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Android laptops — what will they think of next? So-called ‘Android Book’ laptops could be with us in the next few months, with Samsung reportedly looking to get a headstart on the next generation of Google software.
Industry expert Mingchi Kuo of KGI Securities claims Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie will be designed for laptops as well as phones and tablets. And Kuo reckons Samsung will lead the way on Android Books in the next three to four months, before 5.0 arrives.
We almost certainly won’t see Android 5.0 or Android Books at Google’s annual I/O Developers’ Conference, where new versions of Android and new hardware are unveiled each year. I/O kicks off on Wednesday, and we expect to see the latest version of Android, but that’s likely to be another 4.something update rather than the vaunted laptop-focused version 5.0.
Android tablets demonstrate the robustness of Android for different screen sizes, but it’s those many screen sizes that contribute to the system’s biggest problem: fragmentation. It’s hard enough to adapt apps and games and software to different-sized phones, let alone across phones, tablets and computers. And the recent slow start for Windows 8 shows the difficulty of using the same software across computers and mobile devices.
Keep it CNET for all the first news, videos and previews from Google I/O, including the very latest on Key Lime Pie and possibly a new Nexus 7 tablet. In the meantime, hit play to see the hottest features we want from Key Lime Pie:
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Key Lime Pie most-wanted features
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Speaking of Android outside of phones, Google is also said to be in the race with Apple and Samsung to build an ‘iWatch’ smart watch.
Would you buy an Android laptop, or should the lime-green robot stick to phones? Can Android work across phones and tablets and computer screens? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
