Intel Embraces Android in Mobile Push
By Mark LaPedus, SemiMD senior editor
In a major change of direction, Intel Corp. has thrown its weight behind the Android operating system.
At the Intel Development Forum in San Francisco Tuesday (Sept. 13), Intel and Google Inc. disclosed that they will work together to optimize future versions of Android for Intel’s family of Atom processors. The joint effort is designed to accelerate Atom-based smartphones running the Android platform.
Paul Otellini
“Together we are accelerating the Intel architecture and bringing new levels of innovation to a maturing Android platform,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini.
The move represents a new strategy for Intel. The chip giant has been working with Nokia to develop Atom-based smartphones built on the MeeGo mobile Linux software.
Recently, however, Nokia itself has made a major shift and embraced a rival technology: Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 software. The move has raised questions about the future of MeeGo at Nokia.
At Intel, MeeGo is still ‘’alive and well in our embedded business,’’ said Otellini during a question and answer session at IDF. MeeGo is being targeted for the automotive and embedded space, he said.
Now, however, Intel is embracing Android for Atom-based smartphones. ‘’Combining Android with Intel’s low power smartphone roadmap opens up more opportunity for innovation and choice,” said Andy Rubin, senior vice president the mobile business at Google. “This collaboration will drive the Android ecosystem forward.”
But by moving towards Android, Intel has switched again in its efforts to crack the mobile phone market.
Atom-based smartphones, based on MeeGo, were supposed to be out in the fourth quarter of 2011. Now, it’s unclear if or when those phones will appear. As a result, Intel appears to have lost precious time. Otellini said Intel has lost about six months in its ongoing quest to bring Atom into the mainstream mobile market.
Unlike MeeGo, Android is hot.
This work will enable mobile device OEMs and wireless operators to draw upon the performance and low power capabilities of the Intel architecture and tap into the scale of the x86 developer ecosystem to further drive the adoption of the Android platform, the executive said.
The announcement builds upon the two companies’ recent joint initiatives to enable the Intel architecture on Google products, which include the Chrome OS and Google TV along with the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and Native Development Kit (NDK).
