Android Running on Eee PC 1000 Netbook (new Google mobile OS - Lookout Microsoft!)

SlashGear.com ^ | 1-2-2009

[webschooner]

Google may have started out with cellphones for their Android platform, but that doesn’t mean they’re limiting their future options. The guys over at VentureBeat have loaded the open-source OS onto an Eee PC 1000 netbook, with a display almost five times the size of the T-Mobile G1, and aside from some initial networking and sound issues Android is now running normally on the ASUS machine.

Screen resolution adjusted automatically, and while digging around in the code they came across not only the phone policy but a MID (mobile internet device) policy suggesting that Google are already considering netbooks in these relatively early Android builds. One of Google’s own developers, Dima Zavin, ported the platform onto another Intel CPU-based netbook, proving that there was no real technical issue preventing it.

Getting Android ready for the Eee PC took around four hours. That left VentureBeat with a working netbook capable of media playback, internet access, messaging and, presumably, if the 1000 had a 3G modem, wireless broadband. Since the open-source version of Android doesn’t currently support the Android Market, downloading apps from there wasn’t possible; however, they did find Czech, German, English (Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore, United States), Spanish, Japanese, German and Dutch translation options, suggesting launches of the platform in some those countries may be next.

[webschooner]

I have the first mobile phone with the Android OS, the G1, and the OS is very good, very user friendly, and very stable -- never crashes or locks up on me. I like the OS a lot. If you are interested in one person's personal experience with the OS on the new G1, visit my profile page.

There will be a number of cell phone manufacturers and carriers hitting the market with phones with the open source Android OS in 2009.

I think it is likely when Google built the Android OS, their plan has been all along to start with mobile phones, and with success there, build the system for netbooks, and ultimately laptops and PC's.

[webschooner]

tech ping

[decimon]

Is this a relatively autonomous OS or are you assimilated into the Google Matrix?

[Vaduz]

Google is AOL only bigger.

[webschooner]

It is an open source OS — anyone can produce applications for it, and there are many coming out every day, if that answers that part of your question.

I guess you are asking if I am associated in any way with Google. If so, the answer is no, not at all. I do own a G1 and like the Android OS, so I posted this on FR for informative purposes.

[decimon]

I guess you are asking if I am associated in any way with Google.

No. Sorry if it seemed so.

IIRC, Google has been pushing online apps, storage, whatever. Nice as a backup should your puter suffer a meltdown but I'd prefer keeping my me stuff with me and not with whomever.

[Wonder Warthog]

Don't most netbooks already come running a flavor of Linux (those that aren't loaded with Windows XP)??

How is Android superior to that??

We just bought three of the Acer Aspire netbooks (1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive), and they are really impressive. We run Labview on them to control dedicated fluidic instruments.

[webschooner]

My bad, I misunderstood what you were axing.

The contacts you put in the G1 are also stored in your Gmail account, so if you lose your phone, or do a hard reset, they reload on the phone from there.

Personally, I only keep a few frequently called contacts in the phone’s contacts. The less frequently used contacts and info, I keep in a free application called Upvise Personal, which does have a website where the data is also stored and syncs with the phone, which I like. Pressing on the phone number in Upvise will still dial it, and pressing on the address will still take one to the address in Google maps.

However, for those who don’t want their data on the internet, I suspect there might be some aps which will allow one to only store one’s data on the phone only. If not, such aps will prolly be out soon. Since it is open source, the wide range of applications coming out is pretty interesting and very creative, and it’s only getting started.

Developers are allowed to start charging for aps if they like, sometime mid-January. Up until now, all aps have been free. I expect many, and more sophisticated aps to hit the market soon. There is a website someone has kindly put online that seems to show most if not all of the Android aps with some information about them, http://www.cyrket.com/ There are only a fraction of the user comments on the applications there. There are many many more comments which can be informative, but those are only accessible directly on the Market from the G1.

[VanDeKoik]

Honestly both Microsoft and Apple should be very afraid of Android. Not because it’s from Google, but because all it will take is some company like HP or Dell, slicking up the interface,optimizing the OS for their hardware, and producing their own killer apps, to become essentially their own Apple/MS competitor overnight.

