HP studying Android for netbooks
There was a scene in Microsoft's "Lauren" commercial where she holds up a netbook computer and says "This is like a phone." She's not the only one thinking that way.
The latest buzz is that Hewlett-Packard is testing Google's Android, an operating system designed for mobile phones, for possible use in some of its netbooks instead of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Satjiv Chahil, a vice president of H-P's PC division, wouldn't tell the Wall Street Journal whether HP plans to sell Android devices but did confirm that it's being studied. "We want to assess the capability Android may have for the computer and communications industries, and so we are studying it," he said.
Android, a free Linux-based OS, isn't available on PCs yet, though Asustek Computer previously said it is considering an Android netbook. Dell is considering Android for a smartphone.