Chrome, Android likely to merge

NEWS

Google's dual-pronged operating-system strategy will likely produce a single OS down the road, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Google executives, including chief executive Eric Schmidt, have downplayed the possible conflict between Chrome and Android on mobile devices, asking for time to let the projects evolve. And a few days after Chrome OS was revealed, Android chief Andy Rubin said device makers "need different technology for different products," explaining that Android has a lot of unique code that makes it suitable for use in a phone and Chrome has unique benefits of its own.

But Brin, speaking informally to reporters after the company's Chrome OS presentation on Thursday, said: "Android and Chrome will likely converge over time", citing among other things the Linux and WebKit code base present in both projects.

Any future combination of Chrome and Android could be aimed at a new type of device, according to this presentation screenshot

For more on this story, see Brin: Google's OSes likely to converge on CNET News.

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