Android Eclair, Flan & Massive Phone Stash

• Rob Jackson
• 15 years ago

This past week there was a ton of hype/buzz about Chrome OS and many are now questioning how it will be positioned compared to Android. Head Android Andy Rubin clarified this a bit at a joint T-Mobile and Google Media event in London. In the process he let loose some interesting nuggets of knowledge.

First of all he dispelled the concept that Android and Chrome OS would converge into a muddy water, simultaneously attempting to take over eachother’s territory. We’ll have to play wait and see on that.

He also mentioned the latest development branches of Android, known more intimately as Donut, Eclair and Flan. We’ve heard of the first two but up until now the name Flan wasn’t acknowledged although apparently it is already in development.

What the heck is Flan? I was wondering the same thing and learned that it is more commonly called Creme Caramel and is apparently a Spanish dish with a French name that now is mostly traditional in the Latin American region. Here is a pic if you ‘re interested:

When we learned about Android’s Dessert Style Naming I guessed the “F” would be for “Frosting” but I was wrong. Maybe I’ll be right for the next letter… Android Gelato (fingers crossed)!

Rubin also mentioned that 15-20 Android Phones will come out this year… a pretty staggering number itself. But we already knew this. What was REALLY cool is that Rubin said a SINGLE manufacturer that he met with showed him 18 different devices running Android. WOW.

The future of Android is bright ladies and gentlemen… and Chrome OS can only help. Although the Android Netbook issue is a little more interesting now.

[Via WSJ]