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Google Unveils Beta Chrome OS Notebook

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the wait-this-is-new-now dept.

adeelarshad82 writes "Google has unveiled a beta version of its Chrome OS notebook, dubbed CR48. The device will have a 12.1-inch screen and full-size keyboard, as well as an oversized, clickable touchpad. It will also include world-mode 3G and 802.11 dual-band Wi-Fi. Google promised eight hours of active use and eight days of standby, as well as a webcam.Those hoping to get their hands on a Chrome OS device, however, will either have to wait until mid-2011 or obtain one through one of several Google-backed giveaway options. Google plans to release two, Intel-based Chrome OS notebooks from Acer and Samsung in mid-2011, with Verizon Wireless providing cellular connectivity which comes with 100MB of free data per month for the first two years. According to Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, CR48 is not and will not be for sale. All Chrome OS devices will be launched and priced by their partners, who will hold their own launch events in the future with more details."

108 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Will it be as hard to update as Android? by eaddict · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With all the flavors of Android out there will google do something different to make this hardware can take upgrades?
    Hopefully google will keep Chrome OS in house and not sell it to vendors to cover with their unremovable crap.

    --
    "If you are on fire you can just stop, drop, and roll. If you fall into Lava you are just dead." - my 5yr old daughter
    1. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by grantek · · Score: 3, Informative

      TFA says there'll be a "jail-breaking mode", so Google have obviously realised they've been hurt by the closed Android platforms

    2. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It will not have the Android model of upgrade, but the Chrome silent upgrade in which every time there is an update it is installed without the user's direct knowledge.

    3. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

      Developers can get root by compiling the OS themselves. Normal users using a precompiled OS cannot AFAIK.

    4. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Stregano · · Score: 1

      I was under the impression we could download the OS itself and not just use it on proprietary hardware. If that is the case, if vendors are trying to change it in their favor, then that would be dumb since you could always dump that version and get the version directly from Google. Honestly, anybody on /. is smart enough to google this, but you can technically download the beta right now and use it. If that is possible, then It should not matter what 3rd party companies decide to do when you can seriously just reinstall the OS with the google defaults, and not the Samsung defaults

      --
      The world is how you make it
    5. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by x1n933k · · Score: 1

      The release of a new version in Chrome OS is every 6 weeks. That is the OS alone, not the kernel. Unfortunately, like Android there is too much hardware out there and too many companies playing for standards. It will be up to the company you bought the laptop from to make sure the essentials work properly--in the end it is still up to them to screw your system as well. Acer loads a lot of crap-ware on their PCs, laptops and Notebooks. I expect them to do exactly the same thing with Chrome.

    6. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 2

      It will not have the Android model of upgrade, but the Chrome silent upgrade in which every time there is an update it is installed without the user's direct knowledge.

      Or approval.

    7. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 5, Insightful

      TFA says there'll be a "jail-breaking mode

      Why should there be a jail in the first place?

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    8. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by chaboud · · Score: 1

      You'd just screw it up anyway. Better that nobody tells you.

    9. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Security? Bad things happen when you let people administer their own computers.

      Or drive their own cars or own their own homes.

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    10. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by ZankerH · · Score: 1

      Chromium OS is open source and you're free to try it on any hardware you can get it to run on. Chrome OS is Chromium OS + hardware-specific firmware + Google branding.

    11. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes, but for those examples there are other barriers to entry.

      To drive your own car legally, you have to pass a competency test.

      To own your own home, you have to make a large financial investment.

      So, it seems perfectly reasonable to force computer users to jump through some sort of hoop, before allowing them to administer their box. Rooting/Jail-breaking seems perfect. It requires some technical skill, and a certain acceptance of risk.

    12. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 1

      Or cook their own food.

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      Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
    13. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by iammani · · Score: 2

      Yeah imagine the horror, one could literally burn their fingers (and possibly other parts of the body)

    14. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by alvinrod · · Score: 2

      I understand the point you're trying to make here, but please understand that in the real world otherwise intelligent people with a decent amount of common sense will behave like complete morons when put in front of a computer. For whatever reason they imagine that it's some kind of magic box and don't understand the damage that they can do to themselves with it.

      Some will send their life savings to the prince of Nigeria; a few will open hotnude.jpg.exe, unleashing god knows what horrors on the machine; others will share all sorts of information that they probably shouldn't with phishers; more still will post pictures or comments in manners that could cost them a job or ruin a career;

      People have these wonderful devices that they use without really understanding the dangers involved or the consequences of their actions. Protecting these people from themselves is a good thing and it's a partly why Apple is having money-fight Fridays every week. It's not really a jail if there's an easily accessible way out of it. Most people are probably better off in the comfort of the confined area. Anyone who's feeling adventurous or understands the risks can easily leave that area.

