A rumor has been started from a Russian tech podcast that speaks of the upcoming Android 3.0 operating system. While the new features that were detailed are definitely impressive, there is a large part of the news that would have many Android smart phone owners worried regarding the arrival of the new OS. According to the rumors, the new OS will only be compatible with high-end smart phones.

Considering that Microsoft has already taken this route with the Windows Phone 7, one would think that Google might also try the same approach –determine a minimum hardware requirement for a new OS. In this way, the overall user experience is standardized throughout all devices. At the moment, the Android OS is suffering from cross-handset compatibility issues for some features and apps due to the fact that the hardware used for Android handsets vary depending on the manufacturer.

The podcast goes on to point out that the new OS will only be compatible with mobile phones that have 1GHz CPUs or higher.

While this move makes sense, it is unlikely that Google would actually go in that direction. Unlike the Windows Phone 7 which is an entirely new OS from Windows Mobile, the upcoming Gingerbread is still an update of the current 2.1 Éclair and 2.2 Froyo. Jumping to an entirely new OS would leave a vast majority of Android’s users alienated and that is something that Google cannot risk. After all, it would very likely upset a large number of people if Google brought out an update that made, say, the Samsung Galaxy S obsolete, but supported the HTC Desire.

One of the key topics that Google discussed in the I/O conference and is constantly tackling is the compatibility issue with the Android OS. Their goal is to make the upcoming Gingerbread a standard OS for all the Android smart phones –to set a compatibility standard so that apps and features have no problems running.

Naturally, Google’s newer operating systems would indeed adapt to newer technology, but right now, cutting off any smart phone with a CPU slower than 1GHz is not a viable solution for Google.

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