First shots of Google Chrome OS appear

It seems that a few enthusiasts have stumbled onto some early code for Google’s Chrome OS, which gives us a first look at the operating system. Google had placed a “chromeos” folder in the Chromium build folder that users were able to install.

Interestingly, the results look very similar to how the Chrome browser looks right now. However, it’s only when you look closer that you can spot some important differences. For example, the upper left corner seems to present a new logo (different from the Chrome browser one) that opens a short links window.

On the top right there is a clock, network status and battery indicator. Another drop-down menu button includes a “Chrome OS” tab, where you can find network options and touchpad settings. We also seem to get a compact nav bar. Google has now removed the “chromeos” folder where all these juicy tidbits came from, but hopefully there’ll be more news on this soon.

Update: You can now download this for yourself, the files were uploaded to a Rapidshare account. Grab them before Google pulls them!

Via Living in a Google World [via TechCrunch].