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Feedback Loop: The future of VR, remote controls and breakfast phones
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, we discussed the future of virtual reality gaming in light of Facebook's purchase of Oculus, loosened things up a bit by sharing some of our favorite WiFi network names, pondered the evolution of the remote control, sought advice on new cameras and celebrated promotional gadgets like the Breakfast Phone. Head on past the break and join the conversation in the Engadget forums.
Google teases hackers with $2 million in prizes, announces Pwnium 2 exploit competition
The folks in Mountain View are starting to make a habit of getting hacked -- intentionally, that is. Earlier this year, Google hosted an event at the CanSecWest security conference called Pwnium, a competition that challenged aspiring hackers to poke holes in its Chrome browser. El Goog apparently learned so much from the event that it's doing it again -- hosting Pwnium 2 at the Hack in the Box 10th anniversary conference in Malaysia and offering up to $2 million in rewards. Bugging out the browser by exploiting its own code wins the largest award, a cool $60,000. Enlisting the help of a WebKit or Windows kernel bug makes you eligible for a $50,000 reward, and non-Chrome exploits that rely on a bug in Flash or a driver are worth $40,000. Not confident you can break Chrome? Don't let that stop you -- Google plans to reward incomplete exploits as well, noting that it has plenty to learn from unreliable or incomplete attacks. Check out the Chromium Blog at the source link below for the full details.
Chrome OS version 20 hits stable release channel, brings Google Drive and Aura UI for Cr-48s along
If you're a Chrome OS user who doesn't live on the bleeding edge, it's finally time to experience the latest version 20, which most notably adds support for its Drive cloud storage. Also mentioned as included in the upgrade is offline support of Google Docs, Pepper Flash upgrade, access to the new Aura UI on Cr-48 systems and other tweaks. Tighter integration with Drive and Docs may address a few of the issues noted in our review of v19, Chromebook and Chromebox owners can check it out as it arrives on their machines over the next several days and let us know if that's the case.
Samsung Chromebook Series 5 review
For almost two years now, Google's been talking up the idea of always-on, always-connected laptops based on a version of its Chrome browser. Local storage, of course, was not an ingredient in the equation. And while a lucky few developers got to put the concept to the test with the help of the CR-48, it never surfaced as an honest to goodness consumer product. At last, though, the Chromebooks are here, starting with Samsung's Series 5, a cute little number that promises instant-on access, 3G connectivity, and long enough battery life to web surf with the best of 'em. But is this new class of computers -- and this solidly built one, in particular -- poised to make an impact? Let's find out. %Gallery-126104%
Google releases OTA update for Chrome OS, Cr-48 owners can upgrade now
Google recently rolled out the beta release of Chrome 12, and now Cr-48 owners are getting a matching version of Chrome OS. This latest version, 0.12.433.48, brings bug fixes, Flash 10.2.158.22, a file manager context menu, and some spiffy new icons and avatars to its browser-based UI. We grabbed the update on our own Google-fied laptops and got some pics of the beta's new bits for your viewing pleasure. We're still getting acquainted with all of the changes, so if you've also copped the new Chrome OS let us know how it's treating you in the comments. [Thanks, Alex] %Gallery-124267%
Google's CR-48 apparently shipping again, doing the prototype death rattle
Reports are trickling in that Google has begun shipping the CR-48 to eager testers who've thus far been empty-handed after signing up for the units back in December. Could it be? Is the plucky prototype Chrome OS laptop getting a stay of execution after being declared all dried up back in March? That's pretty unlikely, given the impending release of the Samsung and Acer netbooks that we saw announced during Google I/O. It seems a lot more plausible that the company is just exhausting the supply, so if you signed up late last year and haven't received one yet, we wouldn't recommend holding your breath. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google ships last Cr-48 laptop 'for now,' partner Chrome OS devices still on track for summer
The very same gentleman that introduced us to Google's Cr-48 laptop, Product Management VP Sundar Pichai, has disclosed the unfortunate news that Google has shipped the last of them, at least "for now." The next opportunity to catch a ticket to ride the Chrome OS bandwagon will come in the middle of this year, as promised, with devices from Acer and Samsung coming to market. Rumor had it that Google received about 60,000 Cr-48s from ODM Inventec back in December, though whatever the number of manufactured units was, the fact is that it's now been fully depleted. We'd urge Google's partners not to stray too far away from the Cr-48 template in the summer -- we're huge fans of its minimalist good looks, even if the OS itself could do with a few more layers of spit, polish and features.
