Tag Archives: Chrome OS

Google I/O 2011: Music Beta, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android@Home, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store

May 11, 2011Images, News, Technology, VideoAcer, Acer Chromebook, Android, Android Honeycomb, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android Market, Android Open Accessory, Android@Home, Angry Birds, app, apps, browser, Chrome, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store, Chromebook, cloud storage, conference, developer conference, developers, Google, Google Chrome OS, Google I/O, Google I/O 2011, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, laptop, Music Beta, Music Beta by Google, notebook, operating system, OS, Rovio Mobile, Samsung, Samsung Series 5 Chromebook, smartphones, software update, stats, streaming, streaming service, tablets, the cloud, updateScott Meisner

Yesterday and today Google hosted its renowned developer’s conference dubbed Google I/O 2011. Literally thousands of developers flocked to San Fransisco’s Moscone Center to find out what Google’s been cooking up on their end. This year’s event proved to be leaps and bounds more exciting than last year’s conference. Google introduced their new cloud-based music service called Music Beta; they unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Android that promises to bridge the gap between Gingerbread and Honeycomb; Android is going into the home automation business with Google’s impressive initiative Android@Home; Chrome OS is finally ready for the big leagues–Samsung and Acer are prepping Chromebooks for mass consumption; and Angry Birds has landed in the browser!

So much to discuss–it’s all a hop, skip and a jump after the break. Continue reading Google I/O 2011: Music Beta, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android@Home, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store →

Watch the Google Chrome notebook get destroyed in more ways than one

December 13, 2010Technology, VideoChrome OS, computers, Cr-48, demonstration, destroy, destroyed, experiment, experimentation, Google, Google Chome OS, Google Cr-48, notebook, viral, viral videoScott Meisner

In this unorthodox demonstration video Chrome UX designer Glen Murphy destroys a Cr-48 Chrome OS notebook. Since Chrome OS relies on the cloud to store data, it doesn’t matter what happens to your computer. Get it?

More Google news: Chrome 8, Chrome Web Store, Chrome OS

December 10, 2010News, Technologybeta, beta program, browsers, Chrome 8, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store, computers, Cr-48, Google, Google Chrome, Google event, Google Instant, Google press event, Googlenews1211, hardware, operating system, OS, software, specifications, specs, web browserScott Meisner

If you couldn’t figure it out by reading the post title, Google’s web browser that could is being upgraded across the board. And when I say across the board, I really mean across platforms. In addition to bringing a slew of updates to the standard Chrome browser in version 8, Google also spilled more details about the Chrome Web Store and its forthcoming operating system based on the browser itself. All of the juicy details were shared at a Chrome-themed press event on Tuesday, just one day after Google dropped the Android 2.3 with Nexus S bomb. To say the G-Men dominated this week in tech would be a nasty understatement. Ready, set, dive…

Chrome 8: Earlier this week Google pushed out the latest update for its desktop browser. Chrome 8 includes many welcome additions such as a speedy built-in PDF reader and automatic updates. At the press event, Google previewed some upcoming features that will become fully integrated into the browser in the near future. First up is an update to the URL bar, or what the company likes to call the “Omnibox.” Following in the footsteps of the Google search bar, the Omnibox will handle Google Instant searches. Chrome will show search results and loading web pages as you type in the box; this saves you the step of pointing the browser to Google.com and then making a search. Search and Instant Search have become one in the Omnibox. On top of this, the browser will pick up on your most frequently visited sites and will direct you instantly to them as you type. For example, if you visit ESPN.com often, when you type the letter “e” in the Omnibox ESPN will start to load up; pretty neat, eh? Google also boasted browser speed and performance improvements. Chrome now runs complex JavaScript programs up to twice as fast as before (they say an impending speed enhancement called “Crankshaft” will make the browser 100x faster than what IE’s speed was two years ago, and that’s mighty impressive) and there’s full WebGL support. If you have a copy of Chrome installed on your computer, an automatic update to version 8 should happen the next time you open it. And again, expect the Instant Omnibox and crazy speed enhancement to hit the browser soon.

