You would think that installing a zero cost operating system on a netbook would help keep the price low. But while there’s no licensing fee associated with Google’s upcoming Chrome OS, it turns out that netbooks running Chrome OS might actually be more expensive than the cheap, ubiquitous Windows netbooks flooding the market today.

That’s because Google has outlined firm hardware requirements for Chrome OS netbooks. While the company hasn’t publicly announced those requirements, we already know that Google expects Chrome OS netbooks to have “high resolution” displays and there’s a rumor going around that Google is working on its own netbook with a 64GB SSD and integrated 3G modem. And that kind of hardware doesn’t come cheap. And it’s possible those hardware requirements could drive up the cost of these netbooks to the point where it’s actually cheaper to get a Windows netbook — which is capable of running thousands of apps that won’t run on Chrome OS, and all the web-based apps that will be included in Chrome.

Eee Times reports that Google’s hardware requirements also included “high performance graphics, accelerometers, and other sensors.”

Of course, it’s possible that Google has a few tricks up its sleeve. PC makers could partner with wireless broadband providers to subsidize the up front costs of Chrome OS netbooks so that they’re as cheap or cheaper than Windows mini-laptops with WiFi only. And while you’ll never be able to run Microsoft Office on a Chrome OS netbook, odds are that you will be able to synchronize your bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings between the Chrome browser on your desktop and your Chrome OS netbook which could make for a more seamless computing experience. But how much are you willing to pay for a feature like that?

On the other hand, people are running pre-release versions of Chrome OS on netbooks today. While Google may want to set a high bar for hardware requirements, it’s clear that the OS is capable of running on a standard netbook with a 1024 x 600 pixel or lower resolution display and an Intel Atom N270 processor. So if price becomes an issue, there’s nothing stopping Google or PC makers from lowering the bar a bit.

via Netbook Choice

When Google announces it was working on an operating system for netbooks and other devices, the company said netbooks with Chrome OS would start shipping in late 2010. But it looks like Acer may be fast-tracking its first Chrome OS netbook for a mid-2010 launch.

We already knew that Acer was working on a machine with Google’s operating system. Now Digitimes reports that it could ship by the middle of the year. It’s not clear whether this means that Google plans to push up its launch date for Chrome OS or if Acer plans to release a machine running beta software.

This isn’t Acer’s first foray into a Googlecentric netbook. The company also offers a mini-laptop that dual boots Google’s Android operating system and Windows 7. But Android is an OS designed for smartphones (and increasingly for low power tablets), while Chrome is specifically designed for devices with larger screens and faster processors.

If you can’t wait for Acer and other netbook makers to start preloading machines with Chrome OS, you can download pre-release builds of Chromium OS today. Chromium is the open source, beta version of Chrome OS. It’s still a work in progress and under heavy development. But it already supports a pretty wide range of netbook hardware.

Google’s Chrome OS won’t be officially launched until later this year, but the netbook-centric operating system is open source. And that means that anybody can download the code, tinker with it, and put out a pre-release build that you can install and run. And that’s exactly what Hexxeh has done… repeatedly. The latest Hexxeh build of Chromium OS (the pre-release, open source version of Chrome), includes a nice surprise for anyone looking to squeeze a little HD video playback out of their mini-laptop: support for the NVIDIA ION chipset.

The NVIDIA ION platform bundles an NVIDIA graphics processor with a low power Intel Atom chip. Right now, there are only a handful of ION-powered netbooks and nettops on the market, but if you happen to have an Eee PC 1201N, Lenovo IdeaPad S12, Samsung N510, or HP Mini 311, it looks like you can install Chromium today and enable HD video playback.

Chrome OS is a light weight, Linux-based operating system designed to bridge the gap between desktop and local applications. Or rather, demolish that gap. Most of the applications Google expects you to run using Chrome OS are based in the cloud rather than on your computer. The OS is basically a glorified web browser with media playback capabilities and a few other tricks includign caching for accessing some data while offline.

via Engadget

Samsung is the latest PC maker to jump on the Google Chrome bandwagon. A Samsung rep in Australia says the company will launch a netbook with a 10.1 inch display and Google Chrome OS later this year.