    15. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by biryokumaru · · Score: 1

      Ya, but it's little more than just a crappy, Google-branded BrowserLinux with a bunch of recommended links put in, taking up about 10-20 times as much hard drive space. I was really looking forward to it when I installed it on my netbook, and was pretty disappointed.

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    16. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by agrif · · Score: 1

      Why should there be a jail in the first place?

      Because the technologically-illiterate have come to hear "jailbroken" as meaning "being able to put whatever you want on it", or worse, "being able to put pirated stuff on it", not the original meaning of "removing write protection on the root", or "breaking out of a chroot". Rather like "CPU" became the general term for the big box all the wires plug into.

      I was showing off my iPad one day and mentioned it was jailbroken, and suddenly everyone thought I was a software pirate. No, sorry, just wanted to install LaTeX...

      I wouldn't be surprised, if this picks up steam, if some products in the future advertise having a "jailbroken mode", even though there was no jail in the first place.

    17. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      But, jail is a safe house! Thank goodness people are restricting what I can do, so that malicious reality doesn't get me.

    18. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by not+flu · · Score: 1

      Or worse, one could burn the food!

    19. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by Jeremy+Visser · · Score: 1

      Yes, but for those examples there are other barriers to entry.

      To own your own home, you have to make a large financial investment.

      And hire a qualified electrician to install cabling inside the house, to reinforce your point.

      People try to draw a line between electric cabling and using a computer, based on the false assumption that if you screw up electric cabling you die, whereas if you screw up your own computer, it only affects you.

      That's a bogus assumption because the reality is that we have this thing called the "Internet". You know, a community of networks, where computers actually talk to each other. And, you know, cause havoc on each other's networks.

      If you crash the car in your own paddock, that's okay -- it's your car, and your paddock. But if you drive irresponsibly on the road, especially a highway, which is a commons of road drivers, you suddenly have the ability to cause a lot more harm.

      It's the same with the Internet. If you own a PC, and you connect it to the Internet, you have a responsibility as a citizen of the Internet (and the world, pretty much) to be conscientious to others. An infected PC is not a laughing matter — you’re actively harming someone or something whether you’re aware of it or not. If you're not prepared to take due care, you should be treated like the cops would treat you if you were an unlicensed drive — you shouldn't be allowed on the Internet.

      It's a social problem, not a technical one.

    20. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by red+crab · · Score: 1

      Browsers load untrusted data from the internet every time you use them. Using an out of date browser is a security risk. Unless updates are silent and automatic, most users won't upgrade. That won't stop them from being pissed when they get hit by malware. Google shouldn't ignore the needs of 99% of users so that you can avoid an upgrade.

      If you don't want to upgrade, you don't have to. If you are clever enough to understand the issues, then I am sure you can figure out how to disable automatic updates. The code is open source, and the only thing stopping someone from releasing update-free-chrome is the fact that running an outdated browser is a terrible idea.

      Not really. Most of the users don't mind free upgrades. Look around yourself to check how many users are still running IE6 or FF 3.0 (or even 3.5). Automatically connecting to Internet without user's consent is essentially a bad idea. In situations like when the update site may be down, the link may be slow or the user might be already running a network intensive application, an automatic update can bring the system to screeching halt; no matter how well the program is purportedly written.
      Its kind of frustrating that more and more applications developed these days are based around the idea that users aren't smart enough to figure out whats good for them, so don't provide them with the bells and whistles, they won't need that and won't be able to use that even if provided.

    21. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      So, it seems perfectly reasonable to force computer users to jump through some sort of hoop, before allowing them to administer their box.

      FOAD

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    22. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by tehcyder · · Score: 1
      By your logic we shouldn't allow anyone to access the internet unless they've passed some sort of certification or exam, which would have to involve knowledge of networking, virus design, programming scripts,how to compile a secure OS, etc..

      99.9% of current users would thereby be excluded from the internet, which I suppose would suit some of the elitist twats you get on slashdot.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    23. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      What has the strawman ever done to you that you attack him so harshly?

      What the GP said is that, for people that don't understand the dangers of opening hotnude.jpg.exe or that somebody claiming to be the prince of Nigeria might be lying, it might be better to use a computer that protected them from making such mistakes. Like having a car with seatbelts and airbags. Like having a computer without root access by default.

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    24. Re:Will it be as hard to update as Android? by gnapster · · Score: 1

      Yes, on the Cr-48 there will be a jailbreaking mode. Just like the Nexus One was developer-friendly. When Motorola released the Droid X with its self-destruct feature, they even said that if someone wanted to root their phone, they should get a Nexus One instead of Motorola's device. Just becuase this prototype – which is released for hacking and beta testing – has a jail-breaking mode, we don't know how consumer-grade products made by a variety of manufacturers might be locked down. I don't anticipate Google providing any stricter mandate with Chromium OS than they have with Android.

