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Video Roundup: New Spins On Linux Netbooks

In a post yesterday, I made the point that the best way for Linux netbooks to get increased market share is for manufacturers to deliver products that beat Windows alternatives--with Google's Android operating system showing promise. Today brings a flurry of video-based evidence that there is outside-the-box thinking going on in this area. In addition to a slick new line of netbooks from Dell available with Ubuntu pre-loaded, Gizmodo has a video up of a Dell netbook running the Cupcake version of Android. Here are more details on some very interesting videos.

It's clear from the video of Dell Technology Strategist Doug Anson, that Dell--the number two personal computer maker--is considering Android as a viable operating system for netbooks. We had previously reported on strong signs that that was the case. There are now thousands of good applications for Android, and the operating system as well as the applications are focused on mobility, so Dell could possibly deliver Android netbooks that have mobile advantages over Windows alternatives. As Matt Asay points out, mobile technology is not Microsoft's strong point.

I also found this video at Mobile Burn very interesting. While the author of the post containing the video warns that he's just speculating about plans from HTC, the video shows a customized version of the Android operating system, dubbed "Rosie." It looks phone-centric in its current iteration, but has a large desktop stocked with lots of widgets. In addition to being the hardware provider for the T-Mobile G1 phone and its successor, HTC makes netbook-class portable computers. Could something on the netbook front come of the "Rosie" fork of Android?

Finally, our friends over at JKOnTheRun attended a web conference with Intel yesterday, and they've posted a video of version 2.0 of the Moblin operating system, optimized for the Atom chips that are prevalent in netbooks. The video clearly shows that Moblin is targeted at netbooks designed for useful mobile applications. With the Linux Foundation taking over stewardship of Moblin from Intel, it could head in new directions.

Netbook sales continue to go through the roof. Hopefully, the young Linux-based operating systems seen in the videos above will get more backing from large technology players such as Dell, HTC, Intel and others, with a focus on mobile-smart applications that could improve on Windows netbooks.
 

• Android
• Dell
• linux
• Moblin
• Netbooks

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