"Raspberry Pie" to be future Android codename? —

Google to bring official Android support to the Raspberry Pi 3

Google's Android source repository gets a new device tree especially for the Pi 3.

The Raspberry Pi 3.
The Raspberry Pi 3.
Raspberry Pi Foundation

The Raspberry Pi 3 is not hurting for operating system choices. The tiny ARM computer is supported by several Linux distributions and even has a version of Windows 10 IoT core available. Now, it looks like the Pi is about to get official support for one of the most popular operating systems out there: Android. In Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) repository, a new device tree recently popped up for the Raspberry Pi 3.

Raspberry Pis, if you're not aware, are cheap, credit card-sized, single board ARM computers with a focus on education and open source software. Hardware hackers and DIYers love the Pi due to its open nature, small size, and plethora of ports and software.

For just $35, you get a 1.2GHz 64-bit Broadcom BCM2837 ARMv8 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a VideoCore IV GPU, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1. From there, it's up to you to add all the missing components via external devices. For storage, toss in a MicroSD card. For a display, hook up to the full-size HDMI port. For sound, use the 3.5mm audio/composite video jack. For everything else, use the 4 USB ports, Ethernet jack, 40 GPIO pins, CSI camera port, or the DSI display port.

The AOSP device tree contains mostly Nexus devices with the occasional "generic" entry or developer board tossed into the mix. It's rare to see a non-Google device in AOSP, so it seems Google has taken quite a shine to the tiny computer. With officially supported source code, it should be much easier for hackers to get Android up and running on the Pi 3. And once that's done, you should be able to sideload more than 1.5 million apps onto the Pi to make the device do whatever you want. Android also comes with top-notch touch support and an SDK for any of your custom projects, so will we soon see a hacked version of Android TV on the Pi 3? Maybe Remix OS? A better platform for Kodi? The possibilities are endless.

For now, the Pi 3 device tree is empty with only the comment "initial empty repository" accompanying it. The repository should soon start to fill with code, though.

Channel Ars Technica