CES: Qualcomm showcases Android on Snapdragon

Qualcomm demoed a port of Google's Android system onto its Snapdragon mobile platform at CES

Qualcomm is demonstrating a port of Google's Android open-source operating system onto its Snapdragon mobile platform at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Although not yet available, Snapdragon is aimed specifically at multimedia mobile devices, and features a 1GHz processor, 3G connectivity and low power consumption even when playing video and music or using data services.

Qualcomm said that Android and Snapdragon are perfectly suited to deliver an "unsurpassed combination of computing performance, low power consumption and ubiquitous connectivity capabilities".

"Qualcomm's vision for the Snapdragon platform to redefine how people access information is well aligned with the Android platform's capabilities," added Mark Frankel, vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.

"We are excited to be showcasing Android running on Snapdragon chipsets, which highlights some of the advanced functionality that will distinguish this next generation of mobile computing devices."

Google's mobile operating system arrived on the T-Mobile Android G1 mobile phone late last year, and is already gathering momentum. Many mobile application developers and handset manufacturers have announced support for the system and several new Android-based smartphones are on the horizon.

Qualcomm's demonstration runs at WVGA resolution, which can support larger displays for mobile computing devices, helping drive speculation that Android will soon move onto netbooks and other mobile internet devices.

Google also recently revealed that it is working on an add-on for Android to help blind users.