Acer is reportedly the latest company interested in using the open source Android operating system, with several products planned for future launches.
"The entire industry is looking at Android," Acer President and CEO Gianfranco Lanci said during a recent conference in Taipei. "We are testing Android on a lot of different solutions. We are working on an Android solution for the smartphone, but I think it's too early to say if we're going to see Android on a netbook in the future."
An Android-powered Acer smartphone seems like a logical choice, as the OS offers hardware manufacturers more flexibility than other mobile operating systems. The T-Mobile G1 became the first smartphone on the market to use Android, and has seen solid sales numbers for the No. 4 wireless carrier in the United States, recently surpassing 1 million units sold. HTC is the manufacturer behind the popular G1 and has announced several additional Android smartphones in the pipeline.
Google has seen a growing number of companies jump on the Android bandwagon, with some manufacturers researching its use on netbooks.
As the popularity of Android increases even further in the future, expect more manufacturers to announce their interest in using the OS for their smartphones, netbooks, and other products. A Chinese manufacturer, along with Samsung, both have Android-based products in the works, with other companies working on similar devices.
Specifically, Android is designed to make web connected applications -- especially on Google-backed web sites -- easier than other mobile operating systems. A future filled with Android netbooks is most certainly certain. Let's hope that manufacturers, application developers and consumers embrace the open source, community driven platform. After all, the more choices consumers have, the better, right?
