A clever bunch of boffins have managed to port Android to an x86 platform, allowing people to run Google’s OS on Asus’ Eee PC netbooks as well as several other already tried and tested 32-bit (x86) platforms.
The group of developers, calling themselves “Android-x86,” wrote on their website that just a few months after creating a patch to allow Android to run on an X86 platform they found they could actually go further and decided to fork their code base to provide android x86 support on different x86 platforms and host it on their own server.
The project goal, according to the group’s website is “To provide a complete solution for Android on Eee PC platforms first and then to provide solutions for common x86 platforms as well.” Ambitious and useful stuff indeed.
So far, the group has managed to test its ported OS – based on Android 1.6 (Donut) – on most Eee PC Models, including the: 701, 701SD, 900, 900A, 901, 904HD, 1000, 1000HE, 1000HD, 1005HAG, S101, T91 (VESA mode), touchscreen works) and the Eee Top 1602C.
The port also purportedly works on the Lenovo ThinkPad x61 Tablet and except for the T91 and Eee Top model, all of the above machines apparently run the native resolutions (800×480 or 1024×600) via i915 driver, and the whole thing is said to be run on Linux Kernel 2.6.29 with kernel mode-setting (KMS) enabled.
Still on the group’s “to-do” list are plans to support an external monitor, improve bluetooth support, include bettter power management, multi-touch touchpad support, support 3G and GPS and test out all default applications.
And for any developers out there eager to get their mitts on the code, Android-x86 has published it online.
What a lovely bunch.
