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translate the ARM native code into
their own instruction forms within their
architectural constraints. This comes
at a cost in terms of performance,
energy use and user experience.
Efficiency, the work done per unit of
energy, is heavily impacted where
translation between architectures is
required.
A third of the top 200 Android apps
need their code to be translated at
run-time to execute on non-ARM-
based devices. This can translate to an
unpleasant user experience (as well as
cost engineering time and effort). For
example, searching for a text string in
a PDF document can take four times
longer on a non-ARM-based device.
These sorts of slowdowns can lead
to additional re-engineering time and
effort. However, the good news is that
nearly 1.6 times the number of native
apps runs on ARM-based devices than
any other mobile processor.
As Android moves onto Chromebook,
this binary translation of non-ARM
apps will continue. On ARM-based
Chromebook hardware, Android runs
on top of the same ARM Linux kernel
as Chrome OS and uses Chromes
OS to filter user events such as
mouse, keyboard and screen updates
through to the Android OS. If the
underlying hardware is not ARM-
based, the version of Android that
runs on the Chromebook will still
and experience in low-power design
and high performance compute and
graphics capability.
For consumers, it means those rich
mobile applications they’ve embraced
in the smartphone and tablet form
factors are moving to large-screen
devices, where they will transform the
traditional laptop experience.
For OEMs, the benefits of the ARM
ecosystem coupled with Android on
Chrome mean new and compelling
design opportunities to deliver robust
experiences in thin, sleek and low-
power form factors for new users.
For developers, Android on Chrome
unlocks new markets and scalable
opportunities for use cases based
on the form factor, performance and
low-power attributes that the ARM
ecosystem is delivering to OEMs.
Large screen mobile devices are
expected to grow from 230 million
units in 2014 to 330 million units
in 2019, according to the research
firm IDC. That’s a healthy rate that
echoes the growth that forecasters
anticipated in 2009 when the ARM
ecosystem and the Android apps
developer community joined forces to
change the mobile world. Seven years
later, that ARM-Android partnership is
transforming the mobile world again.
need to incorporate binary translation
technology. The Chromebook will
experience the same performance
degradation and increased power
consumption because of the code
translation required.
The advantage of Android apps, most
of which run natively on ARM, can be
seen in solutions such as Pocket Code
and Lightbot. These are very popular
apps for educators, who tend to favor
Chromebooks, but to date the apps
have been available only on Android.
With Android app ecosystem being
enabled on Chromebook, a new world
of solutions opens for users. And since
Pocket Code and Lightbot are written
natively on ARM, users won’t have to
worry about performance degradation
or increased power consumption by
using these apps on ARM.
Conclusion
The same ARM ecosystem innovation
that changed the mobile world in
2009 is at work again, this time in
Chromebooks. Android on Chrome
eliminates the features gap between
clamshells and traditional laptop
operating systems and unlocks a
vast new potential for designers and
apps developers. At the same time, it
provides a fresh opportunity for the
ARM ecosystem to contribute to and
influence the large-screen compute
segment, bringing with it expertise
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