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Will Android and Chrome OS merge soon?

ardchoille

Android Expert
Mar 8, 2011
3,683
1,940
Seattle
Andy Rubin hands over the reins of Android to Chrome OS boss Sundar Pichai

"Sergey and I first heard about Android back in 2004, when Andy Rubin came to visit us at Google. He believed that aligning standards around an open-source operating system would drive innovation across the mobile industry. Most people thought he was nuts. But his insight immediately struck a chord because at the time it was extremely painful developing services for mobile devices. We had a closet full of more than 100 phones and were building our software pretty much device by device. It was nearly impossible for us to make truly great mobile experiences.

Fast forward to today. The pace of innovation has never been greater, and Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world: we have a global partnership of over 60 manufacturers; more than 750 million devices have been activated globally; and 25 billion apps have now been downloaded from Google Play. Pretty extraordinary progress for a decade’s work. Having exceeded even the crazy ambitious goals we dreamed of for Android—and with a really strong leadership team in place—Andy’s decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google. Andy, more moonshots please!

Going forward, Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Sundar has a talent for creating products that are technically excellent yet easy to use—and he loves a big bet. Take Chrome, for example. In 2008, people asked whether the world really needed another browser. Today Chrome has hundreds of millions of happy users and is growing fast thanks to its speed, simplicity and security. So while Andy’s a really hard act to follow, I know Sundar will do a tremendous job doubling down on Android as we work to push the ecosystem forward.

Today we’re living in a new computing environment. People are really excited about technology and spending a lot of money on devices. This is driving faster adoption than we have ever seen before. The Nexus program—developed in conjunction with our partners Asus, HTC, LG and Samsung—has become a beacon of innovation for the industry, and services such as Google Now have the potential to really improve your life. We’re getting closer to a world where technology takes care of the hard work—discovery, organization, communication—so that you can get on with what makes you happiest… living and loving. It’s an exciting time to be at Google.
"

Source: Update from the CEO

I'm wondering if Google is planning to merge Android with Chrome OS at some point.
 
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:)I sure hope so... Got my wife an Acer C2 to replace her Toshiba netbook and she loves it and I love it because it updates itself instead of waiting foe my wife to complain he "computer" is slow...

It already does every darn thing she needs it for and does it much faster (start up time in seconds)..

A few simple apps would be all she needs as a non power user

Bob G
 
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I imagine a Google system very similar to the current merger between windows mobile OS and windows desktop OS... Except that it would be done properly by Google.

I imagine that Google's mobile devices will continue to use Android, and laptops will use Chrome (primarily). While tablets and these rapidly rising "tabtops" (tablet with detachable keyboard, keyboard case, or attached fold-back keyboard) auto-convert between Android and Chrome by default, depending on keyboard attachment/position.

I would absolutely LOVE that! These current windows tabtop devices are appealing to me, except that that Windows mobile and live tiles are complete garbage for tablet usage, and the desktop mode is not enabled by default... EVER! Basically, the current lines have great hardware, but a terrible tablet OS, and a very good laptop OS that is a nuisance to access.

So yeah... Imagine great converting hardware, paired with the best tablet OS (Android), PLUS a light, streamlined, and user-friendly laptop OS (Chrome)... And it automatically swaps according to your preferences! Sure there might be a few people to say that such a system wouldn't do well accommodating power users, but it's a system proposed for efficency and versatility. And I would buy it tomorrow!

I predict that we'll see these produced by major manufacturers, by summer 2014 at the latest. But I have my fingers crossed for this Christmas season!
 
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If it does, no more android for me. I don't like Chrome as a browser. It doesn't have the control that FX does. It will mean more marketing and tracking. That isn't so bad at times, but if hacked, or the authorities want something, everything can be gone through and innocent posts, accounts can be taken the wrong way.

Article about a family busted for child porn. Picture of kids in bathtub meant only for family memory taken as porn by someone in Walgreens. The courts found for the family. Do this even if marked private on Picasa, or in the cloud ----
 
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If it does, no more android for me. I don't like Chrome as a browser. It doesn't have the control that FX does. It will mean more marketing and tracking. That isn't so bad at times, but if hacked, or the authorities want something, everything can be gone through and innocent posts, accounts can be taken the wrong way.
To clarify, we're discussing the merger of Android OS and Chrome OS. Chrome Browser and Chrome OS are different things. If you don't like Chrome Browser you don't have to use it, same as your phone's native browser, and same as your PC's native browser.

But on the topic of marketing and tracking, I don't really get all the hype. Getting "scoogled?" I have no problem with the company that provides me with the best email experience (for free), to direct ads at me in order to fund all of the other free services I receive. Better yet, I PREFER to get customize the ads, based on feeding my info through some random algorithm, to something that I may have an interest (it seems to me that some people have it in their heads that their info is being personally reviewed by some creep who decides to update the advertisements that they receive, rather than it being fed through software, but I digress). It's a win-win-win. I see ads that might actually interest me, Google gets more money b/c their advertising services are more effective (which in turn means that they can provide more free services to me), AND the advertising companies get what they want by concentrating on their target demographic. In any case, directed advertising beats the heck out of getting those old random mortgage refinancing ads with the dancing silhouette people that appeared all over hotmail. No matter how many times they distract me, I'm not clicking!

And no matter the service, I recognize that I can still be hacked, and the authorities can get at my info. It's just a part of using the internet and has little to do with any particular reputable provider of services. So in the end, all of the privacy concerns are a wash anyways, and what it really comes down to is the quality of service that I receive in exchange for putting myself out there on the internet and viewing ads.
 
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Once Android and Chrome merge, Android will change and I'm not sure for the better.
All of the companies would love it if we were loyal to only them, and all - Apple, MS, Google are trying their damndest to do it. It might go back to locked bootloaders and a captive audience.

I prefer choice. The target demographic can be very wrong. I don't fit mine, never have and never will. I worked with radio advertising, so I know what I'm supposed to fit. The office joke was advertising would go broke if all did what I do.

If you only get ads targeted to your zip code, or IP address, you will be missing out on a lot. The trouble with marketing is assumption.
1. People lie
2. Since people lie, the results are skewed.

I don't particularly want free services. I don't really need them. I don't have many needs anyway, I'm a minimalist. Except for looking at the design and marketing technique, ads don't interest me. I know what I want and I'll wait until I can get it or I can design and make it myself. (Household and clothes)

Never seen Hotmail. I use Thunderbird and IMAP. It gets all my accounts. If Yahoo has the ads, I don't see them, either. NoScript and tab permissions to turn off images take care of that. Haven't seen the Gmail page in ages. I've seen the junk on TV, but we mute the remote and head for the kitchen or go outside. These services are taking a gamble on my wants. They come up snake eyes, too bad.

My entertainment is mostly free. This is where data connection comes in. I birdwatch, we walk, I do photography, I like Meteorology so can watch clouds. Can go rockhounding since I like geology. Have telescopes, can enjoy astronomy. Most of the apps for these activities I have paid for. I paid for the phone outright. I would buy the OS outright, too, if I could. I refuse to follow any company's line totally.
 
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From a developer point of view, we would be more concerned if android and chrome os merge what does future SDK hold? Will it be going the android sdk direction or more web oriented direction. Currently there are 2 camps of android UI developer. Those who develop with native and those that uses HTML5 and then with third party software to access hardware,notification etc feature.
 
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