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]