Now, developers and hardware vendors can plan to build (and build on) Android-compatible Linux devices, and utilize Linux advances that haven't . The code integration, a long time in coming, puts to rest the idea that ideological and technical differences would interfere with ever bridging the two kernels.

Since Android is open source, anyone can work on its code to create something new and wonderful; Amazon's Kindle Fire, which is using the older Android 2.2 kernel, springs to mind. And with this merging of code, a much wider base of programmers will be able to work on additions and enhancements to improve Android.

This means that the Linux community can now fully support the Android mobile OS, and that theoretically you'd be able to boot an Android device with an unchanged, base Linux 3.3 kernel.

For typical users, there won't be a noticeable change, but for Android developers it will be a godsend enabling easier migration and support for issues that crop up when working on new kernels for phones or customized ROMs. (A ROM is a customized image flashed on your rooted or "jailbroken" mobile device to add extra functionality, such as overclocking or further customization.)

It might also lead companies beyond Amazon try to make a play at creating their own mobile operating systems, based off of Google's Android success.