If you create content for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, you’re used to developing for Android. Now Android is starting to break into the PC space as well. There still isn’t an Android desktop or laptop, but Acer has just built a 24″ touchscreen device that runs Android Jelly Bean. That’s definitely too big to fit in your purse or pocket. It’s a home device that’s meant to stay put on a coffee table or a wall, or maybe serve as a student computer.
Is it going to take off? It’s too early to tell. But if Android proves to be as popular on home PCs as it is on phones, you may have to start thinking about developing any home computer software you produce for Android as well as Windows and Mac OS X. At the very least, you should think about whether your website looks good on the default Android browser.
Monolithic home computing was shattered when Apple devices became popular. It looks like Mac OS X may have just been the first wave.
By Sharon Campbell