Developers to test the open-source OS on a real device
evelopers have created an easy way to load Android, Google Inc.'s mobile phone operating system that is still in the works, on Nokia Corp.'s N810
open-source handheld devices.


The development is of interest to people who are trying to build applications for Android rather than to general users. "So, from the point of view of someone who just wants to use his N800 and doesn't necessarily want to experiment for the sake of experimenting, what does running Android get me?" one person asked on the Internet Tablet Talk Web site that is sharing the technique for loading the software on the devices.



"Probably not much," a respondent wrote back. In the future, however, it means that anyone could decide to run Android on the devices and use applications developed for the operating system, the respondent said.
For developers, the discovery is exciting. "Testing on a physical device is way different than testing in an emulator," said Mike Rowehl, a mobile developer who has loaded Android on his N810.