New Chrome OS update finally fixes the Cr-48's touchpad issues
Google's Chrome OS, and thus the Cr-48, has seen a lot of updates and big fixes since we took a hard look at it back in December, but the wonky touchpad, which we seriously struggled with, hasn't exactly seen much love. That is, until today. The most recent Chrome OS update, which now brings it to version 0.10.156.46, includes new "trackpad and sensitivity settings," and it definitely makes a world of difference. We updated ours just a couple of moments ago and lots of the issues -- namely the jumpy cursor and the flaky scrolling -- have been mended. Thanks to the fresh software, we had a much easier time highlighting text and scrolling down the length of this very website. That said, the touchpad still isn't as responsive as what you get with Apple's MacBooks or Synaptics ClickPad Series 3, and that's because the physical hardware is based on Synaptics' older generation profile sensing technology rather than its newer image sensing panel. Either way, the new software update makes the Cr-48 a lot less frustrating to navigate. Google's also rolled in some new power optimizations, screen indicators, and GChat improvements -- go on and try it out for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments.
Google's Cr-48 netbook now surfing on AT&T's GSM network (after a gentle hack)
Oh, sure -- Google's being all-too-kind by handing out a few free megabytes of Verizon data with each of its Cr-48 netbooks, but if you're both lucky enough to have one and more inclined to use that dust-collecting AT&T SIM of yours, there's hardly a better day for you to pay attention to a hack. After noticing that a recent update to Chrome OS added GSM support for Qualcomm's Gobi 3G chip, Hexxeh dug in a little to see what it'd take to get the Cr-48 operational with a data SIM from Ma Bell. Turns out there's shockingly little needed from you; simply flip the Developer switch beneath the battery and follow the shell commands listed in the source link. It should be noted that there's no data counter here, so watch those gigabytes if you're working with a data cap. There, we solved your Saturday. You're welcome.
Google's paying $20,000 to hack Chrome -- any takers?
So far, Chrome is the only browser of the big four -- Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer being the other three -- to escape the Pwn2Own hacking competition unscathed the past two years. (Sorry Opera aficionados, looks like there's not enough of you to merit a place in the contest... yet.) Evidently, its past success has Google confident enough to pony up a cool $20,000 and a CR-48 laptop to anyone able to find a bug in its code and execute a clean sandbox escape on day one of Pwn2Own 2011. Should that prove too daunting a task, contest organizer TippingPoint will match El Goog's $10,000 prize (still $20,000 total) for anyone who can exploit Chrome and exit the sandbox through non-Google code on days two and three of the event. For those interested in competing, Pwn2Own takes place March 9th through 11th in Vancouver at the CanSecWest conference. The gauntlet has been thrown -- your move, hackers.
Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop now shipping with stickers, the good kind
How is it that so few companies get it? While dozens of manufacturers will gladly slap an Intel, Microsoft, or NVIDIA advertisement on the palmrest of your brand new laptop, Google knows better than to partake in this annoying practice. Instead, it ships its Cr-48 Chrome laptop as a sticker-free slab of matte black stealth. At least it did. Now, don't worry, Google hasn't succumbed to the temptation to advertise (ironically) -- it's simply bundling this swank skin and a decal set with new Cr-48 shipments. The choice to apply is yours and yours alone, exactly as it should be. See the finished product after the break.
