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Red Hat buys the creator of a Chrome-based OS for servers
The underpinnings of Chrome OS have found their way into the server room in a very roundabout way. Red Hat has acquired CoreOS, the creators of an operating system for containerized apps (Container Linux) that shares roots with both Google's Chromium OS project and Gentoo Linux. The $250 million deal promises to help Red Hat fulfill its dreams of helping people use open code to deploy apps in any environment they like, whether it's on a local network or multiple cloud services.
Chromebooks can get cheaper thanks to new support for a low-end chip
You can pick up a Chromebook for a dirt-cheap $200, if you know where to shop. However, there are now signs that these Google-powered portables could get even cheaper. MediaTek has contributed code to Chromium OS (the base for Chrome OS) for a test device with an entry-level ARM Cortex-A7 processor -- a big step down from the relatively inexpensive Cortex-A15/A7 hybrid that Samsung uses, not to mention the Intel Celeron chips in other Chrome devices. Theoretically, this leads to Chromebooks and Chromeboxes that cost significantly less than $200, albeit after a big speed hit. Just as with phones and tablets, a Cortex-A7 system is likely to be pretty sluggish.
Chrome OS may soon let you run multiple profiles at once
If you have a Chrome OS system, you know it can be a hassle to sign out just so that someone else can borrow the computer for a few minutes. That may not be an annoyance for much longer, though. A new developer version of Chrome OS includes experimental code for running multiple profiles at once; after others sign in, you can switch between users at the drop of a hat. You can even send windows to different profiles. There's no certainty that Google will bring multi-account support to a polished Chrome OS release, but those willing to take some risks can switch to the Dev channel to try the feature today.
Google forks WebKit with Blink, a new web engine for Chromium and Chrome (update)
You could call WebKit the glue that binds the modern web: the rendering engine powers Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome, and many mobile browsers past and present. Things are about to unstick a little. Google believes that Chromium's multi-process approach has added too much complexity for both the browser and WebKit itself, so it's creating a separate, simpler fork named Blink. Although the new engine will be much the same as WebKit at the start, it's expected to differ over time as Google strips out unnecessary code and tweaks the underlying platform. We'd also expect it to spread, as the company has confirmed to us that both Chrome and Chrome OS will be using Blink in the future. We're safely distant from the Bad Old Days of wildly incompatible web engines, but the shift may prove a mixed blessing -- it could lead to more advancements on the web, but it also gives developers that much more code to support. Update: The Next Web has confirmed that Opera, which recently ditched its Presto engine for Webkit, will indeed be using Blink as it's already hitching its proverbial wagon to Chromium.
Hexxeh ports Chromium OS to the Nexus 7 simply because he can (video)
Coder extraordinaire Hexxeh earned much of his reputation from porting Chromium OS to just about everything, some of his targets more audacious than others. It's about time he come full circle and port a Google platform to another Google platform, and he just recently did that with a very early Chromium OS conversion for the normally Android-based Nexus 7. Details are scarce other than that WiFi and touch input are working, although that's really all that's needed for something so web-centric, isn't it? We'll cut Hexxeh some slack when he says he's in no rush to produce a more easily installed build for Jane and Joe Modder -- when he mentions spending hours hacking the OS into the tablet just for fun, he probably deserves some leeway. [Thanks, yo2boy]
Chromium OS gets ported to Raspberry Pi
Hexxeh has already proven his love for Chromium OS and the Raspberry Pi, obviously the next step was for the hacker to combine his passions into one project. Thus was born Chromium OS for the tiny ARM-powered computer from the UK. The initial commit of the port was officially approved by the Chromium team, meaning that anyone lucky enough to get their mitts on the board can download the code themselves. Of course, there's a long road to hoe before we see a stable version -- if we ever see such a thing. Right now the OS does little more than boot up, but if the embedded version of Chromium can be made to function without issue it could make browsing the web on the Broadcom SOC-sporting PC much less painful. Then again, performance is a big question mark. Seeing how much the 700MHz ARM11 chip struggled with the Midori browser, we wouldn't hold our breath for miracles. Then again, the underlying system is far less demanding than a full fledged Linux distro with a desktop. Hit up the source link to download Chromium OS for the Raspberry Pi yourself.
Chrome OS coming to ARM?
Many moons ago, Google made it quite clear we wouldn't be seeing its browser-based OS on any tablets or phones, but it never said Chrome OS wouldn't run on devices powered by similar silicon. In fact, the issues tracker at the Chromium OS project shows that work's being done to get Chrome OS compatible with ARM architecture, and in particular a Samsung Exynos 5250 chip. That Sammy silicon appears to be inside a new bit of hardware, codenamed "Daisy," but deeper digging failed to provide further details about the mystery device. While it certainly seems like Google's working on a new ARM-powered gadget, it's important to note that the Chromium project functions largely via user contributions, so the work might not be directed by Mountain View. You don't have to take our word for it, though. Head on down to the source link to see the evidence first hand, and feel free to form your own opinion.
