Compal developing Android-based netbook: report
updated 09:05 am EDT, Mon April 6, 2009
Compal Android netbooks
Taiwanese notebook, monitor and digital media center maker Compal Communications is reported to be developing Android platform-based netbooks, maintains a Monday Digitimes report. The website references China's daily newspaper, the Commercial Times, as the source of the rumored news. Compal is also apparently involved in talks with several unnamed notebook sellers to help with the distribution of the upcoming product.
The Google-developed Android operating system made its debut in smartphones, with the T-Mobile G1 and many more upcoming handsets in the near future. The operating system is optimized to run on ARM processors and so suits a newer class of the chips that is fast enough to run notebook-class software. The same source recently reported Compal is likely to release CULV-powered notebook PCs, though these are more likely to use Windows.
In related news, T-Mobile earlier today was said to be working on releasing a tablet PC running on the open-source operating system by as early as 2010.
