Embedded OS vendor Wind River Systems is no stranger to Android -- it's been in the Open Hardware Alliance from the start and we've seen prototype 'droid hardware from the company in the past -- but it looks like it's taking it's first official steps into Google's great wide yonder in partnership with Kyocera to develop a commercial Android reference platform. The two companies are targeting handset manufacturers with their first effort, but it's not totally crazy to expect a wide range of devices will eventually be based on this or similar designs -- we're hearing hints that Android will start showing up in other consumer devices in the next year, and it's certainly a tempting open-source alternative to Windows CE for devices like GPS navigators. That would be a pretty massive shift for the industry -- hopefully we'll see the fruits of this partnership soon.

While the world waits to see the first Android cellphone revealed in New York later today, others are hard at work extending the reach of the open-source OS beyond just handsets. John Bruggeman, chief marketing officer at Wind River Systems says, "We're starting to see Android get designed in on devices that extend way beyond the phone--things that might go in the automobile or things that might go in the home." Bruggeman then collects his wits and adds, "I don't want to pre-announce any design wins, I think you'll see them in 2009. I would be shocked if you didn't." Indeed. After all, Intel and Wind River (both Android Open Handset Alliance members) have been working on an open, Linux-based car-computing platform since at least May of this year -- so a switch to Android would be an over-simplified snap. It certainly makes sense for the hardware independent -- thanks to Java-based Dalvik virtual machine -- OS, middleware, and apps to spread throughout a consumer electronics industry lacking a common development platform. Whether this occurs by Google's design or just a happy by-product of Android's momentum remains to be seen.

We've been hearing about in-car computing forever, it seems, but it looks like the concept might finally be taking off: Microsoft is busy with Auto, there's a proposed .car TLD, BMW is working on in-car internet access, and now Intel is looking to smart up your ride with a vehicle-oriented version of its Moblin OS. The Linux-based system will run on -- what else? -- Atom processors, and carmakers are expected to use it to control everything from in-car systems to nav and multimedia functions. What's more, third-party developers will be able to build apps and services for the platform, in contrast to the mostly-closed systems being proffered by competitors. That's pretty cool, but let's hope there's some virtualization going on between the userspace and the in-car systems controller -- we're not exactly ready to run Firefox on the same machine that's in charge of the brakes.

[Image is of that Atari-fied 1979 Buick Riveria]

The Palm rumor du jour calls for Palm to deliver its first, Linux-based smartphone in an October release. According to the DigiTimes source, the new OS will be based on Wind River System's flavor of Linux already in use (and buggy) in Palm's forthcoming Foleo folly. That's right, Wind River, not ALP. Really, we don't care whose OS it is, just as long as we never have to see Garnet rolled out on a new device ever, ever again. Of course, it makes sense for Palm to standardize on a low-risk, OEM-grade Linux platform so we'll play along with the rumor for now. Oh, and make it ultra-thin with WiMax, please... pretty please, with sugar? We'll even move to Baltimore if you do. Well...

Just over a fortnight before the Foleo is rumored to launch, Palm has selected Wind River Systems as its preferred Linux platform provider. Reportedly, Wind River Platform for Consumer Devices, Linux Edition has been chosen as the "open standard Linux platform for future Palm Foleo software releases," and Palm seems to think that this will "help speed applications to market while still meeting the requirements for a stable and robust open mobile platform." Palm's Mark Bercow was also quoted as saying that the company hopes that building the Foleo on an open Linux-based platform and publishing the tools developers need will enable "a vibrant developer community to create new applications that extend the mobile companion's built-in capabilities." Regrettably, there's still no mention of a hard release date, but at least you open-sourcers can start dreaming up ways to better this thing as soon as it hits shelves.