  2. No root. by Timmmm · · Score: 1

    It requires jailbreaking, and they said "Native applications are web applications. It's fully possible to do everything that you can do with native technology with web technologies". Which sounds pretty dubious, although it does apparently support NativeClient.

    1. Re:No root. by nine-times · · Score: 2

      Well they said:

      The device also features a jail-breaking mode. It's fully available for you to break into.

      So it will require jailbreaking, but they'll provide the ability to do that. Of course, since they're planning on having other integrators actually produce these machines, it will probably end up like Android-- theoretically open, but by many practical measures the devices are closed.

    2. Re:No root. by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

      It's fully possible to do everything that you can do with native technology with web technologies". Which sounds pretty dubious,

      Pretty easy, actually — just add some way to execute machine code via javascript or something. Granted, there are some issues with this strategy.

      Chrome's V8 JS engine already compiles JavaScript into machine code to gain performance... Granted, there are some security issues with this strategy (note: Firefox, IE & Safari also run JS as machine code).

      Provide some bindings for JS to take advantage of OpenGL (like WebGL), and sockets (like WebSockets), and yeah, you can do just about anything with JS compiled into machine code as you can with C compiled into machine code.

      IMO, machine code should run in a hardware supported VM environment to help prevent exploits... Davlik is a software VM, perhaps this should have just been an Android tablet... I just can't wait to fully "jail break" a Chrome OS tablet and install Android on it (I already develop for Android... Google, STOP FRAGMENTING THE MARKET).

    3. Re:No root. by GWBasic · · Score: 1

      It requires jailbreaking, and they said "Native applications are web applications. It's fully possible to do everything that you can do with native technology with web technologies". Which sounds pretty dubious, although it does apparently support NativeClient.

      My guess is that Jailbreaking may be needed for bleeding edge browser plugins.

      --
      No, I will not work for your startup
    4. Re:No root. by ZankerH · · Score: 1

      I just can't wait to fully "jail break" a Chrome OS tablet and install Android on it (I already develop for Android... Google, STOP FRAGMENTING THE MARKET).

      Chrome OS is for netbooks, Android is for smartphones and tablets. There won't be an official Chrome OS tablet.

    5. Re:No root. by hitmark · · Score: 1

      Yep, this specific computer is built as specified by Google for use as a test bed of the eventual design specs for the various OEM variants. That the switch is there in this limited production run is not indicative of it being there when the various products start showing up in stores. And as one market area specifically aimed at is office use, i suspect it will not as that would compromise the image of security they are trying to sell.

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
    6. Re:No root. by shawb · · Score: 1

      And once these are out on the market, it could actually reduce attempts at jailbreaking on the commercial offerings. Those who want to play with the system get their hands on a CR48 due to the ease of hacking.

      --
      I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
    7. Re:No root. by hitmark · · Score: 1

      i don't think there will be that many ot there.

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
    8. Re:No root. by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

      My mistake, when I say "Tablet PC", I always have in mind my own "Tablet PC", which is a "laptop" with a swivel touch-screen that folds flat to transform into a "tablet"... Best of both worlds (a bit thick for a tablet, but has a full keyboard when I need it).

      ::sigh:: My point isn't about what device Google's newest OS is or isn't installed on. My point is that Chrome OS isn't needed at all, and, as you've pointed out, further lends unnecessary fragmentation to the market.

      You can install android on your netbook, laptop, tablet, destkop, etc.

      You can even purchase Android tablets & netbooks right now.

      Sure, Google might not release a chrome OS tablet right now, but that doesn't mean that they won't, or won't let other companies do it. PS. I won't buy a notebook that can't transform into a tablet or vise versa; Other devices just seems like they're missing features for no good reason.

  3. Google's on a roll today huh? by pyalot · · Score: 2

    A tablet and major JS engine overhaul wasn't enough, on a whim they just threw a notebook into the mix or what?

    --
    Experiments and other stuff
    1. Re:Google's on a roll today huh? by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Eric Schmidt: Okay guys. It's time for the choppin' block. Whaddya got for me?

      Tablet Lead: We just announced our tablet today!

      Eric Schmidt: Way to set the bar high! Next! You!

      Chrome Browser Lead: We... err... Overhauled our Javascript Engine! 100% faster! Totally! We'll announce it this afternoon

      Eric Schmidt: Good good! I'd hate to have to fire you. I like you. Next! You there, what good news do you have?

      Notebook Lead: Err... We... uhh. Yeah, we can totally announce our new notebook as well! Definately. It might not be READY till Mid 2011 but we can definately announce it oh god please don't fire me.

      Eric Schmidt: ... *Flips a coin* ... You got lucky this time. Next!