There’s no word on what kind of CPU will power the device, but it’s expected to have 3G and WiFi capabilities, 2GB of RAM, 64GB or more of storage, and a batter that runs for up to 12 hours.

Normally I’d say that’s a giveaway that the netbook will use an ARM-based processor such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. But several of Samsung’s Intel Atom N450-powered netbooks are supposed to get more than 10 hours of battery life, so you never know.

via Netbook News.de

Google has said that its upcoming Chrome operating system is designed primarily for netbooks at launch. And that makes sense, since it’s basically an OS built around a web browser. Sure, you can play music, movies, and store some files. But ultimately, the goal is to provide you with the tools to quickly and easily access millions of web sites and web apps. In other words, Google doesn’t really expect you to use Chrome OS as a your primary operating system if you need to run resource-intensive desktop apps. But it’s a light weight operating system that’s ideal for low power computers that you use on the go.

But that doesn’t mean Chrome OS is only for netbooks. Yesterday we spotted evidence that Google was at least considering porting the OS to work with tablet-style computers. Now it looks like there’s evidence that Google is thinking about other platforms, including full size laptops, desktops, and even large screen displays or projectors.

The key differences seem to be that some devices will have a full screen user interface while others will have tiled or overlapping windows, allowing you to see more elements at once. For the most part, devices with smaller screens, such as tablets and netbooks get the full screen UI, while larger notebooks and desktops get tiled windows. Large screen devices like commercial displays get a full screen UI.

As far as I can tell, these are only concepts for now. When Google officially launches Chrome OS later this year, it’s expected to be targeted squarely at netbooks. But who knows what could be in the plans for next year? I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Google expand into the tablet space if the iPad and other tablets take off over the next few months.

via Netbook Tech

While Google’s Android operating system was designed for smartphones, it seems to be a fairly popular OS choice among tablet makers. A fair number of prototypes I saw at CES this year were running Android, and you can already pick up an Archos 5 Internet Tablet running the mobile operating system. But it looks like Android isn’t the only tablet-friendly OS Google is working on.

Google Chrome OS is designed primarily for netbooks and laptops with full keyboards. While Android is a light weight OS designed for a mobile computing experience, Chrome is basically an OS designed around a web browser. The idea is that most of the apps you run will be web apps, and that the hardware and software should really just be a conduit for getting online. And you know what? That doesn’t necessarily require a physical keyboard.

There’s a page on the Chrome OS developer site showing a series of concept drawings for how Chrome could work with a tablet. The mockups include several images of an on-screen keyboard which can be repositioned or reconfigured. For instance, you could type with all ten fingers on a full sized on-screen keyboard much like the Apple iPad on-screen keyboard. Or you can split the keyboard so that some letters show up on the left side of the screen and others are on the right. This would make it easier to hold the tablet in your hands and type with your thumbs.

Right now, the Chrome tablet UI is just a concept. There’s no confirmation that Google or anyone else is working on the hardware for this device, or that PC makers are planning to install Chrome on tablets. But it certainly looks like Google is at least thinking about the possibility.

You can check out a concept video after the break.

via TechCrunch and Download Squad

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Acer appears to be branching out into pretty much every new area that’s getting even a slight bit of buzz. Bloomberg reports that the company has a notebook running Google Chrome OS coming in Q3, 2010. After the initial launch, Acer plans to offer Chrome on as many as 10 percent of the company’s netbooks. Acer hopes to sell as many as a million Chrome-based netbooks by the end of te year. There’s no information about the hardware that will power these netbooks.

The report also says Acer has an eBook reader on its way and that the company plans to offer an app store for downloading software as well as eBooks.

Of course, Acer isn’t entering these markets just to make us happy. There’s a pretty significant profit motive behind each move. Chrome OS will likely be free to license, which makes it an appealing alternative to Windows 7 for netbooks. And while Acer surely hopes to make some money off of eBook reader hardware, the real money is in digital downloads of software and eBooks. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper to host a digital file online and charge for each download than to crank out and deliver new hardware.

For more details on the Acer eBook reader and a few details about an Acer tablet which may or may not ever see the light of day, hit up Bloomberg.

