Android may spread beyond phones
The first phone using Google's Android operating system will debut on Tuesday, and more are set come. But some Android partners say the software will be used more broadly than just phones.
"We're starting to see Android get designed in on devices that extend way beyond the phone — things that might go in the automobile or things that might go in the home," said John Bruggeman, chief marketing officer at Wind River Systems, a Google ally that helps phone makers build and customise Android for their phone hardware.
It's not clear yet whether Google shares this broader Android ambition — the emphasis today is for mobile phones — but extending into new areas could increase both the prominence and competitive threat of the project. However, projects that spread wider also can be stretched thinner, and advantages such as broader developer interest could be offset by incompatibilities or other drawbacks.
Bruggeman declined to share specifics about which internet-connected devices might use the operating system, but he did mention TVs and set-top boxes as well as cars, and he was confident some will arrive next year.
Read the full story at ZDnet