      Search Engine Lead: There's... err... Nothing new to report... Not even a doodle for the main page today... I... I'll go pack my things. It was really nice working here.

      Eric Schmidt: No need, I'll have security escort you out then throw your belongings out the nearest window.

    2. Re:Google's on a roll today huh? by isorox · · Score: 2

      Search Engine Lead: There's... err... Nothing new to report... Not even a doodle for the main page today... I... I'll go pack my things. It was really nice working here.

      Shame, they could turn off instant preview (or allow disabling it without greasemonkey). Remember when google was an awesome fast light search engine?

    3. Re:Google's on a roll today huh? by bhartman34 · · Score: 4, Informative

      You can already turn the instant preview off. It's under the search settings.

    4. Re:Google's on a roll today huh? by KingSkippus · · Score: 2

      Don't you know that usability tests should be damned and everything programmed to meet isorox's demanding specifications by default? My god, man, do you know what you're suggesting? That he should have to click one button one time!!?

    5. Re:Google's on a roll today huh? by Flipao · · Score: 1

      If YOU don't like it, then YOU turn it off, it's an option, no need to deprive billions of users of a feature just because YOU think it should be removed.

  4. Is Google Ripping Off Apple by ahsile · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oversized touchpad == Macbook Wheel???

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA

    (Yes this is a joke folks)

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  5. Black??? by harrkev · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The PICTURES show it as black. With a name like "chrome," shouldn't it at least be shiny?

    --
    "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
    1. Re:Black??? by entotre · · Score: 1

      Anything that help people forget the device (including not making it shine) would serve the goal of reducing the barrier between user and web.
      The caps-lock button has been removed, but in those pictures there is a button in the same spot. Is it a google-button?

    2. Re:Black??? by Art3x · · Score: 1

      The PICTURES show it as black. With a name like "chrome," shouldn't it at least be shiny?

      No.

    3. Re:Black??? by rhook · · Score: 1

      Probably, it appears to have the same icon on it as the search button on Android phones.

  6. "CR48"? by grub · · Score: 1


    "CR48"? They should have named it "CR49".

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:"CR48"? by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      It's going to be "CR4P"

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  7. Wait, that's not right... by LeftHanded · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Chromium is 24 on the periodic table of the elements. The element that's 48 is cadmium. Maybe they're going for some sort of esoteric Chromium Chromium == 2 * 24 == 48 kind of thing?

    --
    I think...I think it's in my basement. Let me go upstairs and check. -M.C. Escher (1898-1972)
    1. Re:Wait, that's not right... by harrkev · · Score: 5, Informative

      Isotopes of Chromium
      48 is an unstable isotope of Chromium with a half-life of less than a day.

      --
      "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
    2. Re:Wait, that's not right... by DragonWriter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Chromium [wikipedia.org] is 24 on the periodic table of the elements.

      Chromium (Cr) 48 is the isotope of Chromium with atomic mass 48, an unstable isotope of Chromium with a half-life of about a day. (The most common isotope of Chromium is Cr-52, which is stable.)

      So Cr-48 is a fairly clever name for a beta test device for running the OS developed through the Chromium OS project.

    3. Re:Wait, that's not right... by Achoi77 · · Score: 2

      Does this mean the laptop will be pulling in updates more than twice a day in order to squash bugs/improve performance?
      At least the OS will be up-to-date...

    4. Re:Wait, that's not right... by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 1

      Isotopes of Chromium
      48 is an unstable isotope of Chromium with a half-life of less than a day.

      Sounds more like Windows to me!

      Bazinga!

      --
      Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
    5. Re:Wait, that's not right... by elashish14 · · Score: 1

      Well that's the kind of karma you can only find on slashdot...

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    6. Re:Wait, that's not right... by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      So they expect it to have the same product lifetime as the Nexus One, then?

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    7. Re:Wait, that's not right... by Nyder · · Score: 2

      Isotopes of Chromium
      48 is an unstable isotope of Chromium with a half-life of less than a day.

      Well, to be fair, it did say the battery last for 8 hours of use and 8 hours of standby...

      --
      Be seeing you...
  8. You’re eligible to receive a free Chrome not by jekewa · · Score: 2

    Either they're quick with the invitations, or someone's quick with the phishing. I got an "invite" in the mail before I saw the notice on /. Free notebook...sigh.

    --
    End the FUD
  9. Re:looks exactly like a by Lally+Singh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well it does have a screen, hinge, keyboard, and trackpad.

    Naughty Google! Very Naughty!

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  10. I hope this OS never takes off. by Blice · · Score: 1, Troll

    Buy a netbook and get NOTHING but the web: "feature"
    BUY websites: "feature"

    Please be a joke.

