Hewlett-Packard Co is studying uses for Google Inc's Android operating system, but the world's top PC maker stopped short of saying it had decided to adopt the fledgling software in its products.

The free, open-source Android operating system is now used on smartphones but is being designed to support all kinds of devices. Many analysts view the Android as a viable platform for netbooks, the low-cost, stripped-down laptops that have become one of the hottest PC segments.

Any move by Android into the PC space would be a direct challenge to Microsoft and its dominant Windows operating system.