Intel is taking aim at Android with a project to port Google's handset software on Moblin Linux
Will Google Android and Intel’s Moblin Linux ever merge?
As crazy as it sounds, that’s exactly what Intel executives suggested at a recent meeting with Wall Street analysts.
The beta version of open source project Moblin 2.0 – Intel’s own flavor of mobile Linux for smartphones and netbooks - is expected to be released this week.
“Moblin is really for non-Windows usae models, mostly handset focus. It’s a complete experience, a complete stack, all the way to the user experience for full Internet experience with MIDs and also for some particular usage models of netbooks,” said Intel software chief, Renee James.
Intel’s secret plan is to then “port” the Google Android framework onto Moblin, in a move to further unify the mobile Linux distributions but also leverage Google’s eco-system.
“Our intention is to port Android on top of Moblin, so that it has all the goodness of the IA optimizations and all the applications base that Google is developing around Android,” adds Intel CEO Paul Otellini.
Moblin: a snack and go Internet experience!
Intel promises a “boot time” of 7 seconds with Moblin, from start to Web.
Nokia has recently joined the Moblin project to specifically work on the telephony piece, while OpenedHand – a UK-based company Intel acquired last September – is focusing on the user experience.
“Google Android user experience on a netbook is simply not good,” confided James.
With Android netbooks coming out this year, that’s certainly makes for an interesting challenge between Intel and Google!
Here’s a video clip of Intel’s Otellini and James comments on Moblin and Android:
