What we know about Andromeda, the system that unites Android and Chrome OS

The idea of ​​seeing Android running on a computer remains a dream come true for many users in recent years. And that goal may be close to being met, more precisely on October 4, when Google can come up with the ultimate solution: Andromeda. It is an operating system resulting from the union between your mobile OS and Chrome OS, used in your notebooks. But what do we know about this project?

For October 4th we have only one certainty: that Google will promote an event in which to display the Pixel line smartphones, which will replace the Nexus. These are the Pixel and Pixel XL, made with HTC, which will be the first devices developed 100% under Big's control, both in hardware and software.

But, it turns out, the Pixel line will not be the only attraction of the event. Google would have a slew of new features coming up, including Andromeda, the operating system that resulted from the merger between Android and Chrome OS.

But what is the evidence of Andromeda's existence?

One of the first signs was the tweet by Google Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer, who announced that October 4, 2016 would be recorded in memory, just as September 24, 2008, when the first verse of Android has been presented.

It's unusual for IT companies to overstate the importance of their events, especially if they don't have a good card up their sleeve. And, based on the executive's statement, many connected his comment to a supposed Andromeda presentation. Mainly because Lockheimer belongs to the division responsible for the development of Android and Chrome OS.

The theory is reinforced by a Google 9 to 5 site publication, which claimed to have found clues in AOSP (Android Open Source Project) from Android Nougat about the existence of the hybrid operating system. The article explains that Google would be testing Android on Nexus 9. However, strange that the company is not testing this supposed OS on Pixel C, the successor tablet of Nexus 9.

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  Andromeda is already quoted in AOSP / Android Authority
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<p>The idea of ​​Andromeda is not completely new, and Google had already made progress in this direction a few months ago, when it allowed Android apps to be downloaded into Chrome OS. In addition, a newspaper report <em>Wall street journal</em> (WSJ), published last year, reported that one of Alphabet's goals – the new Google branded conglomerate – would be to merge Android and Chrome OS into one system, scheduled for release in 2017, with a preview being presented. in this year.</p>
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The arrival of Andromeda may cause Google to gain the strength it needed in the PC market and failed with Chrome OS.

"Google engineers have been working for two years to combine two operating systems and have made progress recently," explains the WSJ article. "The company plans to launch its hybrid platform in 2017, but expects to show a previous version next year (2016)."

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Remix OS was one of the first attempts to bring Android to the computer / ANDROIDPIT

The Bison Project

In addition to being at a relatively advanced stage in its development, Andromeda may even have hardware dedicated to the system. According to the Android Police website, this is a Pixel line notebook, which is scheduled for launch in the third quarter of 2017. The page states that the computer is the result of three teams working together: Android, Chrome OS and Pixel. It will work with the characteristics of one of the first in a fully functional way, coupled with elements of the second.

Still according to Android Police, the Bison would be an ultra slim, very slim and with 12.3 inch display, but would also support tablet mode. It can be sold in two versions: with Intel M3 or Intel Core i5 processors, 32 or 128 GB of storage and 8 or 16 GB of RAM. It also features fingerprint sensor, two Type-C USB ports and even a 3.5 mini jack input, backlit keyboard and battery life of up to ten hours.

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In 2017, the Chromebook line will give way to "Project Bison", a notebook with Andromeda installed / ANDROIDPIT / Acer

All of this would be packaged in a 10mm thick case, which would make it thinner than the Macbook Air. Its starting price would be $ 799 (not including taxes and fees), a value not necessarily low for a notebook, even in the USA.

Looking at all the evidence, Google is likely to show a short demonstration of Andromeda next October 4. It will be a show that Big G is betting strongly on the convergence between PC and mobile, just as it unified the Ice Cream Sandwich versions for tablet and smartphone a year ago. Only this time to be something much bigger.

And what do you think about the arrival of Andromeda? Is this convergence a wise bet by Google?

(tagsToTranslate) Andromeda (t) Android (t) Chrome OS (t) merge (t) operating system (t) Google (t) PCs (t) notebooks (t) smartphones (t) tablet (t) convergence