Chrome Web Store: Everyone knows about Apple’s App Store, and it’s about time word of Google’s Chrome Web Store got around. The concept is simple. The Web Store houses Chrome Extensions, Themes, and most importantly web apps. What are web apps and how do they differ from plain ‘ol apps? Google describes them as “advanced interactive websites”, but essentially they are apps built specifically for use inside a browser. And that comes with perks–the best one being that you never have to worry about updating them. Since they live on the web in your browser, updates can be automatically pushed out from the developer at any time without you ever having to think about it. All web app purchases are tied to your Google Account. Perk alert! Since that’s the case, all your purchases app live in the cloud and not on your computer, meaning they can be accessed from any Internet-connected device with a browser (i.e. another computer, a smartphone, etc.). Google is also making it so that apps can work offline, leaving it up to the developer’s discretion. Many developers are already jumping on board to make web apps. At the press event Amazon showcased Kindle for the Web, an app that allows ebook readers to read their purchased titles inside a browser. And no surprise here; your reading library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights will be saved and seamlessly transported to any device you have the Kindle app installed on (said devices include the iOS lineup, Android phones, and obviously a Kindle reader). The Store also hosts some games, but don’t expect to find anything mindblowing in that genre just yet. It’s up and running today, so head over to the Chrome Web Store and check it out. The layout will be familiar to you; app categories on the left, top paid and free on the right, featured apps in the middle. Go wild. Continue reading More Google news: Chrome 8, Chrome Web Store, Chrome OS →

Google announces Chrome OS; “what if your browser was your operating system?”

November 20, 2009Images, News, Technology, Videoannouncement, Chrome, Chrome OS, Google, Google Chrome OS, operating system, OSScott Meisner

Today Google revealed its take on the operating system. And it’s called Chrome OS. What’s that you say? You’ve heard of Google Chrome, you are using it right now? Google Chrome is a browser, just like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox. What Google has announced is an operating system (think Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X) that runs in the Chrome browser skin. The desktop and the entire workplace resides in what looks very much like the Google Chrome browser you may be using today. The team at Google knows that when most people turn on their computer they go directly to their browser of choice to access the Internet. Their plan is to streamline this process by making the browser the home base of your computer.

Now let’s talk hard facts. Chrome OS is based on Linux and the current Chrome browser. It is entirely web-based and only runs web apps. All your storage will live in the Internet “cloud;” this means that all of your data (documents, music, pictures, etc.) will be stored online. Local hard drives will only be accessed to cache data and keep your computer speedy. Think of the cloud in the same terms you think of how your email is handled. You don’t download your email messages to your hard drive; it is all stored on the Internet, whether you use AOL Mail, Gmail, whatever. An advantage of an OS based on the cloud: You can take your virtual space with you everywhere; all you need handy is your login information and a Chrome OS-capable computer to sign in and access all your data. The OS itself is “light;” it will take just seconds to fully boot up your computer. And this is one of Google’s main goals: to get you on the Internet as fast and safe as possible. Speaking of safety, Chrome OS will be highly resistive to viruses and malware; Google has designed a security layer based on its own binaries and the OS easily upgradable with over-the-Internet updates for the entire OS.

—–>> Continue reading Google announces Chrome OS; “what if your browser was your operating system?” →

Bill Gates on Chrome OS, Natal

July 15, 2009Article, TechnologyBill Gates, Chrome OS, CNET, Google, Google Chrome OS, interview, Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox 360, Natal, Project Natal, Xbox 360Scott Meisner

This week Bill Gates sat down with CNET for an engaging interview about physics lectures that Gates is releasing for the public to view for free. The Richard Feynman lectures are very interesting; they “take notions such as gravity and explain how they work and the broad implications they have in understanding the ways of the universe.” Although this is quite intriguing, the tech-related goodness forms near the end of the interview when Gates is asked to spill his thoughts on Google’s latest announcement concerning their Chrome OS.

Gates: “…there’s many, many forms of Linux operating systems out there, and packaged in different ways, and booted in different ways. So I don’t know anything in particular about what Google is doing. But, in some ways I’m surprised people are acting like there’s something new. I mean, you’ve got Android running on netbooks; it’s got a browser in it. In any case, you should make them be concrete about what they’re doing. It is kind of a typical thing. When Google is doing anything it gets this–the more vague they are, the more interesting it is.”

Later Gates is asked about his views on the current state of Microsoft, a company he left in the midst of a Vista crisis and a potential Windows 7 comeback. Gates says he recently visited the MS Cambridge labs and sees a bright future for Project Natal. Interestly, he lets on that the Natal camera technology will cover more than video games with the Xbox 360; it will evolve the computer interface as well. Exciting stuff. Brilliant man. Click the source link above to read the interview in its entirety.