The Android operating system is a step closer to being embedded in consumer electronics, after the company behind the Mips processor architecture open sourced the code for its Android port. Mips Technologies released the source code on Monday, two months after it first said it had ported Android to the 32-bit version of the Mips architecture. This architecture is used in set-top boxes, digital TV sets, home media players, internet telephony systems and mobile internet devices (MIDs), and is a rival to the Arm technology on which Android already runs.