Android for desktop/laptop?

[ycc]

Hi,

I recently started using Android when I bought a Smasung Galaxy Note II. I am really impressed by how well it functions and that you can find most commands intuitively.

I wonder what is the state of Android on the desktop/laptop side? I think it could be a serious contender?

(Personally I use LInux a lot. It is a good system but for desktop/laptop I often have to use Windows for practical reasons. On the server side Linux is unbeaten IMHO.)

Two years ago I bough an Acer Aspire One. It had Wn7 and Android preinstalled. The Android could surf the net over WiFi but it was slow. The USB did not work. So I left it by that.

Are there plans to set up serious competition against Windows and Linux on the market for desktops and laptops?

 

[Aquila]

So far that front is Chromebooks. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ature=device-featured&hl=en-US&token=VxNcb4KH.

 

[ycc]

Wow. They have a clever angle on many things, the Google guys. Connecting it to hardware, like the nexus.
But why haven't I heard of the Chromebook until now?
Does it have the same problem that I think Linux for desktop/laptop has. A few crucial applications do not fully meet up to demands. (Like f.ex. GIMP/Photoshop)?

 

[Cormillo]

So far that front is Chromebooks. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ature=device-featured&hl=en-US&token=ABUukteP.

This one is nice..

 

[psychoken]

Hopefully one can easily get that. It's not available in my country yet.

 

[Joe Spencer]

The Android version which came with the Aspire was very old - take a look at the Jelly Bean builds of Android at Android-x86 - Porting Android to x86

The builds support USB, Google Play and the internet is quite fast and a lot better than on the older builds.

I'd really like to see a custom launcher for desktop Android though..

 

[zkSharks]

Wow. They have a clever angle on many things, the Google guys. Connecting it to hardware, like the nexus.
But why haven't I heard of the Chromebook until now?
Does it have the same problem that I think Linux for desktop/laptop has. A few crucial applications do not fully meet up to demands. (Like f.ex. GIMP/Photoshop)?

The Chromebooks are still relatively new and unknown. One of the tricky points of balance between lightweight, mobile-friendly, web-based systems is that they often don't support (or aren't capable of supporting) intensive applications such as the Adobe suites.

It will be interesting to see in the future what aspects of Chrome OS make it into Android and vice versa.

 

[ycc]

The Chromebook is heavily advertised in Sweden now. It sells at the equiv. of $453.
They write one kilo weight. But I am not sure it is much better than my old favorite Acer Aspire which is 1.1 kg including the charger, as I remember.
But Google usually delivers. Interesting to see. None of my friends have bought it yet.
2 yrs cloud storage included.
Two brands: Samsung and Acer. Both advertised in parallel.

 

[Mooncatt]

With companies like Google pushing their wares and touting cloud storage, I don't expect them to directly get much market share in the big picture of laptops and desktops. I think most people like keeping programs stored locally and not need to spend big bucks to have enough bandwidth to quickly download them when they want to use them. Face it, programs are pretty big, and a small HDD can only hold so much because they want you on the cloud. Unless that 2 years of cloud storage also covered the cost of a really fast internet, no thank you.

Then there are the power issues. Unless you plan to only browse the net, these thin and light laptops and cheap desktops won't do much. If you want to play games, do video editing, CAD, etc, you need a beefy machine just from the hardware needed to run current demanding software.

That's my opinion anyway. Oh, and as nice as Android is on my phone, it's bad enough having to keep the screen free of smudges and gunk that makes it tacky. I'd hate to have to constantly clean a large computer screen just to have an acceptable image quality. Goes for W8 too.

 

[ycc]

I completely agree with you. I am not sure it feels attractive. I didn't know about the very small HDD. Only 16G SSD.
So most programs are downloaded? Will be interesting to see how Google set up that.
I wonder what program you use if you want something like Photoshop?
Too early to say, but I think I would choose my old Acer Aspire before the Chromebook any day.

ACER
11.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystalTM LED-backlit LCD
2.95 lbs. | 1.34 kg.
6 hours of battery life
Intel? AtomTM N570 Dual-Core Processor
2GB DDR3 RAM
16GB SDD
Instant On (eight second boot time)
Built in dual-band Wi-Fi and World-mode 3G (optional)
HD Webcam with noise cancelling microphone
High-Definition Audio Support
2 USB 2.0 ports
4-in-1 memory card slot
HDMI port
Fullsize Chrome keyboard
Oversize fully-clickable trackpad
Adobe? Flash? support
Price: $349 Wi-Fi only.
optional world-mode 3G available*
June 15th from Amazon and Best Buy

SAMSUNG
12.1" (1280x800) 300 nit Display
3.26 lbs / 1.48 kg
8.5 hours of battery life
Intel? AtomTM N570 Dual-Core Processor
2GB DDR3 RAM
16GB SDD
Instant On (eight second boot time)
Built in dual-band Wi-Fi and World-mode 3G (optional)
HD Webcam with noise cancelling microphone
High-Definition Audio Support
2 USB 2.0 ports
4-in-1 memory card slot
Mini-VGA port
Fullsize Chrome keyboard
Oversize fully-clickable trackpad
available in black and white
Price: $429 for the Wi-Fi version, and $499 for the Wi-Fi/3G option. * June 15th from Amazon and Best Buy