Google has already stated that its upcoming Chrome Operating System can run on x86 or ARM-based processors. But it’s still pretty nifty to see a pre-release version of the OS running on devices with low power ARM-based operating systems.

We’ve seen Chrome OS running on a tablet prototype from Freescale using the company’s i.MX515 chipset. Now Charbax from ARMdevices.net has posted a video of a prototype device from Marvell using the Armada 510 chipset running Chrome OS.

There’s no support for Flash yet, and Marvell is still just testing the operating system. But seeing as how the Marvel Armada 510 platform is powerful enough to run Ubuntu 9.10 Linux with support for 1080p HD video playback, I can’t imagine why a light weight OS that’s basically a glorified web browser wouldn’t run smoothly on the same hardware.

You can check out Charbax’s video after the break.

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When I got a look at Freescale’s tablet reference design the other day, it was running a modified Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. It seemed reasonably responsive and it was capable of playing HD video. But it’s not the only operating system you can run on the tablet. Charbax from ArmDevices.net got a briefing with the folks from Freescale this week and he’s posted a video of several prototypes running Google Android, the modified Ubuntu, and Google Chromium OS, which is the development version of Chrome OS.

The Google Chrome Operating System isn’t expected to be ready for release until this Fall, but the OS is open source, which means anyone can download it and try it now. Still, this is the first time I’ve seen the operating system running on a tablet with an ARM-based processor.

There’s no touchscreen support yet, so Freescale had to plug in a mouse and keyboard in order to navigate. But the OS seems relatively responsive and the browser had no problems with most web content. Flash isn’t working yet, but Freescale is working on it.

Freescale doesn’t plan to sell these tablets itself. Rather, the company is hoping to see manufacturers build products based on the reference design, using Freescale’s ARM-based processors. The goal is to create a framework for a tablet that could be sold to the end user for around $199. Pop in a 3G module and partner with a mobile broadband provider willing to offer a subsidy, and the up-front price could go even lower. It’s not clear if the product will ever come to market, and if it does, it’s not clear whether it will run any of these operating systems. But Freescale has demonstrated this week that it certainly can run all three.

You can check out the Chromium portion of Charbax’s video below, or hit up ArmDevices.net for an overview of all three operating systems.

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There’s a rumor going around that Google isn’t just developing an operating system for netbooks (which we already know is true), but that company is also in the process of developing an actual netbook. While Google isn’t exactly known as a hardware maker, this rumor falls into the plausible category, since Google is also widely reported to be developing a cellphone running Android OS. And as Apple has demonstrated time and again, if you want your operating system to run smoothly on hardware, your best option is to design the hardware.

This weekend the rumors got a little more interesting as British site IB Times listed the rumored specs of the upcoming Google netbook:

• Display: 10.1 inch HD ready multit-touch screen
• CPU: ARM-based processor
• Storage: 64GB SSD
• Memory: 2GB
• Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, Ethernet
• I/O: USB, webcam, 3.5mm audio jack, flash card reader
• OS: Google Chrome OS

IB Times also says the netbook could be subsidized by wireless carriers and sell for under $300.

All told, it sounds like one heck of a machine. And to be honest, I’d say it’s far more powerful a device than you need for running web-apps alone. Then again, anyone who has spent some time watching movies, editing documents, and performing other tasks in a web browser can tell you that more RAM and memory is always better than less. But I wouldn’t be surprised if people picked up this netbook in hopes of hacking it to run a different flavor or Linux or of tweaking the open source Chrome operating system to run native apps instead of the web-only apps Google plans to offer.

When Google officials introduced the operating system recently, they stated that netbooks designed to run Chrome OS would be larger than today’s netbooks and have full sized keyboards. At the time, I figured this meant the netbooks would have screens larger than 10 inches, but it’s possible that Google reps, like a lot of other people, still think of netbooks as 7 to 9 inch devices with cramped keyboards even though the vast majority of mini-laptops released in the last two years are much larger and more comfortable to type on. Anyway, if the rumored specs are true, the Google netbook will have a 10 inch screen and likely won’t be much larger than the average netbook on the market today.

Of course, we’re still dealing with rumors and speculation here, so please pass the salt and I’ll take a grain. I suggest you do the same.

via Netbook News.de