Google merge of Chrome OS and Android into Andromeda ramps up

27 Sep 2016

Android. Image: Route66/Shutterstock

Reports of a new Huawei Nexus tablet and Pixel 3 laptop released by Google next year could herald the true convergence of Chrome OS and Android. Andromeda is on the way.

Last October, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google’s vision of future operating systems was all mobile. Chrome OS was becoming a relic of the past, and Android was the future.

Billing it as a 2017 plan, little else was known at the time, although a combined Andromeda OS did make sense.

Now, fresh reports of a new Huawei Nexus tablet and Pixel 3 convertible laptop released next year could prove the showcase for Google’s new Andromeda OS.

Andromeda

Android Police reported on Pixel 3 yesterday, detailing a planned “ultra-thin” 12.3in display that can support both a tablet mode and a laptop.

“Powering it will be either an Intel m3 or i5 Core processor with 32 or 128GB of storage and 8 or 16GB of RAM,” according to the report. It will have notable inclusions of numerous sensors, stylus support, quad microphones, fingerprint scanner, two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm jack.

Perhaps Apple’s enthusiasm for a jack-less device isn’t catching on in the short term, but given that this rumoured laptop is a good year from completion, this could all change.

9to5Google separately reports a new Huawei Nexus tablet, citing sources close to the project, much like Android Police. The new Andromeda OS is the suggested platform for both devices, with the Huawei tablet expected as early as the new year.

It’s a busy time for Google. It’s pinning plenty of its hopes on what many perceive as the next stage of instant messaging: conversational commerce. Google bought API.AI, a natural language and speech recognition company earlier this month.

Google’s answer to Amazon Echo due out on 4 October, signals a speeding up of the impending smart home push. Indeed, 4 October could provide an early look at Andromeda.

A change of operating systems – just as the number of connected devices skyrockets, as the internet of things push hits speed –will perhaps be the biggest Google shift of all.

Android. Image: Route66/Shutterstock

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com