thechromesource – Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Forum

Why I Want to See the Asus Transformer Run Chrome OS

Posted on 26. May, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments

If you haven’t been formally introduced to the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101, let me clue you in to a device that would be a prototypical Chrome OS machine. It’s a laptop. It’s a tablet. It’s totally mobile. While I’ve yet to get a hands-on with it I’m convinced that Asus should be working with Google to make this a Chromebook. Or Chrometab. Whatever you want to call it.

Specs:

NVIDIA Tegra 2 1.0GHz dual-core CPU for excellent multitasking & 1080p video playback
Android 3.0 Honeycomb O.S. with Adobe Flash10.2
Full QWERTY keyboard, touchpad input
16 hours long battery life for all day computing with docking station
Brilliant IPS panel with scratch resistant and super tough glass
Two USB ports, SD and Micro SD card readers
3D stereo with max bass response with SRS premium sound

Yes, it currently ships with Honeycomb. But with a full keyboard and these great stats thanks to an ARM processor, this could be a slam dunk Chrome OS device. Its a great hybrid gadget that could have some interesting use cases. The price is pretty good too – it’s currently selling in a quite reasonable $400 price range.

Would you buy a Asus Transformer with Chrome OS?

More Evidence Appears Suggesting Chrome OS Tablets

Posted on 07. Apr, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

In February 2010, it was discovered that the Chromium site hosted some mockups made by Google that placed Chrome OS on a tablet. Since that time there have been numerous reports suggesting that Chrome OS would arrive on tablets sooner than most people anticipated when you look at the development process going on in Chromium OS builds.

Since that time, however, Google has become less shy about its intentions to move Chrome OS to other form factors. We’re now seeing this in the new tab page of early builds as well as with the inclusion of touch keyboard graphics within Chromium builds that would be used for input.

CNET’s Steve Shankland has put together some other interesting tidbits that indicate a touch Chrome OS device is not imaginary.

-Shankland notes that the user-agent strings that identify what type of device a user has on a website now includes a ”CrOS Touch,” in addition to just CrOS before. In the Cr-48, a CrOS user-agent string isn’t used. If it is, I’m not seeing it in my own analytics for this site.

-Increased padding surrounding the autocomplete box that would allow for more space needed to accommodate the use of touch as the primary input.

[...]

Sergey Brin: “I’ve Been Accused of Vaporware”

Posted on 20. Jan, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

As I was listening to Google’s fourth quarter earnings call, which featured an introduction that addressed the leadership change at Google, I was struck by Sergey Brin’s comment about vaporware. I wouldn’t really say that it’s him personally, but the fact that there have been many rumored projects in the works by Google that have not come to fruition. As he starts his newly appointed role of managing new products, maybe he’s just taking responsibility.

Sure, many of these new projects are definitely being tested internally, but for those of us outside the Googleplex, it appears as if nothing is going on, which is likely far from the actual scenario taking place.

Google has been long rumored to be working on a social product that has been identified as Google Me or more recently Google +1. This is expected to be a competitor to Facebook. One analyst said not long ago that the company has “given up on social“, possibly sparking the vaporware remark by Brin since he did say it on an earnings call with a bunch of, you know, analysts. But surely we can expect to see it in 2011, but only time will tell when. Brin did allude to social during the call today, saying that they have only touched one percent of what social search can be.

[...]

Chrome OS Will Not be Limited to Just Netbooks

Posted on 26. Nov, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

Although recent comments from Google CEO Eric Schmidt have raised speculation Chrome OS will be limited to just netbooks, it appears that won’t be the case.

We’re starting to see increased Chrome OS information coming out directly from Google employees. One nice but of reporting was a feature in the New York Times that quoted VP of engineering Linus Upson about hardware we will see the operating system on.

[...]

Google Manager: Android and Chrome “Not Mutually Exclusive”

Posted on 23. Sep, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

Talking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian lead designer for Chrome OS Glen Murphy offered up some good quotes leading into the upcoming fourth quarter, a time when hardware manufacturers are expected to announce products.

“Android is very focused on the best mobile experience there is, Chrome is very focused on the best web experience there is – obviously those things aren’t mutually exclusive,” said Murphy.

