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Android port for OMAP3 processor opens door to Android-powered Palm Pre!

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 1:09 PM

Well that certainly didn’t take too long, now did it? Just weeks after Palm’s highly-anticipated Palm Pre and Web OS launch, we’re hearing that work is already being done to port the Google Android platform to the Palm Pre. The Android port, when completed, will essentially turn the Palm Pre into a dual-booting Web OS/Android smartphone.

How did all this happen so fast? Well, turns out that Texas Instruments (TI), the folks behind the OMAP3 processor that powers the Palm Pre, released a “Zoom OMAP34x Mobile Development Kit” to give developers a head-start on developing software for their new CPU lineup. Shortly thereafter, the OmapZoom was formed to bring open-source operating systems to devices powered by the OMAP3 processor.

One of OmapZoom’s projects is to port the Google-made Android mobile OS to the OMAP3 processor. Today, we’re hearing that the OmapZoom project has successfully gotten Android up and running on the Zoom MDK. In so doing, OmapZoom has opened the door to the prospect of an Android-powered Palm Pre!

Of course, there’s still some work that needs to be done. Most importantly, OmapZoom developers need to hack a serial connection to the Palm Pre that will allow the team to force the Palm Pre to look for a bootable OS in a specific location (by hacking the bootloader). The OmapZoom team is even looking forward to opening up the Palm Pre’s bootloader and Linux-based kernel in order to run more exotic operating systems like the Linux-based OpenMoko OS.

Needless to say, exciting times are in store for fans of the Palm Pre, Web OS, and Android camps!

[Via: PalmWebOSBlog]

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About The Author

Will Park

Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...

  • KennSr

    Why would you even want to port the Android Operating System to the Palm Pre? The Palm’s OS is superior in everyway to Google’s Android so it makes no sense.It is like putting a 1920′s engine in a 2009 car.

  • scuty

    @KennSr

    First the Palm Pre doesn’t run PalmOS is webOS. And you don’t know it’s capabilities because it’s a brand new OS, so you can’t really say that it’s better then Android or not.

  • jason

    webos does have some advantages over android (e.g. the best multitasking yet) but i wouldn't call it superior by any means great platform but over simplified.