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Google Adds Tablet UI Elements To Chrome OS Betas

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the sure-why-not dept.

Apparently current builds identify themselves as CrOS, elements have been giving more whitespace to ease finger based navigation, and an on-screen keyboard is now built in. This only adds further to the questions about the positioning of ChromeOS vs Android: developers probably don't want to work on both.

10 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. The real question by by+(1706743) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Will it be able to left-click on /. links?

    1. Re:The real question by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      Will it be able to left-click on /. links?

      Sure, you can click with your left hand or your right hand. ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  2. The More The Merrier! by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 2

    Sure ChromeOS will force developers to either split their efforts or focus on just one, but this is a situation developers face everyday. We're always picking our platforms and targets.

    Google has some pretty smart people, and I'm sure they've got something up their sleeves. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up sharing common APIs between platforms so recompiling (perhaps with a bit of tweaking) using separate make files will let developers work on both platforms (as close to) simultaneously as possible.

    1. Re:The More The Merrier! by Wiiboy1 · · Score: 2

      Programmers already have to split efforts between Android and Honeycomb; the future will add ChromeOS, Chrome, and GoogleTV. So yes, Google desperately needs a convergence plan.

      There's no difference between Chrome and Chrome OS, from a developer's perspective. And since all it runs are webapps, anything you write for Chrome or Chrome OS would also work fine on any other platform.

      There's really no need to consolidate the different projects (except Gingerbread/Honeycomb), although different Google people have said that Android and CrOS will be merged at some point.

    2. Re:The More The Merrier! by MozeeToby · · Score: 2

      If you're not stealing market share from yourself, someone else is.

    3. Re:The More The Merrier! by Lennie · · Score: 2

      The obvious answer is, if you develop for all these different platforms you are probably doing it wrong (unless you have a specialized app). You probably should just use HTML/CSS/JS and something like PhoneGap.

      I'm sure some kind of 'webapps' based on webtechnologies will be supported for ChromeOS. :-)

      That way you can also target the iPhone, iPad, HP WebOS and everything else with the same codebase.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    4. Re:The More The Merrier! by sbrown123 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Google has some pretty smart people, and I'm sure they've got something up their sleeves.

      Not this time. ChromeOS was targeted at netbooks while they were the "next big thing" and Android was set to go for phones. ChromeOS never made it out the door and Android has expanded to tablets (the current "big thing"). ChromeOS is walking dead which will eventually get chopped.

    5. Re:The More The Merrier! by shmlco · · Score: 2

      I think you have it backwards. Google is open when it suits their purposes. And when it suits their purposes, their "openness" will end.

      I think they're is going to get all of the tablet folk to commit to Android, then ship their own superior tablet based on Chrome, upon which they'll drop Android development like a hot potato, leaving all of the suckers gasping for air and wondering what the hell just happened.

      Don't forget Schmidt was on Apple's board, saw the iPhone, and then snuck out and developed Android.

      Being a Google Android partner is almost as safe as being a Microsoft "PlaysForSure" partner...

      --
      Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
  3. "CrOS Touch" by slim · · Score: 4, Informative

    The summary sort of misses the point about "current builds identifying themselves as CrOS".

    The pertinent bit of the article is:

    The browser now reports itself as "CrOS Touch" for sites that have specific touchscreen elements.

    ... meaning that a web site can know that it's dealing with a browser with a touch interface, and present a UI to suit.

  4. Here's a link to a more detailed article. by milbournosphere · · Score: 3, Informative

    The CNET article that has much more detail: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20051228-264.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave&dlvrit=140907