Qualcomm said today it is running Google’s Android platform on its Snapdragon chipset designed for netbooks and mobile Internet devices. This isn’t earth-shattering since Snapgragon is an ARM-based chip, and another Qualcomm ARM-based chip powers the G1 Android phone. Qualcomm is also a big Android backer through the Open Handset Alliance. But the news bolsters our previous reporting that we could soon see a netbook running Android rather than straight-up Linux or Windows. Once this happens, the lines between mobile operating systems and PC operating systems will be effectively blurred, and we wonder where Android will go next?
I think they have been effectively blurred already.
Using the Blackberry Bold I’ve been convinced we’re closer than ever. The fact that it can run multiple apps, allowing me to switch between them, write docs, etc. on the go… yeah, we’re well on our way.
Mobile, super light, offi-site data storage, remote music programs like pandora but smarter. We’re going baby!
I used Android constantly while on holiday, both on a G1 and on one of Texas Instruments’ OMAP3430 development platforms. While sitting at a stoplight, in a city I’ve never visited, the lady in the car next to me asks if I know where she can find a Taco Bell … clearly she was fighting a major craving. Before the light turns green, not only have I told her where to curb her Chalupa appetite but also where she can save twenty cents per gallon on fuel (thank you GasBot).
Anyone digging into the Android code will find that most of the hooks are already there to enable it to scale. It was clearly designed as a platform to grow and, as Stacy highlights, the advantage of Android is that there are no limits on where it can go next.
After running Android on larger resolution displays, with touch-type keyboard, and higher performing OMAP3 processor I can attest that the step up to accessing rich cloud services is very near. Give me this and GEARS and I’ll have all the netbook I need next year.