Analyst predicts Android and Symbian will merge

It's been an eventful few weeks on the mobile platform front, with the announcement that Symbian is to go open-source, while developers vented their frustrations about Google's Android roadmap.

Things could get even more fun in the coming months, though. At least, that's if you believe analyst J Gold and Associates, which has predicted that Android and Symbian will start merging into a single open-source smartphone operating system within the next few months.

The claim came in a research note, which stressed the similarity between Nokia and Google's open-source strategies.

"We expect that within the next three-six months, Symbian and Android will combine to provide a single open source OS," says the note. "Many of the same sponsors are involved in both initiatives... A combination of the Android and Symbian efforts would be good for the industry, good for Google and good for Symbian. It would also help spur a growth in the availability of applications and services. The downside is minimal. Everyone wins."

Naturally, neither Nokia and Google have publicly commented on the idea. Any such merger might be welcomed by mobile game developers though, who are eyeing Android and Symbian as two of the key advanced mobile gaming platforms (alongside iPhone) going forward.