thechromesource – Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Forum

Here’s Why Chrome OS is a Better Fit for Tablets

Posted on 12. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

I’ve written before about my belief that Android simply does not work for tablets. A “one size fits all” idea for both smartphones and tablets is kind of stretching it. Sure, Apple gets away with it on the iPhone and the iPad, but the direction that Chrome OS is trying to take is moving everything into the cloud.

As Microsoft’s Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie deftly said, “Android is a bet on the past. Chrome is a bet on the future.” He’s right. And that means a future world where applications reside on the web, not a world where apps are natively installed on a phone.

This is not to put down Android, the operating system has its benefits as another technology in a person’s arsenal. But witness the fact that as the size of a screen becomes larger, the more time people spend on it digesting content according to BusinessInsider.

Can you imagine this graph if it included screens larger than 5″?

Sure, Google TV is going to run Android, but it is going to be Chrome that is the portal by which people will view content on such a large screen. That’s why we have such an interest in the technology on this blog, because it will be intriguing to see a hybrid or sorts between the two operating systems.

Google TV Has a New Logo

Posted on 11. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

ReadWriteWeb is reporting that Google TV has a revamped logo ahead of its much anticipated launch. DISH Network is the service provider, and Logitech is supplying the set-top boxes. Sony will be integrating the technology in some of its TVs. It’s supposed to have a fall release – that’s pretty soon, when are we going to get an actual date?

As RWW points out, this is following in the footsteps of similar Google projects that don’t specifically label the product as the company’s own by just using text and then the name of the service. For products like Android, Chrome and now Google TV, that’s probably a smart idea.

Google TV will run Android 2.2 and use Chrome 6 for the web. Developers will be creating applications for it, presumably being available in the Chrome Web Store, which should be launched soon, maybe around the same time as Chrome 6 in the next few weeks.

Schmidt: “Maybe We Can Get the Same Success out of Chrome OS” as Android

Posted on 05. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

Almost everyone is aware of the wildly successful Android platform, a project Google has been working on since 2008. CEO Eric Schmidt told a group of reporters in a question and answer session Wednesday that Android is shipping in massive numbers: over 200,000 units a day worldwide.

That seems like a ridiculously huge number, but what Schmidt said about Chrome OS was more profound. Apparently, the success of Android has not led the company to change its strategy for Chrome OS, and it likely may have bolstered it.

“People who believe in cloud computing, believe in the benefits of Web computing and who are Chrome users will be the target market,” he said. “It’s probably a large market.”

Schmidt also said that while the company does not directly profit from Android, the amount of Google services used on smartphones is more than enough to cover the expenses of developing the platform. That being said, even use of the competing iPhone benefits Google, he said.

And while Android has unquestionably hit the mainstream, he acknowledged that there are still many that are wary of Chrome OS.

“I think it is improper to be skeptical of Android and I think it is proper to be skeptical of Chrome OS,” he said.

TechCrunch has posted clips of the Q&A.

Phone to Chrome with Android2Cloud

Posted on 04. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

Being able to send information to your phone from Chrome is nice, but what about being able to do this process in reverse? That’s the purpose of the Android2Cloud application for your Android 2.2 smartphone.

That way you don’t have to go through the cumbersome process of emailing or trying to find some other method with which to open a link in the full-blown Chrome, not when you have the companion Android2Cloud extension installed in your browser.

Lifehacker has posted a short demo.

All you will need is the Android2Cloud Chrome extension and the Android application itself. If you’re interested in developing on this platform you may want to check out the Google Code page on this project.

thechromesource Daily: Links for 8/2/10

Posted on 02. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments

The Chromium Blog has officially announced the emergence of the Canary version of Chrome browser.

Google’s strategy to thwart Bing is apparently to use its best features in its own search engine.

Digitimes is reporting that many PC manufacturers are looking to ARM-Android combinations for new devices.

TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington reports that Facebook has secured copies of Google’s social strategy documents.

The market share for Google’s Mobile Search is almost at an astounding 100% according to data collected from StatCounter.

Can Android be a Compliment to Chrome OS or Vice Versa?

Posted on 02. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

News out today that the adoption of Android is up over a staggering 886% from last year is leading me to wonder: what place will cloud devices that run Chrome OS have in a future world where a smartphone operating system is so prevalent? Can Chrome OS and Android work together, or are they rivals being pitted against each other by a single company?

Remote Devices

Phones and tablets that run Android are remote devices, something that, in theory can be put into your pocket and taken anywhere.

We’ve seen in a demo how Android will work with Google TV – it can be used as a remote device that can control the set-top box controlling your television. Remember that while Google TV will run Android, it will also have the Chrome browser as the main application running video. Here is an example filmed by Phandroid on how this will work.

While this demo shows an iPhone, it’s clear that an Android phone will be able to do much more based on the open standards between devices such as the Chrome to Phone cloud platform.

Cloud versus Phone

People are still going to need devices that are bigger than what Android can provide, plus being able to offer a cloud interface where the web is a platform that everyone can develop on. Witness some of the games like Asteroid and collaborative drawing tools that are being made for the browser totally free for people to use in Chrome Experiments, a website that I admit I promote often here because of the potential it holds.

