Nvidia Lauds Windows CE Over Android For Smartbooks

ericatcw writes "Google's Android may enjoy the hype, but an increasing number of key industry players say the mobile OS isn't ready for ARM netbooks, aka smartbooks. Nvidia is the most recent to declare Android unfit for duty, stating its preference for Microsoft's Windows CE, which an Nvidia exec praised for having a "low footprint" and being "rock solid." Nvidia is busy optimizing its multimedia-savvy Tegra system-on-chip for Windows CE. Such improvements won't arrive for at least a year to Android, which has an inflexible UI and poor graphics support for devices larger than a smartphone, says Nvidia. Other firms echoing similar criticism include ARM and Asustek."

Comments

So...

[MBCook]

So you're saying software designed for mobile phones doesn't work as well on a little computer like device as software which was designed for little computer like devices?

Wow. Amazing. Incredible.

And they're the same age too!

No, wait, Windows CE is 13 years old. It's had a little more time to design the window manager for different screen sizes.

Re:So...

[Xocet_00]

"No, wait, Windows CE is 13 years old. It's had a little more time to design the window manager for different screen sizes."

While I agree with everything you've said here, and that the age of Windows CE makes the comparative shortcomings in Android somewhat excusable, it doesn't change the fact that Windows CE seems to do what NVidia wants and Android doesn't.

Android being new is a perfectly valid excuse, but in a here-and-now business sense Nvidia just has to go with what works... I guess.

Writing this is hurting me. I really, really hate Windows CE (or Windows Mobile or whatever they call it these days.)

Corrupted opinion?

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't this NVIDIA opinion somehow influenced by having Microsoft as customer for their Tegra chips going to upcoming Zune HD?

Drivers

[Anonymous Coward]

From TFA:
"The world soundly rejected the first netbooks that came out with Linux," he said. "Printers didn't work, and devices didn't get recognized. The whole thing was a mess."

I'm sure all printers come with WinCE drivers these days. Or maybe Nvidia knows how to install Vista drivers on CE?

Part Of The NVidia Zune HD 'Agreement'

[Anonymous Coward]

This is standard operating procedure for Microsoft contractees. Happened just this last month with Asus where as soon as Microsoft negotiated a new deal with Asus, Asus out of the blue started spouting anti-Linux FUD.

The Zune HD contract with NVidia obviously has the same type of garbage built in.

Re:Android = no native code support

[chrb]

As Wikipedia says, native code runs under Android fine. The Chrome web browser runs on Android. Chrome is not written in Java.

What you might mean is that you can't run native code on some specific mobile phone type device without hacks, and that you can't upload native code to the App Store. That much is true. In the first case, some manufacturers like to lock down their devices - the iphone is also pretty much locked down. In the second, Google want platform independence. But Android itself can clearly run native code - most of the software that it ships with is written in C. And you can distribute and install whatever Java code you want on any Android device, which is better than Apple's "you only load what we want you to load on a phone" rules.

Non-sense quote about device support

[Joseph Lam]

Mike Rayfield:

"The world soundly rejected the first netbooks that came out with Linux," he said. "Printers didn't work, and devices didn't get recognized. The whole thing was a mess."

And how is Windows CE/Mobile any better in that regard? I would think it's even worse.

Re:ARM hostile to Linux?

[diegocgteleline.es]

Well, back in 2002 he was not the only one. He has probably changed their opinion now that Linux is crucial for their survival.