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Google OS Running on netBook Computers

Now it gets interesting. VentureBeat is reporting they’ve managed to get Google’s Android OS running a netbook, specifically an Asus EEE 1000H. The Operating System allegedly designed for running on mobile phones is now happily running on one of the little laptops that made such an impact on geek culture in 2008.

Okay so there isn’t a full blown Office Suite yet – but you could argue that with the Google Chrome Browser running on the Asus you have a cloud computing solution, and it’s a recompilation of the OS targeted at a smartphone. There are sure to be tweaks and changes to make it more suitable for the micro-laptop environment, but this is still an important first step in a new market.

There was a moment, late in Q3 where netbooks could have went either way, when the big manufacturers looked at the impact that selling $300 laptops compared to $1800 laptops would have on their bottom line. They could have hoped it would go away, but both HP and Dell embraced the lines and that was that.

With the big boys in the game, the smaller manufacturers decision to go with the basic form factor of 9” screen, Qwerty keyboard and lots of functionality has been justified. Microsoft are keeping Windows XP alive just to stay in the game, the Linux OS flavours are all running to get on the systems (I’m surprised that Canonical haven’t done more with the Netbook Remix in public), and now Google join them with an OS that has a big commercial backer, albeit by the back door.

Now that the hardware has almost reached commodity status (and expect prices to drop even more through Q1 and Q2 in 2009), the battleground for netbooks are going to be the software and the ease of use, from the hackers right down to the computer novices.

It’s been a while since there’s been such an open playing field for a ‘new’ technology. This is going to be fun!

January 2, 2009; Mobile Computing, Netbook, Web 2.0 (Observations);

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