Acer third computer maker to test Android on netbooks

Google's operating system will not debut on netbooks anytime soon due to its browsing experience, said Acer executives.

At a press event Tuesday night to launch the company's new line of consumer and business computers, Chief Executive Gianfranco Lanci and Jim Wong head of Acer's IT products business line, said the company plans to use Google's Android operating system on its upcoming smartphone, but that it doesn't believe the operating system is ready for Netbook computers.

For a Netbook, you really need to be able to view a full Web for the total Internet experience, Wong said. And Android is not that yet.

Acer

Wong went on to say that even though Android is not there yet, he thought everyone would try to put Android on a desktop and said that Acer already has a prototype.

Android in my opinion is for communications, Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci said. And Windows comes at the market from the computing side. An ideal solution would offer both. So right now we are using Android for our smartphone, and we are testing it on our Netbooks. But I think everybody in the industry is testing Android on Netbooks.

Indeed, it does appear that every Netbook is considering the possibility of using Android. Last week, Hewlett-Packard confirmed that it is testing Android on its Netbooks. Asustek Computer has already said it is considering using Android.

Acer announced last week a pilot program with AT&T to sell Acer Netbooks in Atlanta and Philadelphia for $49 along with a home and mobile data package that bundles DSL and 3G wireless service for $60 a month.

Lanci said that for consumers to adopt the subsidized netbooks along with a wireless service contract, the price will need to be below $99, with $49 as the optimal selling price.

Overall, the netbook market has exploded over the last two years, and Gartner expects global sales will grow nearly 80% this year to capture 8% of the total PC market. Already most computer sellers, with the exception of Apple Inc., have rolled out netbooks into their product lines.