  11. Re:You’re eligible to receive a free Chrome by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

    I got a notice right in my freaking New Tab Page about the program.

  12. It's pronounced "Crate"? by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Or something; l33tsp34k it however you'd like...

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  13. Is it 1992? by jtownatpunk.net · · Score: 1

    100 megs of cellular data transfer on an internet device? What is it with the magically shrinking data caps these days? Verizon's been hyping LTE for months then cut off it's own nuts with 5 and 10 gig data caps and insane overage charges. AT&T's selling 2 gig plans with their ipads and iphones like that's going to be enough for these media-heavy devices.

    I'm currently testing Clear's 4G service and, while the performance is excellent so far, there is strong evidence that they're throttling heavy users after they've moved about 10 gigs of data and calling it "network management". So far, I'm approaching 20 gigs (7 yesterday, 13 today) without a hitch but I may be in what we used to call the "honeymoon period" back in the DirecPC days. (Before they disclosed their throttling policy DPC sometimes didn't throttle new customers until they were past the return period.) Clear also just flipped the switch in my area so it's possible there isn't enough traffic to trigger the "management" protocols. The sad thing is that if Clear wasn't so "clearly" regurgitating DirecPC's playbook regarding throttling, I wouldn't feel the need to pound the crap out of their service to see if they'll cut me off. I pulled WAY more data through DirecPC's satellites just probing and testing their Fair Access Policy than I ever would have moved if the system just worked as advertised. Or if they'd just been honest about what they were doing. :)

    Now where did I put that onion?

    1. Re:Is it 1992? by isorox · · Score: 1

      My typical phone data usage is 100mb/month, tops. Plenty of surfing on the go (like now on the train), little bit of ssh over VPN, plenty of email, but wifi at home and office. Aside from downloading tv shows, I never hit 20gb/month at home. What do you do?

    2. Re:Is it 1992? by jtownatpunk.net · · Score: 1

      Like I said, the only reason I'm pounding Clear's service is because of rumors that they're throttling heavy users and the language they're using when communicating with customers about this topic is identical to the language used by another company that was discovered to have been intentionally reducing performance for "heavy" users. Since the user experience (reduced speed at specific thresholds) and corporate response (deny, deny, deny, obfuscate) looked identical, the only way I can find out the truth is to experiment and draw my own conclusions. So I downloaded the Debian DVD ISOs. Perfectly legal and legitimate use.

      The fact that YOU never use 20 gigs in a month doesn't mean that other people don't have legitimate reasons to move that much data. Before I signed up, I told Clear that I needed to be able to move 50-100 gigs of data a month. "I know clear offers service in my area but I need to know whether Clear will be able to consistently deliver 50-100 gigs of data per month or if I will be subject to limits on the amount of data I can transfer." "Yes we certainly can." So I've got users reporting 7-10 gig caps on one side and a sales rep telling me they can certainly deliver 50-100 gigs of data per month on the other. How do I determine which claim is true? Experiment.

      And, with HD video streaming becoming the norm rather than the exception, 50-100 gigs per month seems like a reasonable estimate. Streaming an HD movie from Netflix runs about 1.5-2 gigs for a 90 minute movie. If I watch 2 movies a week, that's 12-16 gigs right there from one person, not counting anything else at all. Clear markets their service as a cable/DSL replacement so they shouldn't be shocked by that kind of use.

  14. pay as you go by fermion · · Score: 1

    I do like is the apparent pay as you go, if the prices are not too high. $10 is ok for the day pass. I wish ATT would let us buy data on a as used basis instead of every month, and pay for even if you did not use the it. I suspect Verizon is going to charge at least $20 for a gigabyte, which would be high but in some ways better than ATT subscription model.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    1. Re:pay as you go by isorox · · Score: 1

      I suspect Verizon is going to charge at least $20 for a gigabyte

      $10/meg on uk o2 when I was recently in Pakistan and China. Hotel and office had wifi so not too bad.

    2. Re:pay as you go by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      I suspect Verizon is going to charge at least $20 for a gigabyte

      Per TFA, aside from the $9.99 day pass, $20/month for 1GB, $35/month for 2 GB, and $50/month for 5GB. Its not pay as you go other than the day pass.

    3. Re:pay as you go by gregrah · · Score: 3, Interesting

      T-Mobile recently came out with their dirt cheap (for an Android phone) "Comet". The phone costs about $150 to buy outright, and you can use it on their pay-as-you-go plan (10 cents per minute calling). A "Web Day Pass" can be purchased* for $1.49, and it gives you unlimited 3G data access for 24 hours on the days that you need it.

      You should also be able to use a nicer, more expensive Android phone on the pay-as-you-go plan, if you don't mind paying $250 or more up front for the phone.

