HP considering possible Netbook version of Android

by Stevie Smith - Apr 1 2009, 15:00

Presently striving to make its mark on the technology scene through smartphone handsets, Google’s free and open Android operating system could soon make the platform transition to mainstream computers thanks to the boffins at Hewlett-Packard (HP).

While not officially confirming its intent to embrace Android through its computer products, HP has conceded that it is studying potential uses for the operating system developed by Google Inc. and the contributing members of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA).

Hewlett-Packard is studying Android in order to “understand all of the OS choices in a marketplace that might be used by our competitors, or that might possibly be of value to our customers too,” commented a HP spokeswoman in a Reuters report.

“We want to assess the capabilities that Android might present for the computer and communications industries,” she added.

Industry analysts believe the platform jump from phone to computer is a viable possibility, with Android likely to find traction on Web-centric portable devices such as Netbooks, which have gained considerable consumer popularity over the last 12 months thanks to relatively basic functionality and a low price point.

California-based HP, the world’s largest seller of personal computer hardware, already offers its customer base Netbook systems carrying either Windows XP or open-source Linux operating systems.

And, lending a little added weight to the idea of Android coming to computer platforms, a similar Wall Street Journal report also claims reliable sources have indicated HP is running tests on the Android OS ahead of introducing it to the Netbook arena.

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