In defending its plans for both Android and the new Chrome OS, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has said that while Chrome OS is optimized for the web, Android is device “agnostic,” possible to run on a myriad of products, including even refrigerators. However, Android has so far only been available on a handful of phones.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft’s Ballmer On Google Chrome OS: ‘Who Knows What This Thing Is?’

Android was set to move beyond the mobile phone to the netbook but those plans have been put in limbo since the announcement of Chrome OS, since many of the same PC makers who were going to put Android on their computers have since said they are working with Google on Chrome OS.

In an interview with the NYT, MIPS VP Art Swift says, “Once people saw how straightforward it was to move from a handset to a netbook, then it began to be an ‘aha’ moment: ‘What if I migrate this to a DTV or set-top box?’”

As the NYT notes, the current market is fragmented, with no standard software used in home entertainment devices. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), however, does offer Windows CE for specialized devices.