      I've been waiting for a long time for a pricing model like this to come along before purchasing a smart phone. $80 a month (or even $50 a month on some of the cheaper carriers) is just too much for me to pay for a smart phone given how much of my day is spent sitting in front of a desktop computer and land line. I would love to see T-Mobile be successful with with this pricing model, and to see other carriers following suit.


      * Currently T-Mobiles servers are crapping out and you can't actually buy a Web Day Pass. Pretty sloppy - but I assume it's just a temporary problem as they roll out the new system.

  15. Updates will obvious fit in 100MB/month by billstewart · · Score: 1

    So it shouldn't take any time at all to update...

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    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  16. I hope it's made by HTC by chrisj_0 · · Score: 1

    coz if it's samsung I'll be stuck for 6 months on an outdated version of teh software :(

  17. Test drive a Chrome notebook. by grusapa · · Score: 1

    We have a limited number of Chrome notebooks to distribute, and we need to ensure that they find good homes. That’s where you come in. Everything is still very much a work in progress, and it’s users, like you, that often give us our best ideas about what feels clunky or what’s missing. So if you live in the United States, are at least 18 years old, and would like to be considered for our small Pilot program, please fill this out. We'll review the requests that come in and contact you if you've been selected.

    1. Re:Test drive a Chrome notebook. by multipartmixed · · Score: 1

      How about Canada?

      I'll do a good job, eh?

      --

      Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
  18. Test drive by Aggrajag · · Score: 1

    Too bad the pilot is US only, this device would be perfect for my non-profit!

    1. Re:Test drive by entotre · · Score: 2

      I will give you advice:
      1. Install Ubuntu
      2. Install Chrome
      3. Chrome OS equivalent obtained!

    2. Re:Test drive by MrHanky · · Score: 1

      Not quite. I tried installing Google Talk via the Chrome store today, and it complained that it only supports ChromeOS.

    3. Re:Test drive by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      That's not really an equivalent to ChromeOS - Ubuntu is capable of running useful programs as well as web apps...

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      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    4. Re:Test drive by hitmark · · Score: 1

      someone linked to a vim plugin/app for chromeos over on twitter...

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
  19. Here is what I don't get... by TrippTDF · · Score: 2

    ... why are they not just making the OS free for all? The Hexeh Chromium builds have shown that it can run on a variety of hardware... I don't understand why Google is partnering with device manufacturers instead of just letting this into the wild for everyone...

    1. Re:Here is what I don't get... by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 1

      ... why are they not just making the OS free for all? The Hexeh Chromium builds have shown that it can run on a variety of hardware... I don't understand why Google is partnering with device manufacturers instead of just letting this into the wild for everyone...

      Not everyone at Google is smart I suppose.

      --
      Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
    2. Re:Here is what I don't get... by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 2

      Oh wait, this is Google's Bob. Google figures, it's growing up to be a big important company like Microsoft, it too needs a Bob. A kind of rite of passage.

      --
      Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
    3. Re:Here is what I don't get... by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      I don't understand why Google is partnering with device manufacturers instead of just letting this into the wild for everyone...

      Google is partnering with device manufacturers because they'd rather not restrict the Chrome OS market to the small slice of people that would replace the OS bundled with their hardware with something else, and because they'd like casual users to have the experience provided by the OS running on hardware designed for Chrome OS rather than tailored for use with some other OS.

      Of course, Chromium OS remains open source and freely available, and if people want to build it and install it on their own hardware, Google will let them do that.

    4. Re:Here is what I don't get... by yelvington · · Score: 2

      ... why are they not just making the OS free for all? The Hexeh Chromium builds have shown that it can run on a variety of hardware... I don't understand why Google is partnering with device manufacturers instead of just letting this into the wild for everyone...

      The Hexxeh builds show that it is free for all. Problem solved.

      The builds that will come preinstalled will be highly tuned and tightly bound to the particular hardware. That's how they manage to boot so quickly -- there's no probing. See this video (over a year old) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTFfl7AjNfI

    5. Re:Here is what I don't get... by Mabbo · · Score: 2
      There is Google Chrome OS, and there is Chromium OS. These are separate things, just as Chromium Browser and Google Chrome Browser are separate things. The Chromiums are open source, and you are free to put them on any hardware you like, as Hexxeh has done. If you want to boot up Chromium OS on your desktop, by all means, give it a shot, and document it well so I can do it too!

      Why do this? Because Google doesn't want to put their name to something they don't guarantee to be awesome. They want the less than 10 second boot-up, SSD harddrives, and complete guarantee of hardware, so that they can better maintain their security models of the devices.

      Bias: I was an intern on the Google Chrome team over the summer.

