Tag Archives: Chrome OS netbook
eWeek Says Chrome OS Tablet Unlikely So Soon
Posted on 19. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
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In the consideration of taking both sides of a story into account, eWeek’s Clint Boulton says that it would be very unlikely that a Chrome OS tablet would be arriving so soon. This comes a day after DownloadSquad set off a slew of articles based on this topic when they posted that an unknown source has tipped them an HTC tablet with Chrome OS would go on sale through Verizon on November 26.
Boulton’s eWeek article does have some merit, pointing out that Google had said that a netbook/laptop device would arrive first which is what was clearly said by Sundar Pichai earlier this year, who is the executive overseeing the Chrome OS product.
Yet I’m struggling with the logic of a hypothetical here, because Boulton can’t get past the fact that since the Chrome OS netbook/laptop has yet to arrive, there is no possible way a tablet could be released on November 26. However, further along in the article it cites a source with knowledge of Google says that there is no tablet set for release on that date.
Lee Mathews, the editor at DownloadSquad had this to say on his Twitter yesterday when prodded about the accuracy of reporting from a source of his.
“He’s a good guy, and he’s been right before. I’ve also got a bit of validation from others“, he posted.
Two sources. Two different responses. Stay tuned.
Clear Testing 20 Mbs Wireless Service
Posted on 06. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
AndroidandMe is reporting on a quarterly conference call with wireless operator Clearwire, commonly marketed as simply “Clear” on their products. The company has been hard at work spending billions building out new 4G wireless infrastructure, and while the company is using the less popular WiMax technology, they are currently testing LTE (Long Term Evolution) as well.
What’s significant about the LTE tests is that Clear is boasting that the service can provide 20-70 Mb/s service. That’s a ridiculous number to put out there, but very, very good for cloud computing.
I’ve dropped the name Clear in the past as one company that sees the future of data transmission as something that we as users should never have to worry about. The fact remains that one of the top smartphones right now, the Android based-EVO X, uses Clear’s 4G service that Sprint has contracted out from them. Clear is also planning on bringing phones to market under their service as well.
So don’t be surprised if that Chrome OS netbook/tablet is sold by Sprint or Clear. Just make sure that 4G service is available in your area since it is not as widespread as we would hope for as of right now.
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.
Four Chrome OS Contenders that Could Take on Apple’s iPad
Posted on 10. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
The iPad is ushering in a new era of computing device: the tablet. What’s really exciting is that this has all just begun, and we should expect to see a wide array of new tablets coming to market during the rest of this year. So here are the tablets that are expected to be launched with Chrome OS (along with an app store, we hope) as either the only platform or as an option. Without further ado, some of the contenders that will take on Apple tablet-style.
Freescale
Specs: 7-inch display, 1GHz Cortex ARM processor, WiFi, Optional 3G
Freescale Semiconductor showed off a tablet running Chrome OS at CeBIT that they said would cost only $200. Although the prototype that they displayed needed a keyboard in order to provide input, they were the first to actually show off a tablet. It’s possible they could bring something like this at a very good price to market, but the concern would be that the components at that price would not be cutting edge and therefore could have problems competing in the market.
But at the same time it’s a cheap tablet, right?
Notion Ink Adam
Specs: 10.1-inch PixelQi display with multitouch, nVidia Tegra 2 graphics and dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, 16GB solid-state drive, Wi-Fi, 3G
Designed in India, the unknown Notion Ink Adam could be a hit, although many also thought that the Fusion Garage JooJoo tablet would be, so we shall see. Nevertheless, this device looks stunning, and with the innovative PixelQi display which can turn off the backlight this could be a great e-reader and web enabled device all in one. It’s expected to have options in terms of storage and connection options, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this tablet is priced close to the iPad. It also has features that Apple’s tablet doesn’t such as a 3.2 megapixel camera and an HDMI output port.
HTC
Specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, possibly dual-touchscreen?
HTC privately showed an Android tablet at CES a few months ago, and speculation is mounting that they will be working together with the folks at Mountain View to produce tablet which may or may not be branded as a Google tablet. Seeing as how Google and HTC have a cozy relationship with Android (Nexus One and G4 smartphones) the first Chrome OS tablet could very likely come from HTC.
The photo shown here is a prototype dual touchscreen concept that the folks at Phandroid have posted. We don’t have any other pictures, so this is the best one to ponder upon.
Asus
Specs: Unknown, likely similar to the Eee T91 (pictured here)
Asus is primarily a netbook manufacturer, but CEO Johnny Shih has been adamant about making a tablet. The company already has a hybrid netbook-tablet device called the Eee PC T91, which pairs a keyboard with a display that can be rotated and folded over to transform it into a slate. It has the same specs as your average netbook, running an Intel AtomZ520 with 1GB RAM standard, but interestingly packs a 32GB solid state drive which is a requirement by Google for Chrome OS devices to ensure speed and user interface quality.
The Others
I’ve left out a few manufacturers that I need to give mention. Acer has claimed that they will have the first Chrome OS netbook but that is not a tablet and there hasn’t been any good information even if they are working on one. We know that the Dell Linux team has been openly working on Chrome OS (April 7 build here), and it would fit on their Mini 5 line of tablets (also known as Streak) coming out but that is pure speculation.
If there are any manufacturers that I have forgotten, please let me know. In the end, we’ll see some more developments relatively soon. Computex is coming up which will be closing in on the third quarter, a period of time when Chrome OS devices are expected to surface.
