Google Chrome OS On The Cutting Edge
This week Google unveiled new details of Chrome OS, its lightweight browser-based operating system for netbooks.
The essence here is speed, as Chrome OS promises near instant boot times of only 7 seconds. Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google said, “We want Google Chrome OS to be blazingly fast … to boot up like a TV.”
In late 2010 the first Chrome netbooks will be available. But the operating system will not be available or sold as a download. Instead, it will be available on select netbooks whose manufacturers Google has partnered with. Therefore, if a consumer wishes to have Chrome OS – they will need to purchase a Chrome OS device.
At this time, the actual manufacturers partnering with Google remains a tightly guarded secret. The new devices running Google Chrome OS will not have traditional hard drives. Instead, they will have flash memory and cloud (internet-based) storage.
Here’s a first: all applications run by the netbooks will be web-based. Users will not have to install apps, back up their data or manage updates. All data will be stored in the cloud, and users won’t even have to worry about viruses or anti-virus software, as Google claims it will monitor code to prevent malicious activity in Chrome OS web apps. Badda-bing.
Google also announced that it would be releasing all of the operating system’s code and design documents to the public, which means Google will be working on the same tree as open developers.
Netbooks are smaller and lighter than traditional notebooks. On average, they sell between $300 and $500 and were the surprise hit of 2008 and 2009. The price of netbooks running Chrome OS have yet to be announced but it is widely expected that their cost will be in line with current netbook prices.
