Ice cream sandwich on you PC

Techie publications report that the popular Android mobile platform can now run on chips by Intel and AMD, which power the majority of personal computers, from netbooks and laptops to desktop towers.

Version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich just released is compatible with “x86” chips, making further technological convergence possible. Google promised back in September that all future versions of Android would be Intel and AMD chip-friendly.

Several technical experts say that the move makes sense, given that Android tablets have the power of typical laptops already, and in terms of basic usage, the operating system could compete with Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s Mac OS. Power users would probably steer clear, or would keep an Android version available for times when battery life is more important than functionality, however.

The reports note that this is not the first such convergence move; Microsoft has revealed that in late 2012 Windows 8 will launch in two formats, one that runs on x86 Intel and AMD chips, like the previous versions of Windows, and another that runs on ARM-based chips, which are found in tablet and phone devices that currently run Android and Apple’s iOS.