H-P May Use Google's Android for Some Netbooks

There've been rumors of something like this for the last couple of years. That being said, I think this time around the timing might be right, and it could mean that Android is the distribution that finally brings Linux to the mainstream. A lot of netbooks running Linux end up getting returned because the OS either doesn't run the applications the users are used to or doesn't have native driver support for their periferals. Android faces similar problems, but I think the Google brand, coupled with an increasingly rapid transition to browser based applications (think Google Docs, webmail, or even Andy's post last week about OnLive), could give Android the boost it needs to be a real player in this space. Imagine an Android netbook preloaded with Google Desktop, Google Chrome, a selection of Android apps, and Gears versions of Google Docs. We're already seeing netbooks subsidized by major carriers in exchange for 2-year data plan contracts. Would you be surprised to see H-P and Verizon team up to offer those Android netbooks for $100 in the next year? Oh yeah, here's the story I'm referring to: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123852934905974845.html.

Of course, how long are netbooks even going to matter? In all likelihood, netbooks are going to be transitional devices that fill the gap between full featured laptops and smartphones until the two completely converge. When you don't have physical media and all your processing is done in the cloud, the only thing you'd be missing in a smartphone that you get in a laptop is the interface (keyboard & mouse) and the larger screen. How many years before we see periferals for our phones that take care of that problem?