Hexxeh adds a splash of lime to Chromium OS, brings extra hardware and plugin support
The open source version of Google's Chrome OS just got a zesty refresh. Capable of being housed in a mere USB stick, the latest image improves on Hexxeh's Vanilla release with hardware support for more WiFi models and NVIDIA 6 series GPUs and above. It will still benefit from regular updates to the latest Chromium build, while this Lime flavor arrives with full Java support and the promise of more plugins soon. The maker is also willing to accept suggestions for future device support. Chromium obsessives with hardware compatibility woes can try getting in touch at the source below.
Chromium's experimental touch UI demoed on video, made for meaty fingers
Google was pretty adamant at I/O that Chrome OS would not be coming tablets, but that hasn't stopped its open-source cousin from adding some touch friendly features. Chromium (the browser, not the OS) got its first tablet tweaks back in June, but this is the first time we're seeing them on video. While the larger icons, widgets, and virtual keyboard, may eventually make their way onto the rumored Seaboard, there's no guarantee these (obviously still early) experiments will ever debut as part of Chrome OS or even the browser. Check out the video after the break for a brief glimpse of this work in progress and, if you're feeling adventurous, hit up the more coverage link to download the latest source code -- just make sure to compile with 'export GYP_DEFINES="touchui=1"' to unlock the finger-friendly face of Chromium.
Chromium OS running on a MacBook Air: somewhere, a mad scientist cackles in the night
Does it hurt your brain to look at the picture above? That'd be Chromium OS -- running on a MacBook Air! Pretty much the definition of "worlds colliding," this feat is brought to you by Hexxeh, whose most recent mind-warping project put Chrome on an iPad. The platform-mixing maestro says in this case everything works except Bluetooth, owing to a lack of support. But hearty souls who seek to follow in his footsteps, take heed: there's no dual-boot option, and you will lose OS X -- so perhaps this is a job for your now outdated model. Click the source link for 14 easy steps to turning your svelte laptop into Frankenstein's monster, but sadly, there's no mention of where to buy that hopelessly cute Chrome pillow. Update: Diligent researchers found the Chrome pillow. Peep it in the second source link. Thanks, Matthew.
Kogan Agora is world's first Google Chromium OS laptop, ships next week
Kogan, the Aussie company behind such gadgets as the fist-sized Bluetooth GPS watch and gesture-controlled IPTV, is adding a Chromium OS laptop to its family of Google-powered Agora products. The 11.6-inch computer has a spec list rivaling the midrange notebooks of 2006, including a 1.3 GHz Celeron processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 30GB SSD. That's not a lot of oomph, but with cloud-based storage and Google's open source Chromium running the show, this thin client laptop should be in decent shape. There's also a 3.5-hour battery, SD card reader, webcam, Bluetooth, and an HDMI output. Like all Kogan products, the Agora is only available in Australia (AUD 349, about $372) and the UK (£269, about $440), so if you live down under or across the pond and don't want to install the open-source (free) OS yourself, look for the laptop to hit Kogan's online stores tomorrow.
Details of Samsung's 'Alex' Chrome OS netbook leaked, Atom N550 in tow
As we approach the expected mid-2011 launch for a few Chrome OS devices, it seems inevitable that some details are bound to slip out ahead of time -- here's looking at you, Acer ZGB and Seaboard. The latest victim outed by a Chromium bug report is the Samsung "Alex," which sports a 1280 x 800 display (probably at 10 inches as previously rumored; like the mockup above), 1.5GHz dual-core Atom N550, SanDisk SSD P4 of unknown capacity, and 2GB RAM. Also listed are a Qualcomm Gobi 2000 3G card, Bluetooth, WiFi, webcam, and a Synaptics touchpad. Well, not long to go now -- perhaps the Alex might even make a cheeky appearance at Google I/O in two weeks' time? Screenshot of the bug report after the break. [Thanks, Marco]
1.2GHz Tegra 2 3D chips suggested by leaked slide, coming 'spring 2011'
Darn, we've barely started getting acquainted with Tegra 2, yet NVIDIA seems to already be preparing the stage for a sort of Tegra 2.5 -- a 1.2GHz dual-core chip that'll be marketed as a 3D-capable mobile processor. This T25 silicon is apparently set for mass production in the first quarter of this year, with availability coming up in the spring. Given the noises we keep hearing about 3D going mobile, this is one rumor that makes a lot of sense -- and even if you're a staunch supporter of the 2D creed, you can't deny that a sped-up Tegra 2 CPU sounds pretty delicious. We've managed to also track down some technical chatter about adding support to Chromium OS for a 1.2GHz T25 from NVIDIA, seemingly corroborating the leaked image above. Oh boy, it's gonna be a hot summer for mobile computing this year!
