sygeek
Technomancer
Google Chrome OS Lands on Chromebooks and Chromeboxes You Can Actually Buy
Chrome OS Gets More Computer-y Features
We've already seen Google's Chrome OS. Now, it plays nice with USB storage and devices. And finally, there's hardware you can get your hands on.
When Google announced the OS, all they had to demonstrate the truest form of Chrome OS on was their CR-48 reference prototype, which was never intended for sale. It was attractively minimal, but didn't pack much of a punch when it came to its guts. Acer and Samsung have stepped in to solve this problem.
Better hardware. Trackpads don't suck. Intel now making dual-core processors for Chromebooks. And cameras now connect to Chrome OS. If you plug in a camera or thumbdrive, you can manage files or play media files. And Chrome OS will now let you run Gmail offline.
Samsung's Chromebook have a 12-inch screen with a battery that lasts 8 hours. The Wi-Fi model will cost $429 and the 3G model will cost $499. Acer's Chromebook has an 11.6-inch screen, has a battery that will last 6.5 inches and cost $349. They'll be available starting on June 15.
Additionally, Google announced a Chromebox, a small, low-power desktop device intended for the business world. Like the Chromebooks, it runs Chrome OS, but comes with a bunch of utilities for system administrators. [Google IO]
Chrome OS Gets More Computer-y Features
Google's cloudtastic Chrome OS got a little shot in the butt today, with the addition of some features you'd expect from any non-Chromebook system. The updates aren't the most stunning, but they'll make Chrome feel more like a real computer.
Now included in Chrome OS is a new file manager, which looks like a pretty generic PC file manager. Column view. Pretty straightforward and rudimentary, but a way to...manage your files.
A basic media player's now included as well, able to play songs and videos. Yeah. There's a fullscreen mode.
Maybe the only semi-exciting new feature is the addition of contextual app buttons that go along with whatever you install. Transfer over a bunch of photos? Use Picasa? Install the Picasa app for Chrome OS, and you get a nifty set of Picasa buttons, right in the file manager. So, hey!