Google Android, a Windows 7 netbook killer?
link: original article - section: common
Rumours are spreading that Google is in talks with leading netbook producers to offer a version of Android in anticipation of competing with Microsoft's own Windows 7, an operating system designed to be flexible enough to target everything from the basic netbook market to high-end gaming PCs.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that HP and others are working with Google to develop netbooks starring Android.
Claims that Google would be getting into the operating systems business go back at least three years, but the current rumours could well prove to be true. Android is well developed, some key players appear to be in place, and the Google name resonates more strongly with the public. It could even mean a serious challenge to Microsoft's mindshare.
The original ASUS offerings in the market provided an XP-themed version of Linux, Firefox, and OpenOffice.org, and so gave consumers the basics they needed to get what most of them needed to get done. Microsoft fought back with a modified (and cheaper) version of XP to appeal to those comfortable with that OS. However, while such an offering has proved popular on netbooks, some consumers have seen the true costs of going with the familiar: in particular, no office software installed by default.
