Move over, Microsoft. Hewlett-Packard may give Google the entrée it needs to provide the go-to operating system for new lines of mass-market notebook computers. No. 1 PC maker Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) is "studying" Google's (GOOG) Android operating system to determine whether the software might work well on HP's own computers, says HP spokeswoman Marlene Somsak. The company is evaluating Android's computing and communications functions, she says, though she declined to say whether HP would ship Android-powered products.
One possibility is that HP would load Android on the popular miniature laptops known as netbooks. Today the little machines mostly run Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows XP or the open-source Linux operating system. On Mar. 31, The Wall Street Journal reported that HP is considering using the Android software inside netbooks. Google is pushing Android for even broader applications, however. The software could also appear inside set-top boxes and in-car navigation systems, Android's creator, Google Senior Director Andy Rubin says.
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