Tag Archives: Chrome OS hardware
CNN: Chrome OS Product Will Arrive in 2010
Posted on 17. Nov, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
2 Comments
I watched live the Web 2.0 Summit where Eric Schmidt discussed Chrome OS at the end of the Q&A session, and I was a bit confused. Google has said for some time that Chrome OS would arrive at the end of 2010, so his comments took me by surprise when he said, “the software will arrive in the next few months”. There are no longer a few months in 2010.
With that being said, no doubt many in the media have reached out to Google to clarify this statement. It appears that the company is still staying course on a product arriving in 2010.
In a CNN Money article published today, staff writer David Goldman ponders whether or not Chrome OS has missed its chance to shine now that Android has taken off. Near the end of the piece, he quotes a Google spokesperson saying, “We are very happy with the progress of Google Chrome OS and we’ll have more details to share later this year.”
In addition, Goldman cites a source familiar with Google saying that a product would be unveiled before the end of this year.
It may not be on sale, but that’s promising information in that something will be introduced before January 1.
Notion Ink Adam Tablet Shows Off Its Specs
Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
We listed the Indian-designed Adam tablet by Notion Ink as an intriguing dark horse candidate in the future Chrome OS lineup, mainly because it was just different in terms of design and its unique Pixel Qi display. Now, Lilliputing has reported that the company’s website has been revamped; with it comes full-on specifications on this tablet, which is expected to be released later this year initially with Android.
Among some of the technical highlights, the Notion Ink will have a dual core ARM processor with NVIDIA graphics, either 16 or 32 GB of internal storage and wireless connectivity options that include 3G, WLAN and Bluetooth. Pixel Qi, which allows the backlight to be shut off to conserve battery as well as reduce glare, is optional. The tablet also has a 3.2 MP camera and all the standard ports that a PC has.
Here’s hoping that the Adam Ink enters the Chrome OS tablet race sooner rather than later, based on design alone.
$150 Tablet, $99 Netbook Arrive with Android – What’s Next?
Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Yesterday, Lilliputing reported that KMart was now carrying a $150 tablet loaded with Android. Today there’s another report that the retailer is also carrying a $99 netbook as well with the popular mobile operating system.
It’s hard to fathom what you would be able to do with such cheap devices, since they are not subsidized by a two year wireless plan the specifications for devices as these prices must be pretty bare compared with the ultra-powerful smartphones with Android 2.1 on the market today. Nevertheless, Engagdget reports that the $99 netbook came with a web browser, Gmail and Google Apps. Sounds like a nice little mobile device between a laptop and a smartphone.
Despite this, we’ll keep reporting about super cheap devices coming on the market, as this can only help the case for Chrome OS products, which are coming very soon. Although those devices are expected to be priced in the $300-$500 market.
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.
Those Repository Files Must Mean Something
Posted on 21. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Last week, DownloadSquad’s Lee Matthews discovered some public repository files that referenced three hardware manufacturers: Dell, Acer and HP. A few days later, those files were then replaced by a different listing that included some legacy hardware such as Amiga, Atari and Commodore, among others.
This has got to mean something. One thing that jumped out in my mind when Matthews first reported this story was that Dell is not on the official list of hardware partners. When I contacted a source who is working closely with some official partners on hardware about Dell, I was told that there are no new announcements for the time being.
It seems the three manufacturers and there repository files on the Chromium site point to the logical conclusion that they will be the first companies associated with official Chrome OS products. It’s a different move than the route that was taken for Android where a more upstart company, HTC, took the first leap into the mobile OS and rode that platform to the success that it is today. I really don’t see HTC having the same spotlight it now holds with smartphones if it had continued down the Windows Mobile path it was on a few years ago.
Regardless, I have a great deal of respect for Dell, Acer and HP as longstanding companies producing computer hardware. The fact that they are getting behind this project further validates to me that Chrome OS will be a strong competitor in the consumer computing market over the coming years.
Dell an Official Chrome OS Partner?
Posted on 14. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Recently, DownloadSquad deftly discovered that the Chromium repository referenced three manufacturers and their private hardware builds – from Acer, HP and Dell. While the first two companies were already on the list of known partners with Google on the project, Dell was left out for some reason.
However, the Dell Linux team has periodically been releasing updated builds of Chromium OS, announcing this fact in the Chromium discussion board. It is hard to speculate at this point, but one must start to wonder if the three hardware manufacturers plan on announcing releases of their Chrome OS products at the same time. Whatever the case may be, we know to expect any release information to come directly from these manufacturers at some point in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The releases that have been put out by Dell have been aimed at their Mini series of netbooks, so it’s easy to wonder whether they will be launching a Chrome OS product that is a 10″ netbook.
It is really hard to say at this point since we have seen such a precipitous decline in the popularity of netbooks since the arrival of Apple’s tablet, so it would most likely do Dell and the other two companies well to find some middle ground on a netbook/laptop hybrid that encompasses an innovative form factor paired with performance specs to wow enthusiasts, all at a competitive price.
Sounds like a tall order. No wonder Google is letting the manufacturers do the talking on this one.