Ubuntu meets Google Cr-48 laptop, keeps Chrome along for the ride
Inevitable? Perhaps. But there's still nothing like seeing Linux running on a device for the first time -- especially when it involves such a seemingly hacker-friendly device as the Google Cr-48 laptop. As you might expect, however, that required a bit more effort than your usual Ubuntu installation (not to mention a flick of that carefully concealed developer switch), but it isn't too far out of reach for the average user, and the complete process has thankfully already been explained in a thorough how-to guide. You can also, incidentally, keep Chrome OS around in a dual-boot config so as to not completely break Google's heart. Head on past the break for a quick video of the end result, and hit up the source link below for all the necessary details to do it yourself -- assuming you're lucky enough to actually have a Cr-48, that is.
Live from Google's Chrome event!
They rocked our world yesterday with Gingerbread, the Nexus S and a Honeycomb-based tablet, but Google's not done yet -- today, it'll unveil a horse of a different form factor in Chrome OS. That's right, Mountain View's finally ready to share hard details about its instant-on operating system (and perhaps a netbook or three) and we're here in San Francisco liveblogging the whole thing.
iPad and Chromium OS dance on video
Oh Hexxeh, you sly tease. Yesterday, we saw the Chromium OS impresario post up an image of Google's browser-centric environment running around inside Apple's iPad and today he's followed it up with a video. Unfortunately, it's not the best performance demo in the world and is all too brief, but it does show touch sensitivity (kinda) functioning and -- the strongest evidence that we're no longer using iOS -- a mouse cursor! Join us after the break as we follow the fascinating journey of an attempted Spotify Extension installation in Chrome. [Thanks, Aaron]
Chromium OS infiltrates iPad, makes itself comfortable
What is this madness we see before us? Hexxeh, he who provides your nightly Chromium builds, has dropped a small but perfectly formed bombshell by revealing that he's managed to install Google's nascent OS onto Apple's hotcake of a tablet, the iPad. He's evidenced this feat by tweeting from the liberated slate, though one of his outgoing missives includes the dire warning that he'll "dash your hopes later, there are a few catches." Well, at least that gives us a little time to fantasize about Appoogle synergies before those dream-destroying details are revealed in full. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Acer 'ZGA' Chrome OS netbook starts popping up in Google bug reports
Some more interesting stuff on the Chrome OS hardware front has started to pop up courtesy of Google's own Chromium OS bug reports. Multiple references have been made to a mysterious Acer ZGA machine, which we have on good authority is also referred to generically as Google's "dogfood device" in bug reports -- dogfood referring to the practice of using your own products before you unleash them on the world. Even more interesting, someone actually managed to post a syslog of the machine, which is running an Atom N455 processor, has a 8GB SanDisk pSSD-S2 drive, sports a webcam, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, an ambient light sensor (for screen dimming, or possibly a backlit keyboard), and a Synaptics touchpad. Synaptics makes all sorts of touchpads, but is best known for its higher-end innovations, such as the MacBook-style clickpads found in the HP Envy series. Of course, all of these specs could change, or this machine could be merely in as a test bed for Chrome OS, and not planned for market -- like Microsoft is using its ASUS prototype with Windows Phone 7 -- but a July 26th mention of a "PVT run" (Product Verification Test) could point to this machine being almost ready for actual production. [Thanks, Mark P]
Google Chrome gets some early device orientation 'plumbing'
We remember well the first time we managed to put an accelerometer in our possession to good use: back when the MacBook Pros started shipping with them as sudden motion sensors to protect the hard drive, someone hooked up some light saber noises to the tilt motion. A few months later we were pretending to make light saber noises with the Wii, and then the iPhone came along and democratized the accelerometer-based light saber noise for all of humanity. Next up? The browser. Firefox 3.6 already supports this capability, and now Chromium is getting some early work in that direction as well -- and with the browser-as-OS that Google's Chrome OS represents, Chromium's support of this feature is welcome news indeed. We hear that light saber noise-producing low fat snacks are next on the docket!
Freescale's 7-inch tablet runs Android, Chromium OS or Linux, costs $200 (video)
Remember the $200 smartbook reference design that we saw at CES this year? Well, it's back, it's holding on to that same price and 7-inch enclosure, but this time it's also showing off an expanded OS compatibility. Adapting the open source Chromium OS and another Linux variant to the ARM architecture of the prototype device was apparently not much of a hurdle for Freescale, who has an Android option in the works as well and claims to be just optimizing and enhancing the user experience at this point. Presumably one of the enhancements will be the installation of a capacitive touchscreen as the present demonstration requires either a mouse and keyboard or a resistive torture test to operate, but we'll accept the company's explanation that this is just a proof of concept and not the final product. Slide past the break to see some HTML5 video running on this bargain bin tablet, and hope that your friendly neighborhood OEM picks these designs up for some retail action.
