asked myself: are there plans to port the Android OS over to Netbooks?

I searched, but just found about some chinese manufacturer who presented a prototype some months ago... No Netbooks yet...?

So what do you think, or know? Will Android jump on to the netbooks too?

And, what is Chrome OS? Is it the same as Android? If not, what is the difference (its also from Google, isn't it?) and will this maybe the netbook OS?

what do you think about all this?

thanks for some answers!

[nw2001]

Chrome os so far is a very stripped down version of linux with an enhanced version of the chrome browser as the UI, Everything focused on the cloud. It is intended for netbooks and tablets.

My guess as to why android never made it to netbooks is cause there are already so many solid netbook distros.

[AllRadioisDead]

http://www.androidx86.org/

[earthpigg]

Chrome OS is completely unrelated to Android, except for Tux clanking around under the hood of both.


are there plans to port the Android OS over to Netbooks?

I searched, but just found about some chinese manufacturer who presented a prototype some months ago... No Netbooks yet...?

So what do you think, or know? Will Android jump on to the netbooks too?

Well,

if it has a keyboard and mouse, I see no reason to have a smartphone operating system (such as Android) on it.

if it doesn't have a keyboard and mouse, then it isn't what i would call a netbook.

just my $0.02.

normal operating system on a netbook while at a friends house, after you get the impulse to IM someone who isn't answering their phone:

1) sudo apt-get install pidgin
2) sshfscallhome -> enter password
3) navigate to my home desktop's home folder in nautilus
4) copy ~/.purple from my desktop (sitting at home) to my netbook (with me at friends house)
5) bam, all pidgin settings and login information are imported, pidgin installed.

How tedious would that process be on Android?

How many minutes must I spend playing around with whatever they call their graphical package manager?

How far must I dig to find $0.00 software commonly found in any standard operating system's repositories in a few seconds?

Let's get even more basic, back to Windows 95-era stuff: If I want to, can I have the IM client and web browser both displayed on the screen at the same time?


Much of Android's interface is designed to work around the difficulties associated with not having a keyboard, or only having a little micro keyboard, or maybe even a horrid virtual keyboard.

My netbook has a keyboard, tyvm.

[3rdalbum]

The Acer Aspire One D250-ODQk is dual-boot Android and Windows 7. The Android part of it sucks, though.

Acer's port of Android to x86 is even worse than their customised version of Linpus.

Intel is porting Android across as well, and it's likely to be better than Acer's version. I don't believe it's destined for netbooks though, probably just for Atom-based smartphones.

[amitabhishek]

Android is meant for touch screen devices. I have an x86 image of Android and though it boots in seconds is tedious to use. Most of the apps in the market are meant for touchscreen devices. IMO porting Android on netbooks is nothing more than a POC.

BTW I have been drooling on a Dell tablet called Streak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Streak) and this is closest that Android would go as far as a netbook is concerned.

[Screwdriver0815]

okay, thanks guys! I did not think about the touchscreen stuff, I thought it is the same, driver-wise and so on, as a mouse.

And also the issue, earthpigg pointed out... this made my mind up and now I know a little bit more! Thank you!