    6. Re:Here is what I don't get... by McLoud · · Score: 1

      If you dont parner with the device manufacturers, you ain't going to get any software into their system anytime quick

      --
      sign(c14n(envelop(this)), x509)
  20. Nice Notebook, boring OS by joh · · Score: 1

    I really like this thing, but looking at Google web apps running in a browser looks extremly last century. Google is just *so* desinterested and uninspired with its webapps that it almost hurts.

    1. Re:Nice Notebook, boring OS by Kagetsuki · · Score: 1

      What? Just what about it do you like? It's generic hardware made by... Acer and Samsung ... it's like they took the two worst companies they could find in both products[hardware] and services[support]. I have no idea what the big deal is with those damn click able trackpads either, what's wrong with the tap mode that's been available on every track pad for the last 20 years that I have to physically depress the device? And how about those Verizon data prices? I pay about $20USD for unlimited wireless data at 21mbps... This is easily one of the least appealing products I have ever seen from Google.

  21. Re:looks exactly like a by karlwilson · · Score: 1

    All cars have steering wheels.

  22. Re:USB support? by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

    Will it have USB support? I'm not sure if Google told anything about that?

    Per TFA, USB support in Chrome OS is one of the issues that is still being worked on. I presume the Cr-48 hardware will include USB, but I wouldn't expect it to work on day one.

  23. 100 MB? by myspys · · Score: 1

    "with Verizon Wireless providing cellular connectivity which comes with 100MB of free data per month for the first two years"

    Surely that can't be right. What can you do with 100 MB?

    Not even Verizon can be that cheap..

    1. Re:100 MB? by DragonWriter · · Score: 2

      Surely that can't be right. What can you do with 100 MB?

      If you are usually using it places with WiFi connectivity and only occasionally need access over 3G, probably enough to satisfy many users (or at least to make the 100MB monthly free usage + 1-2 $9.99 unlimited day passes a better deal than the $20-50 2-5GB monthly plans.)

      If almost all of your use is out of WiFi coverage, you'll probably want a higher limit than the free plan.

    2. Re:100 MB? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

      100MB isn't there to be useful, it's there to persuade you to buy more data. Mind you, it has WiFi, so if you only use it outside WiFi range occasionally it's probably not so bad.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  24. The BIG question by Linker3000 · · Score: 1

    But does it run...android?

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    AT&ROFLMAO
    1. Re:The BIG question by ducomputergeek · · Score: 1

      But which version? 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 and what interface? Motorola's, Samsungs, HTC, LG...

      --
      "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
  25. Here it comes... by imrec · · Score: 1

    I've soooo been waiting to see Google start their attack on the mobile world. This looks like it. Android as a platform, for all it's flaws, is coming along, sure. Selling products with pre-paid connections? Not part of their business model.

    Getting people connected to the internet everywhere? Through Google products? FOR ONLY THE PRICE OF ADVERTISING TO YOU??

    Free 3G connected Google devices are coming. Show me an mp3 that has hammered the conventional big-business music industry and I'll show you a Google phone that completely obsoleted the idea that a cell phone provider charge you ANYTHING.

    --
    Note: This sig contains nine S's, nine I's and five O's which... means absolutely nothing.
  26. Why 2011? by Provocateur · · Score: 1

    That only gives me one year to fully enjoy it before the end of the world.

    --
    WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
  27. Good move Google by BigBadBus · · Score: 1

    Google have done the right thing and not rushed out Chrome OS in time for Christmas, unlike the disastrous Vista. But will Chrome OS enabled netbooks have a sticker on the box saying "you must be connected to the internet to use this machine"?

    --
    My web domain.
  28. Re:Cripplepad by Taxman415a · · Score: 1

    There, I think that sums it up. Take a general purpose computer and cripple it so it can only run a browser. Brilliant. Good luck with that.

    I'm not as against the ChromeOS idea as much as some people are. I think it might work for certain large segments of the population that would be better off having a computer automatically managed for them. But this announcement basically has only that one small upside and all the downsides you mention and two more important ones. Intel processor that sucks battery power and probably is an atom so isn't that powerful anyway - no thanks, 8 hour battery life - no thanks, there is more functional hardware out there that can do at least that aready.

    The only thing that would have made this worth it would have been an ARM chip and a 12-18+ hr battery life

  29. Re:USB support? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

    Who is going to want to plug a crippled laptop into an old monitor or projector?

    Just about everything has a VGA port. Sorry, it's least-common-denominator.
     

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  30. where's a recent Live USB? by spage · · Score: 1

    I'd like to try it out. Hmm, no .img on http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os . There's a Hexxeh blogging about it at http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/ , but the most recent build from his "bleeding edge, untested!" series at http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/vanilla.php is "Version 0.8.71.rdb7d4e77, built on 28th of October 2010."

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    =S
  31. I applied for one. by Khyber · · Score: 1

    I am hoping Google will send me one. Given the fact that 99% of my business is web-based, I want to see just what they've got to offer.

