What is Google's Andromeda project and why should we care?

Rumours are surfacing regarding an upcoming Google OS called Andromeda. These same rumours suggest that the OS will reside alongside ChromeOS and Android and that it will be designed for laptop-like devices. What we really want to know is why this OS even exists. First, let’s get the facts out of the way Android Police claims that their sources have confirmed the existence of the OS as well as work on a device that it’s expected to debut on. The device has been dubbed the Pixel 3 laptop and the project is code-named Bison. In terms of specs, the device is expected to sport an Intel m5 or i5 CPU, 8GB or 16 GB RAM and offer 32GB or 128 GB storage. The screen will be about 12.3-inches and you’ll get USB-C, a fingerprint reader, touchpad with haptic feedback and more. Of course, all of these specifications are subject to change. Sources have apparently told Android Police that the project is an attempt to build an OS that melds ChromeOS features into Android. Andromeda and the Pixel 3 are expected to debut in Q3 2017. But what does this mean? Android started out as an OS for touch-screen mobile phones, later evolving to include tablets when the need arose. Originally, the OS was all about apps, but later, the focus shifted to the browser and now, it’s at messaging and AI.  Android was never a good fit for true computing. A laptop was still needed for real work (not just emails) and thus, ChromeOS was born. It came at a time when desktop apps were shifting to the cloud, when collaboration was the name of the game ( This was in 2011, Apple . Take note.) ChromeOS worked because it brought with it cheap devices that gave you access to the full desktop web and associated web apps. It was like a stand-alone Chrome browser. Devices were hassle-free to maintain and run and since everything was stored in the cloud, you never lost any data.  Of course, you needed an active internet connection to make full use of it. As time passed and ChromeOS started getting more popular, the lack of apps started to really hurt. Doing things on the web is great, but offline is sometimes better. It was then that Google announced plans to merge Android apps into ChromeOS . [caption id=“attachment_315869” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image: 9to5google[/caption] It’s a move that makes sense. Android is a mobile OS where apps and mobile browsing are king. ChromeOS is a “desktop” OS where the “desktop” web is king. Throw apps into the mix and ChromeOS suddenly becomes more flexible. So what’s the catch? The catch here is that ChromeOS is still only about the browser. Android apps do work, but they run just about as well as they would on a tablet. Think of them like UWP apps on the Windows Store. They’re not as great as true desktop apps, they’re a stop-gap.  Andromeda is supposed to change that. Rather than integrate Android into ChromeOS, Andromeda is apparently trying to integrate ChromeOS into Android. Andromeda might, in fact, be a portmanteau of Android and Chrome, but don’t take our word for it. As far as facts are concerned that’s all we know. So why does it exist? Thinking about it, I think I understand why Google is working on Andromeda. We spend most of our time on our phone and in apps and it’s only when we need to “work” and our phone isn’t up to the task that we switch to a PC. [caption id=“attachment_337503” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Representational image: Reuters[/caption] Say you’re browsing the web on a tablet, you’d rather just use it in tablet mode. But what if you want to work on a document? You can work on the docs app, but it’s also more convenient to work on Google Docs in a desktop web browser. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that on the same device? This, I believe, is the idea behind Andromeda. I could be completely in the wrong of course. The difference between ChromeOS running Android and Android running ChromeOS is subtle, but it’s significant. Is this the future?