I’m fully convinced that Android can offer a cloud experience like Chrome OS can; there has to be a division between screens that are small and those that are larger. Perhaps Android running Chrome browser could bridge the gap, but that really goes against the convention of cloud computing at this point.

Conclusion

So where will these two operating systems fit in with each other? Perhaps it is best to think of Chrome OS as an experimental platform whereby the browser is all there is: a starting point, if you wish, on the future of computing.

Sergey Brin has already come out and said that webapps will replace native ones, but technological progress in speedy broadband technology is going to be required. Companies such as Clear, which is spending billions on a 4G rollout that Sprint is utilizing, will probably have a major role in this space as 2010 continues onward towards the holiday season.

thechromesource Weekend: Links for 8/1/10

Posted on 01. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments

Here are some more details about the new features that are supposedly coming to Gmail ahead of Chrome OS.

If the amount of money Google has in the bank was divided up by its employees, each one would be worth $1.4 million.

NetApplications reports that Chrome and Firefox’s July share went down slightly, while Safari and Internet Explorer went up.

Will Google’s pay wall, called Newspass, be successful for traditional media outlets?

LG will release a tablet product running Android in the fourth quarter.

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/30/10

Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

Here’s how Google plans to make $10 billion per year on the Android platform.

The dev channel of Chrome browser has been updated; a fix for PDF loading is part of the release.

Instead of Chrome dev automatically loading the PDF viewer, you now have to use a switch to activate it.

New Gmail features have been exposed via the Chromium OS bug tracking system.

The Official Google blog has a post detailing some of the major Google Apps news as of late.

Nexus One’s Faults Just Mean Better Strategy for Chrome OS

Posted on 23. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments

Lilliputing’s Brad Linder has a piece posted today talking about what happens for Google devices in the aftermath of the Nexus One. GigaOM’s Ostatic blog also had an article on this topic as well, so we’re going to write our take on the whole situation.

Suffice to say, the Nexus One did not exactly take off as planned but that doesn’t mean immediate failure for any impending Chrome OS devices.

Let’s face it: Google tried an experiment whereby another manufacturer built the phone, but it was up to Google to support it. In hindsight that may not seem like the best idea, but it was worth a shot. Now Google knows that they need to work with hardware partners and let those with the expertise design and build the devices under certain specifications.

There’s a whole list of companies that are working with Google on this, and this way of putting a Chrome OS product on the market will be successful: by letting Google provide the platform and the manufacturers developing great products based on the hardware requirements.

Bottom line: we will see Chrome OS tablets and laptops before the end of this year. It may take some time for the products to gain traction, but judging by people’s desire for something between a smartphone and a full-fledged computer, it will be successful.

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/22/10

Posted on 22. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

Chrome OS implications are involved with Google’s Nexus One Exit - the company’s strength is not in support for devices.

The dev build of Chrome browser has been updated; the release fixes a nagging download issue among other updates.

The Chrome Web Store icon has been added to the newest dev builds of Chrome.

YouTube has launched a music discovery site, paving the way for a potential Google Music service.

Google’s Chinese search rival, Baidu, is planning to create its own mobile operating system to compete with Android.

Inside Chrome 6: Video

Posted on 19. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments

This article on video is part of a series of posts discussing the new features and technology that will come with the official newest release of Chrome browser – Version 6.

The rise of video on the internet is going to really change the web – although that has been said for years, it’s taking advances in broadband and browser technology for it to happen. We’re getting close, and the fact that Google TV is coming later this year with a version of Android and the Chrome browser on top, new technology in Chrome 6 will propel web-based video even further.

Chrome 6 will support the WebM standard, which runs on the recently opened-up video codec called VP8. WebM is supported by Mozilla, Opera and Google among other technology companies. The early beta of Firefox 4 is the first browser to support WebM.

Earlier this year, Google bought On2 Technologies, which owned the patent to VP8. Once the acquisition was made, several open source groups such as the Free Software Foundation asked Google to open up VP8, and they did. The On2 acquisition was big for the development of HTML5 video in newer generation browsers. With WebM, HTML5 video is run through an open standard, a process that in the past has been handled by Flash and a video technology called H.264, which is not open.

So what does this all mean? Improved quality of video as well as overall performance, no matter where you are. Plus, we’ll see more capability to mash-up, modify and generally edit videos in ways we probably have not yet even though of.

Need some proof? Consider this Chrome Experiment called “Destructive Video” by Sean Christmann. Although it uses the Ogg video codec instead (WebM just came out), you are able to break up a clip into pieces whilst the video is play. Also, check out the YouTube mobile site, which is HTML5-based and very snappy. Although the codec used here is H.264, the WebM format will be introduced as mobile devices get WebM, which Android is expected have implemented later on this year.

thechromesource Weekend: Links for 7/18/10

Posted on 18. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

A Google press event for “few new things” is scheduled for July 20th in San Francisco with VP of Search Products Marissa Meyer.

In partnership with Ford and General Motors, Google’s Send-To-Car service will send map data directly to vehicles.

Cheap gadgets with Android may become very popular in China, with an impact on other devices around the world.

The Nexus One is nearing the end of its life cycle according to an official Google blog post.

It appears that Google CEO Eric Schmidt is very familiar with the inner workings of Washington, according to Politico.com.