Google released Android Q's
third beta on Tuesday at Google I/O, its annual developer conference, but we're
no closer to knowing Google's plans for its full name. Since 2009, Google has
historically named its operating systems after desserts (Android 1.5 Cupcake),
but there aren't many sweet treats starting with Q. Even Wikipedia is at a
loss.
"We're super excited about
the desserts," Sameer Samat, said Google's vice president of product
management for Android and Play. "At the same time, Q is a hard letter.
But we're looking at it."
Naming Google's
mobile OS after desserts may not seem like a big deal, but it plays into
Google's image. Adopting a lighthearted naming convention was one way for
Google to define its then-new OS. Compared with the stodgy naming conventions
of Microsoft's Windows Phone and Windows Mobile software and even Apple's
straightforward approach, Google's embrace of desserts signaled that the
company is fun, and that phones are for everyone, not just geeks who can't get
enough of software versioning.
