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| Forget ChromeBooks. I'm waiting for a DroidBook |
With all the recent talk of touch optimization, from Ubuntu's tablet test runs to the new and wildly priced Chromebook Pixel, I can't help but wonder when someone will try to take Android to a larger form factor, a Pixel-sized notebook that can take the mobile OS to yet another form factor – a form factor that I think would work really well.
You could call it a DroidBook.
If you've used Android on
your phone or a Nexus 7, you probably think putting it on a touch
enabled notebook won't work. It's a mobile OS suited for slates not
the more traditional notebook form. But having owned and used an AsusTransformer Infinity -- the closest thing on the market to a real
Android notebook -- for more than four months now, I can tell you
that I'd be much more eager to buy an Android-powered notebook than
one running Chrome OS for a number of reasons, but primarily because
I still think Chrome OS is a lot more about promise whereas Android
can do more right now. And it's only going to get better.
Chrome OS can do things
better than Android today. It can handle multiple windows and offer a
much better, desktop browser experience that is still lacking on the
main Android browsers, but there are many things Android can do
better right now that would make it a much more versatile and useful
OS for touchscreen notebooks.
1. It's already touch
optimized. Android was built for the touch screen and the recent
success of Android tablets has prompted many developers to optimize
their applications for large, tablet screens. All those applications
that look great on the Transformer will work just as well on a
larger, Android notebook screen.
And, while shoehorning
desktop paradigms into touch (from GNOME Shell to Unity to Metro)
has caused many a user to rebel, enabling better multitasking in
Android will only be welcomed by an already large user base. Instead
of removing features, Android would be adding them. The difference in
perception shouldn't be underestimated. Ubuntu and Windows have been
trying to offer consumers a converged experience from phone to tablet
to PC. It appears to me that moving Android to the PC is a lot less
of a leap than it is for the Ubuntu desktop to the phone.
2. Choice. As Linux
users, we like choice. Android gives the user a number of
applications you'll likely never find on a Chromebook: Your choice of
browser, mail client and office suite. I use Chrome, Firefox, Opera
and Dolphin browsers across my three Android devices. I like that
option. I use Office Suite Pro, but there are many alternatives I can
choose from. Also, I use a mail client for my work account that looks
and functions very well in Android.
In addition to software,
Android is remarkably customizable, from keyboard input to UI. I can
imagine that a well designed launcher (the desktop UI for Android)
could be customized to further take advantage of a laptop use
environment.
3. Great native
applications now. Yes, Chrome OS has great offline applications. But
Android has a lot more. I have come to rely on a number of Android
applications that I'd love to see on a more powerful, larger device.
In addition to Office Suite Pro, I use Photo Editor, Hi Q audio
recorder and a number of other applications that I'd be hard pressed
to replace with Chrome OS. Being able to record video and audio is a
pretty big feature that I'm not sure we'll see in Chrome OS anytime
soon. With Android I can record both at a very good quality.
4. Games. Don't
underestimate the power of good games. Steam for Linux is probably
the single most interesting thing going on for Ubuntu right now in
the potential it has to open up a whole new demographic. Android
already has a lot of very good games that are already touch
optimized. Many of the more so-called console quality games support
using a controller.
I currently run an
outstanding Sega Genesis emulator on my Transformer and I was able to
easily set it up to accept a Play Station controller that plugs into
the keyboard dock's USB port. The controller is already supported, I
just mapped the buttons. I have an HDMI cable to run the transformer
to my TV and I can play old Genesis games right on my HD TV.
Beyond that, there are so
many other things that Android does well, from notifications to an
expansive choice of software markets (Google Play, Amazon App store
and more), that it would only seem a matter of time before someone
takes one of those small windows 8 laptops lying around unsold and
decides to port Android to it. I could see Asus doing this in the
near future (If they think a 7" Android phone is a good idea, why not a 12" Android Transformer?)
There are a few things
Android could use, still. It could use a standard method to activate
super user without first rooting and rewriting your device's recovery
software. It could also use native printing support. Add a window
manager to that, and Android would immediately be a compelling choice
for the sort of mobile laptop experience the Chromebook is already
shooting for.
For me, a nearly perfect
computer would be the recent $250 Samsung Series 3 Chromebook with a
touchscreen and Android. If that sort of device could be built with a
touch screen and retail for approximately $500, I think it would be
big winner. It would be more flexible, more open, offer more choices
and be a lot more awesome.
-- Pete Mazzaccaro
-- Pete Mazzaccaro
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