    If it's good for my business, you can almost guarantee I'll be making a quick run to my investors and telling them to get one for themselves.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  32. browser-based is better by spage · · Score: 2

    What's left that doesn't run in a browser?

    • music player? With the HTML5 audio tag, ogg playback plus MP3 in Chrome, it's doable
    • editor? Bespin, Firefox extensions for simple text editing, FCKedit for local WYSIWYG are good enough
    • todo list? TiddlyWiki is a complete editable wiki that runs from a single HTML file (impressive!); I use the mGSD version with action items and projects

    I've run Linux for years and besides vim and zsh, the only native app that has impressed me as much as the best browser-based apps is Inkscape.

    I'd love to run even more stuff in the browser. I hate that I access most resources through bookmarks and the browser's smart location field, but other resources I have to go through the GUI toolkit's file "browser", and then launch external apps that usually lack all the browser's niceties (View Source, Ctrl-+ to zoom, bookmarks/back/forward/history, tabs, etc.). Browser-based doesn't mean using the cloud for all my files; browsers don't care if they load resources from http or file:/// URLs. ChromeOS has a Content View to show you local files, supposedly integrated with the Open/Save dialog; I wish Firefox Places had a directory view along with its bookmarks and history view. I don't want Firefox to integrate with my Linux desktop toolkit's crappy file handling and half-hearted semantic efforts, I want Firefox to subsume them.

    --
    =S
    1. Re:browser-based is better by MrMickS · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking:

      Image editing
      Video editing
      Music creation
      Game playing (Flash games don't count)
      The ability to do real stuff when outside coverage

      If this was such a good idea then there would be no need for WINE etc

      Seriously, haven't people got past the "It's made by Google so it must be brilliant" stage? I mean I like to use my Apple stuff, but that doesn't mean that some of the things they do are meh.

      --
      You may think me a tired, old, cynic. I'd have to disagree about the tired bit.
    2. Re:browser-based is better by spage · · Score: 1

      Yup, browser-based creative tools are lacking. Image editing is getting there with Pixastic and any number of online image croppers, but the ones I've tried seem more like demos than tools. Svg-edit seems like it has potential for diagramming. The problem with all of them is they seem focused on "Add this cool feature to your web site" rather than "This is a standalone web page that continues to work if you save it to your computer and go offline."

      I wasn't talking about Google and "browser-based" is little to do with Google. Google make some excellent web apps that used to continue to work "when outside coverage", now Google Docs seems stuck between Google Gears and HTML 5 storage.

      --
      =S
  33. CR48 : CRATE ... by dragonmagi · · Score: 1

    great :/

  34. Re:USB support? by Nadaka · · Score: 1

    My tv has a vga port, a lot of them do. However, I have never seen one with a SCART connector, ever.

  35. Re:USB support? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

    SCART connectors are found in pretty much any TV in Europe made in the last 20 or so years. You won't see them in the USA, because of the massive NIH mentality in the USA when it comes to French technology. It's largely losing ground to HDMI now; as an analogue standard for SD TV, it's less relevant (and you can buy SCART to composite adaptors for next to nothing, so you can always use a composite port if there is one). VGA connections though? I've never seen one even on a TV in the USA - it would have been useful last time I was there to be able to plug my laptop into the TV in my hotel. Looking around, I see a couple of TVs advertising VGA ports, but they're all new models, which are basically the same panels that are sold as monitors, and all seem to have HDMI as well.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  36. Re:USB support? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

    Many TV's, most monitors, every projector.

    This isn't a blu-ray player, it's a netbook.

    Adding HDMI would be ideal, but then again a packetized technology (maybe DisplayPort, LightPeak, 802.11?) is going to outmode HDMI fairly soon. On the other hand, most netbooks will be recycled before that happens.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  37. My one concern regarding this by Flipao · · Score: 1

    Beside web apps being some 5 years away from being able to reliable replace traditional desktop applications would be them moving away from using URLs to access web content and forcing users to access it through that "web app store" instead.

  38. tons of TVs with VGA by spage · · Score: 1

    I don't think I've ever seen a TV with a VGA port

    You need to get out more. Google Shopping for Televisions +VGA shows hundreds of TVs from Coby, Haier, LG, Nexus, Sharp with VGA input; lots of other TVs call it "PC input" including my Samsung that handles a 1080x1920 extended desktop from my laptop. Most LCD TVs continue to have a VGA port even as HDMI inputs proliferate, so as bill_mcgonigle said VGA has broader support than any other display output.

    The additional cable you need for audio is a hassle: some TVs use 3.5mm, others use RCA jacks, and some don't support audio in at all and you get to listen to the video through your laptop's speakers.

    --
    =S