Google Chrome OS set for release in “late fall”

Google’s Chrome operating system is set to launch in “late fall” according to Google’s head of the Chrome project, Sundar Pichai. The only previous date that has been mentioned is H2 2010.

“We will be selective on how we come to market because we want to deliver a great user experience,” he said. “We’re thinking on both the hardware and software levels.”

Google launches new Chrome app store and WebV video codec

Google announced some exciting new developments during its annual I/O developer conference. This includes a new online application store for the Chrome browser and, eventually, Chrome OS. This new web store will house both free and paid software, much like other app stores out there.

Google will line up its own apps on the platform, as you would expect, including Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Reader and Google Wave. However, third-party apps will also exist including twitter client Tweetdeck. Installed apps will appear as a tab on the app browser that will have a built-in payment system. The app store is expected to hit the Chrome browser later this year and will be included at the launch of Chrome OS. Read more

Acer confirms “no short-term plans” for Chrome OS netbook

In a somewhat unusual move, Acer released a statement refuting recent rumours that it plans to showcase a Chrome OS netbook at the upcoming Computex show in Taipei. Whilst the company believes that Google’s new operating system is an “exciting product announcement”, it says it has “no short-term plans for such a product.”

There have been a number of rumours that Acer will be launching a Chrome OS netbook, along with suggestions that it wanted to be the first company out of the block with a Chrome OS device. The timing of the statement perhaps suggests it has been released to keep those rumours in check and maybe has something to do with Chrome OS not being in a ready state to showcase right now. Click through for the full press release. Read more

Acer prepping Chrome OS netbooks for Computex?

Acer really wants to be first out of the door with a Chrome OS device. According to a report from VentureBeat, Acer will be launching new Chrome OS devices (most likely netbooks, smartbooks or tablets) sporting the new OS at Computex Taipei in early June.

Acer may not have the Chrome OS limelight to itself though. Samsung has also talked of developing ARM-based smartbooks powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset. Google is expected to release Chrome OS during the second half of the year. Techcrunch says that Chrome OS is coming along quickly but isn’t ready as things stand, they’ve also got some images of what the OS is likely to look like.

Update: Acer has confirmed that it will not be showcasing Chrome OS netbooks at Computex.

Google CEO: Chrome OS devices to cost $300-$400, same as netbooks

Eric Schmidt, Google’s Chief Executive, has been speaking about its upcoming Chrome OS at the Atmosphere Cloud Computing forum and let rip some previously unknown details regarding pricing. He says that price points should be similar to that of current netbooks and also hopes for Chrome OS devices to be bundled by mobile phone operators.

“It will be up to the manufacturers who do it, but the price points you should think about are the current netbook pricings which are 300 dollar, 400 dollar price points,” said Schmidt. “Those prices are completely determined, by the way, by the costs of the glass, the costs of the processor and things like that, but in our case Chrome OS and Android are free so there is no software tax associated with all of this.” Read more

Acer Aspire One D260: Android Pine Trail netbook in the works

Acer is preparing to launch a Pine Trail update to last years Aspire One D250 dual-booting netbook. The AAO D260 will also dual-boot Android with Windows. Little other details are known right now, although Acer’s mobile product manager, Martino Mombrini, apparently revealed that the chassis will be getting a redesign.

Mombrini also confirmed that Acer will be launching a Google Chrome OS netbook during Q3 and that they are working closely “with the guys at Google”. We’ll keep you posted on any further details.

Via Electric Pig.

Chrome OS smartbooks to be more expensive than Windows netbooks?

Google ‘s Chrome operating system is not expected to launch until the second half later this year. Many question marks over OS remain, however what we do know is that Chrome OS will be heavily cloud based and Google is likely to dictate hardware requirements for devices running it.

Whilst the requirements are under wraps for now, it is believed to include relatively high performance graphics, SSDs and accelerometers. This has led Bob O’Donnell, VP of clients and displays at International Data Corp, to say that Chrome OS smartbooks will be even more expensive than Microsoft Windows-based netbooks. “PC OEMs say the hardware requirements—still under NDA–will make the systems actually more expensive than a Windows device, yet they don’t have anywhere near the applications support,” O’Donnell said. Read more

Latest Chrome OS build adds ION hardware acceleration

Google’s Chrome OS is still months away from an official release, however, there is already a large group of underground developers trying to keep things fresh. The latest release from Hexxeh called Flow is interesting as, amongst other things, it includes Nvidia GPU support i.e. full ION hardware acceleration.

This means 720p and 1080p YouTube HD video content should be no problem for those on ION-powered netbooks using this latest build. Other features include user-customisable menus, automatic updates, battery life improvements, webcam support and various other bug fixes. You can download the release from here.