Ah, but it could be if Android were to use the Chrome browser, which it will when Google TV comes in a specialized box made by Logitech. But I digress. Saying that Android focuses on mobile while Chrome focuses on the web is pretty broad, should that be a sign that perhaps an onslaught of Android tablets are in our future? [...]

thechromesource Daily: Links for 9/20/10

Posted on 20. Sep, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

A HTML-driven options menu has come to Chromium OS, as shown off on Hexxeh’s blog.

Google is making its Apps product more secure by enabling a two-factor authentication option for administrators.

Computerworld wonders if Chrome OS tablets are even a good idea because they seem to think “it doesn’t run apps”.

Google plans on distributing mobile devices to businesses in an effort to compete with location-based services.

Will Google’s social strategy be worthwhile for anyone other than the company itself?

ViewSonic Ponders Chrome OS with ViewPad 100

Posted on 03. Sep, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments

SlashGear has taken a hands-on look at ViewSonic’s ViewPad 100. While purely a prototype device right now, the tablet is getting its fair share of media coverage. The plan is to have the ViewPad 100 run both Android and Windows in dual-boot fashion, and ViewSonic is also looking at loading the tablet with Chrome OS at some point.

Some of the specifications include an Intel Atom N455 processor, 1GB DDR3 memory with a 10-inch 1024×600 capacitive screen. Charbax from ARMDevices recently got some video of the device at the IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin.

Four to five hours of battery life versus seven or eight on Android? Sounds like Android wins there.

Having dual-boot devices with Windows and Chrome OS would be a great option for a transitional period, but don’t expect many devices to hit the market that are loaded with both. It’s both too expensive and prohibitory to higher adoption rates of cloud-based systems.

thechromesource Weekend: Links for 8/15/10

Posted on 15. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments

Chrome OS can follow the same path for tablets and netbooks as Android has for smartphones, says the Wall Street Journal.

A New York-based Google think tank is in works; it supposedly will be called Ideas and headed by Jared Cohen from the US State Dept.

Making services “come to you” socially will be a big part of Google social strategy according to Playfish’s Sebastien de Halleux.

Visual search technology firm Like.com will soon be acquired by Google according to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington.

Does Oracle’s lawsuit against Google somehow benefit Apple’s mobile strategy?

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.

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/19/10

Posted on 19. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments

Chrome OS tablets will lead to disruption in the IT market, causing Microsoft to shift its focus to enterprise, according to ASPE.

Google is increasing its spending on data center infrastructure; the amount doubled in Q2 over Q1 at $476 million.

All public activities are now available for developers in the Google Buzz API, this new feature has been named firehose.

eWeek’s Clint Boulton makes the case why Google should keep the government at bay when it comes to its search algorithm.

Chrome is getting smarter: it now can tell you if others are experiencing problems with a website.

Tablets to Replace Low-End Laptops, Netbooks

Posted on 12. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments

Recently it was reported that Barclays analysts have concluded that the tablet will be a device that replaces gadgets like netbooks and low tier laptops. This can be attributed to the fact that the pricing for these types of products are similar, plus the fact that Apple has captivated a market of early adopters with their iPad and its easy to use interface.

Does that mean in the future that people will carry and smartphone with them and keep a tablet for lounging around at home? While the whole typing experience still seems troublesome, that may be the case. If this is indeed true, then it makes sense for Google to develop two distinct operating systems bases on very specific needs. While we have seen Android-based tablets like the 5″ Dell Streak, it’s likely that tablets with larger screens would be more popular rather than something that just looks like a smartphone but cannot make traditional wireless calls.

Of course, the intention for Chrome OS initially was not for tablets. In fact, all evidence up to this point leads one to believe that right now a commercial product will actually be a netboook or larger laptop-like device. That’s probably not the ideal product anymore, at least at this point. No one has really stepped up to Apple to compete in this very new tablet space.  At least, not yet. But with this market doubling in size very quickly according to predictions, there is room for several rivals.

And that’s going to include Microsoft, as they are planning to work with manufacturers to release a good number of Windows tablets this year.