[decimon]

...I misunderstood what you were axing.

Nothing axed, nothing felled. ;-)

[webschooner]

Yes, many netbooks already come with Linux.

Nowhere did I state that Android was or would be superior to Linux on netbooks. I only posted the story because I thought it is technically interesting and newsworthy that the Android OS has been successfully and experimentally loaded onto a netbook.

Personally, I feel that competition is better for us all, and that is generally the conservative view.

[dennisw]

Google should be pushing Android on these cute little Eee PC

I played with one at Best Buy that had Linux and it seemed very good

[webschooner]

Honestly both Microsoft and Apple should be very afraid of Android. Not because it’s from Google, but because all it will take is some company like HP or Dell, slicking up the interface,optimizing the OS for their hardware, and producing their own killer apps, to become essentially their own Apple/MS competitor overnight.

I agree with you, and I think behind closed doors, the suits at those two companies are looking over their shoulders. I think there is subtle evidence for that if you read between the lines, so to speak:

In Microsoft's case, soon after the G1 came out, Steve Balmer took a verbal potshot at the Android system, which normally might seem odd for a brand new OS on just one phone to get that much public attention from the mucky muck of M-soft.

I feel that Apple's decision to start selling the iphone at Walmart stores is directly due to competition from Android. I have read predictions from several sources, that with a number of new phones on various carriers coming out with Android in 2009, that the Android OS (on various phones) will outsell the iphone in 2009.

[LuxAerterna]

I got my daughter a Dell mini-laptop/netbook (9" screen) for Christmas that runs Ubuntu Linux and so far have been quite pleased by the performance. My only concern is finding anti-malware software that runs on Linux.

Many of these netbooks run on a Intel Atom processor which simply cannot handle the load generated by bloated Vista. I also think that a lot of users don't want XP either because the purchase of this operating system increases the cost of these relatively inexpensive computers by 25% or more. The proliferation of netbooks has created a real opening, at least for the team being, for non-Microsoft operating systems. My guess is that Microsoft is not taking this development lying down and will eventually release a leaned down and inexpensive version of Vista or Windows 7 to compete in this space.

[webschooner]

My guess is that Microsoft is not taking this development lying down and will eventually release a leaned down and inexpensive version of Vista or Windows 7 to compete in this space.

I am no software engineer, but Vista is such a huge bloated OS, that sounds like a tall order -- perhaps sort of like axing a 400 lb. dewd to slim down to become a welter weight fighter.

It seems to me that with the release of Vista and its problems, M-soft has all but advertised to the rest of the industry, "Please come and take some of our market share and kick our a**es." LOL

[Wonder Warthog]

"I also think that a lot of users don't want XP either because the purchase of this operating system increases the cost of these relatively inexpensive computers by 25% or more."

The Acer Aspires we bought for the lab were $350 (1 GB ram, 120 GB HDD, Windows XP). Plenty cheap enough for me.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Nowhere did I state that Android was or would be superior to Linux on netbooks. I only posted the story because I thought it is technically interesting and newsworthy that the Android OS has been successfully and experimentally loaded onto a netbook. Personally, I feel that competition is better for us all, and that is generally the conservative view."

Got no problem with any of that. What I'm trying to get a feel for is where Android fits into the picture. Is it, itself, another flavor of Linux, or Unix (as is the Apple OS), or is it "new from the bottom up".

[snowsislander]

What I'm trying to get a feel for is where Android fits into the picture. Is it, itself, another flavor of Linux, or Unix (as is the Apple OS), or is it "new from the bottom up".

The Wikipedia article seems to have a good summary of this Linux derivative: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system).

[webschooner]

As far as I have been able to find out, it is an entirely new OS, developed from the bottom up.

[Moonman62]

It seems to me that with the release of Vista and its problems, M-soft has all but advertised to the rest of the industry, "Please come and take some of our market share and kick our a**es." LOL

Microsoft has been saying that for over 25 years. While their software is bloated crap, their marketing and strategy is top rate.