Via Engadget.

Samsung confirms Chrome OS netbook plans

Samsung intends to launch a netbook (or smartbook) using the new Chrome operating system. Phil Newton, head of Samsung IT Australia, said that the Chrome OS netbook will sport a 10.1-inch display and be similar in form-factor to the new Pine Trail Samsung N210 netbook.

“We will be expanding our range shortly and we will have a Chrome-based notebook,” said Newton. It is rumoured to be powered by the new 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. What is known is that it will come with 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SDD, embedded 3G and a 12-hour battery life according to Newton. Don’t expect to see this until the second half of the year.

Via Channel News [via NetbookNews.de].

Google tablet concept hints at Chrome OS touch support [Video]

Google may be setting itself on a collision course with Apple’s iPad if new pictures and video of a tablet concept is anything to go by. The company has remained quiet on whether there will be full multi-touch support in Chrome OS, although I’d be very surprised if there wasn’t. Recently TechRadar attended a talk where Google’s Senior Product Manager of Search indicated that touch may indeed be on the horizon.

The tablet concept images have shown up on the Chromium development site, where Google is sharing some of its mock-ups. Whilst this is purely a prototype it shows the direction Google is taking and likely means that it is considering all form-factors (netbooks, smartbooks, MIDs as well as tablets). Check out the concept video for yourself after the break. Read more

Acer targets Chrome OS in 10% of netbooks; first to launch in Q3

Acer will look to aggressively push Chrome OS in its netbook line-up, expecting around one million Chrome OS netbooks to be sold this year out of a total 12-15m forecast. The company wants to be first to the market with Chrome and is planning to launch its first netbook in the third quarter.

Acer is targeting Chrome OS netbooks to account for 10 percent of its line-up, to put this in context, its dual boot (Android/Windows) netbooks currently account for 5 percent. “For Chrome, we’re aggressively pursuing to become one of the first, so there’s a change to the Microsoft-Intel environment,” Jim Wong, president of IT Products division said. Read more

Google’s Chrome OS netbook specifications leaked?

We’d park this news firmly in rumour territory for now, but IBTimes is reporting that the Google-branded Chrome OS netbook specifications “are out.” It’s unclear whether they have a definitive list of what is under the hood or whether they are speculating, but they point to a high-end device that’s certainly not going to be cheap.

The Google netbook (or perhaps smartbook is more apt here) will be armed with an Nvidia Tegra chipset (ARM processor and Nvidia graphics), 2GB RAM and a 64GB SSD. It will also sport a 10.1-inch multi-touch display, webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and card reader. Let’s see if this comes to pass, but judging by the language of the article, I’d guess it’s pure speculation on their part.

Via NetbookNews.de.

Google branded Chrome OS netbook on the horizon?

Whilst it is looking ever more likely that Google will be releasing its own branded Android smartphone called the Nexus One, it appears that they may be planning something similar for netbooks with Chrome OS.

According to TechCrunch sources, Google has “been talking to at least one hardware manufacturer about building a netbook for Google directly.” The idea is that these Chrome OS netbooks will be Google branded and would release in time for Christmas 2010. The netbooks (or smartbooks) will be mobile enabled and subsidized via wireless carriers. Read more

Dell demos Chromium OS on the Mini 9, Mini 10v & Latitude 2100 netbooks [Video]

Dell’s Doug Anson has given his impressions of Google’s Chromium OS as well as demonstrating it in action on a number of Dell netbooks including the Mini 9, Mini 10v and Latitude 2100. With the latter, he even times how long it takes to boot to the login screen (15 seconds). It looks very quick and that’s just using a standard 250GB hard-disk drive rather than SSD.

His impressions so far are mixed. On the one hand it feels nimble and fast and uses new web technologies, but on the other hand, it is only really useful when connected to a strong fast network. Without a continuous network connection it’s pretty redundant.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the image has been recut and now comes in a 302MB download (rather than several GB). You can download it here, where you’ll find both the image and ReadMe text instruction files. I have also included Doug’s installation instructions after the break along with the video. Read more

Acer aims for first to market with Chrome OS netbook

Acer is looking to be the first manufacturer to launch a Chrome OS netbook in the second half of 2010. The netbook has been in development since the middle of this year according to Digitimes. No specifications were given but we would expect the device to have flash storage and run either an x86 or ARM processor.

Acer was also first to market with the dual-booting Aspire One D250 Android netbook and apparently sales were not as strong as expected. This is perhaps not a surprise given the little optimization that the Android OS has seen in the move from smartphone to netbook. However, as Chrome OS is being developed for netbooks from the ground up, momentum behind Chrome OS netbooks should be higher.

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