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Intel shipping Android 2.2 for netbooks within two months

June 25, 2010 at 11:02 am

Intel shipping Android 2.2 for netbooksIntel is preparing a fully native x86 version of Android 2.2 (Froyo) that it expects to ship to developers in the next two months. The company is hoping that this will ignite sales of Atom-powered netbooks and tablets.

Android was originally written for ARM processors, like those found in most current smartphones. This has meant Intel has had to play catch-up to port Android to x86 architecture.

“Our expectation is that (native x86 Android) will be based on the Froyo release and will be available this summer to developers” Renee James, Intel’s senior VP for software and services said.

Via APC.

Google Chrome OS set for release in “late fall”

June 2, 2010 at 12:51 pm

Google Chrome OSGoogle’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

May 20, 2010 at 7:28 am

Chrome App StoreGoogle 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

HP Compaq Airlife 100 smartbook unboxed [Video]

May 18, 2010 at 6:57 pm

HP Compaq Airlife 100 smartbook unboxedThe Compaq Airlife 100 smartbook is only available in Spain right now, but that hasn’t stopped Carrypad getting hold of one device to unbox and test. The 1GHz Snapdragon powered Airlife sports a lighter chassis compared to first-gen touchscreen netbooks as well as benefiting from a longer battery life.

The 10.1-inch Airlife 100 comes with the Android operating system, 512MB RAM and a 16GB flash drive. The touchscreen display is resistive rather than capacitive but comes with a matte finish. The OS has been tweaked to easily work with the touchpad as well as touchscreen. You can check out the unboxing video after the jump. Read more

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

May 18, 2010 at 8:17 am

Acer netbookIn 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?

May 14, 2010 at 10:03 am

Chrome OSAcer 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.

Dell Sparta and Athens netbooks leaked in Android roadmap

April 25, 2010 at 8:07 pm

Dell Sparta and Athens netbooksDell will launch a “netbook tablet “ and normal netbook, both sporting Android according to a leaked roadmap obtained by Android Central. The Dell Sparta netbook will come with a rotatable 11-inch (1024 x 768) display powered by an ARM processor. It will also come with optional 3G along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Dell Athens netbook is more typical in its form-factor and will sport a similar sized display and ARM processor. It will have a thin chassis and weigh less than 900g (1.98lbs). These models are expected to launch during the Autumn. Check out a large screencap of this Dell roadmap after the break. Read more

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

April 20, 2010 at 12:09 pm

Google Chrome OSEric 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

March 31, 2010 at 6:18 pm

Acer Aspire OneAcer 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.

Sharp IS01: 5-inch Android clamshell smartbook

March 30, 2010 at 3:57 pm

Sharp IS01Sharp is prepping the IS01 Android smartbook in Japan that will be offered by Japan’s number mobile carrier called KDDI. The 5-inch clamshell device will be powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 1.6 and seems more akin to a smartphone rather than a smartbook in the traditional sense.

The 5-inch capacitive display has a 960 x 480 resolution and comes with a QWERTY keyboard, 5MP camera, Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 and 4GB of storage. The Sharp IS01 will ship in Japan at the beginning of June and so far it’s not known if it will appear in other regions. Click through for the specs. Read more

Chrome OS smartbooks to be more expensive than Windows netbooks?

March 12, 2010 at 1:56 pm

Chrome OSGoogle ‘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

February 19, 2010 at 10:55 pm

Chrome OS FlowGoogle’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.

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

February 2, 2010 at 2:50 pm

Google tablet conceptGoogle 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

January 25, 2010 at 8:02 am

AcerAcer 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?

December 28, 2009 at 9:06 pm

Google Chrome OS netbookWe’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.

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