Google Android OS Successfully Powers Netbook
As we all know, the Google developed G1 smartphone is powered by the Android operating system; what you probably were not aware of is the fact that a couple of ingenious techies managed to port it to a netbook. The two people in question are Matthäus Krzykowski and Daniel Hartmann, and what they managed to do is load Android onto an Eee PC 10000H netbook and successfully run the device on Google’s OS – all it took was 4 hours of preparations, no more.
The best part of it all is that porting the Android to the netbook was not only a proof-of-concept demo; the operating system was capable of running the device’s sound card, onboard graphics card and even wireless connectivity hardware. The open source Android is shaping up to be much more than a simple phone-based OS and in the future we expect it to be able to power laptops and PCs as well.
The duo’s success has started a stir in the IT world. How come? Matthäus Krzykowski and Daniel Hartmann explain: “Imagine the billion dollar market at stake here if Google can make good on this vision. Netbooks are basically small-scale PCs. For Silicon Valley myriad of software companies, it means a well-backed, open operating system that is open and ripe for exploitation for building upon. Based on the progress we see in the Android open source project, we believe that getting an Android netbook to market is doable in as few as three months.”
In related Android news, it seems that Google has even greater plans for the aforementioned operating system. The Mountain View search engine giant is currently hard at work on an add-on that would allow the blind to use Android powered devices. The goal is to develop an application that allows the visually impaired to dial numbers by using the touchscreen. Other goals refer to including a screen reader and a GPS powered, spoken directions, navigating application.
The best part of it all is that porting the Android to the netbook was not only a proof-of-concept demo; the operating system was capable of running the device’s sound card, onboard graphics card and even wireless connectivity hardware. The open source Android is shaping up to be much more than a simple phone-based OS and in the future we expect it to be able to power laptops and PCs as well.
The duo’s success has started a stir in the IT world. How come? Matthäus Krzykowski and Daniel Hartmann explain: “Imagine the billion dollar market at stake here if Google can make good on this vision. Netbooks are basically small-scale PCs. For Silicon Valley myriad of software companies, it means a well-backed, open operating system that is open and ripe for exploitation for building upon. Based on the progress we see in the Android open source project, we believe that getting an Android netbook to market is doable in as few as three months.”
In related Android news, it seems that Google has even greater plans for the aforementioned operating system. The Mountain View search engine giant is currently hard at work on an add-on that would allow the blind to use Android powered devices. The goal is to develop an application that allows the visually impaired to dial numbers by using the touchscreen. Other goals refer to including a screen reader and a GPS powered, spoken directions, navigating application.
