Hewlett-Packard is considering a deal with Google that would make Android the operating system bundled with its new line of notebook computers. HP spokeswoman Marlene Somask said the computer maker
was currently "studying" Android's communications and computing functions to see if the sofware would be a good fit.
One possibility is that HP would load the Google OS onto the popular
mini laptops known as "netbooks," which, like other PCs, are dominated by Microsoft's Windows OS.
BusinessWeek's Aaron Ricadela notes that Android is currently used for cell phones, "but that's
changing," as Google attempts to put Android on netbooks so that users can more readily share data between netbooks and mobile phones. Ricadela says that preloading netbooks with Android would also
help plug HP and other computer makers into the software development community, which has been encouraged by Google to create Android applications. Because of this, "all of the major [PC makers] are
looking at Android," says Richard Shim, a research manager at IDC.
Meanwhile, Android's creator, Google Senior Director Andy Rubin, says Android could appear in a variety of other devices,
including PCs, cell phones, navigation devices, and set-top boxes.
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