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More tweaks needed to achieve top-notch Android experience on ARM

Hoping to see more of Google's Android operating system running on ARM-based hardware soon? Well, even Kerry McGuire, director of strategic alliances at ARM, acknowledged that the Android platform is still very much optimized for smartphones. She told Computerworld, "I do think that there is more work that can and will be done to bring the things we love about Android into form factors [such as netbooks]." 

One, rather familiar problem would be the fact that the Android user interface is still very much designed around a fixed number of pixels, an attribute that doesn't work so well against the larger displays on netbooks.

Rishi Mathew, director of RealPlayer for Mobile Devices at Real Inc., elaborated more on some of the other limitations. One of those limitations is Android's inability to let users run multiple applications simultaneously, as with the lack of drivers for plugged-in devices. Of course, McGuire took the opportunity to point out that for now, the ARM processor works well with Microsoft's Windows Embedded CE.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article from Computerworld

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Comments

One of the best features of Android is the OTA update. This feature would allow Android to be deployed on smartbooks/netbooks early, with periodic updates sent out, as improvements are made (the release early, release often approach).

It's not the most ideal solution, but it lets users benefit from the other great features of Android, while progress is made in other areas.

Android already runs on ARM in smartphones - both the G1 and the Magic use an ARM1136 within the Qualcomm MSM7200 chip.

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