Install Mac OS X on a Cr-48 Chrome notebook
In the hackintosh tradition, we present this method of installing Mac OS X onto a Chrome Cr-48 notebook using Hexxeh's Luigi firmware toolkit. You'll void your machine's warranty in the process, as you've got to remove the bottom cover to activate developer mode. Once that's done, you can flash the machine, install the custom firmware and then install Mac OS X. It seems like a lot of work to us. If you like watching videos of a computer booting over and over again, blurry, illegible terminal commands and ear-splitting music, you'll find a real treat after the break. For full details on what's going on, check out Hexxeh's blog post. [Via MacStories]
Windows and Mac OS X make it onto the Cr-48, look great in matte black
Google built the Cr-48 with hacking in mind, so it's no surprise that we're seeing other operating systems crop up. Still, it's fun to watch, and enterprising hackers have got most of the usual suspects up and running: first Ubuntu, and now Mac OS X and Windows. It sounds like a lot of work, and we pledged that 2011 was going to be the year we sat on our asses and didn't do anything hard, but you're welcome to give it a shot! Just hit up those source links below for instructions, and follow after the break for video of OS X in action. [Thanks Damian W.]
Google haters, now's your chance for revenge
Are you the guy that calls Google creepy? Do you find the company to be borderline evil in the way that it snoops on your local WiFi network, promotes online bullying, and steals your identity or iPhone OS? Is Google's Net Neutrality flip-flop after the Droid launched on Verizon the final straw? Ok, then here's your chance, hater -- prepare to unleash hell upon the very symbol of Google's new Chrome operating system. Hit up the source link below and describe to the lab tech exactly the kind of demise you think that Google's Cr-48 should meet. Go ahead, be creative: by gunfire, Canadian, or monkey, anything goes. Then do it again and again until the voices inside your head are deafened by Google's subtle marketing effort and an infinite ability to regenerate itself.
GNU founder Richard Stallman and Gmail creator Paul Buchheit hate on Chrome OS
There are a lot of things to like about Google's prototype Chrome OS machine, the CR-48, not the least of which its name that makes it sound like a relic from the future. Indeed that's what Google wants it to be, a sort of beacon of our instant-on, cloud-based tomorrow, but that's rubbing a few industry pioneers the wrong way. One is Friendfeed creator and former Google employee Paul Buchheit, aka the dude who created Gmail. He's a bit confused about the overlap between Android and Chrome OS, as indeed many of us are, saying flat out that "Chrome OS has no purpose that isn't better served by Android" -- or, at least, it won't when Android gets some tweaks to make it work better in a traditional laptop-style environment. Meanwhile, GNU founder and free software pioneer Richard Stallman is lashing out a bit more strongly, calling cloud computing "careless computing" because it causes users to give up rights to their own content: The police need to present you with a search warrant to get your data from you; but if they are stored in a company's server, the police can get it without showing you anything. They may not even have to give the company a search warrant. As we've recently learned that is at least not the case for e-mail, but what about Google Docs and browsing history and all those private musings you made on Google Buzz? Will ease of access trump data security fears? Will Cara on All My Children ever stop having flashbacks about Jake? Important questions, these.
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.
Google hides mathematical puzzle in Cr-48 video, rewards its solver with a laptop
Watching Google destroy Cr-48 laptops for fun can't have been easy for any of you, but it turns out that the wily geeks of Mountain View had a clandestine purpose to their malevolence after all. An equation, scribbled out in old school chalk in the background of one scene, attracted the attention of a Sylvain Zimmer, who, together with a group of like-minded geeks, set about trying to solve it and discover its meaning. A full day's worth of cryptographic work later, Sylvain was left with a set of numbers he was able to convert into letters, which in turned spelled out "speed and destroy." Appending goo.gl, Google's URL shortener, to the front of those words got him to a screen congratulating him for being "first to figure out our MENSA-certified puzzle" and promising to send him a Cr-48 laptop as his prize. Kudos to Sylvain... and to Google for being such irrepressible geeks.
Chrome Web Store, HTML5 and the iPad: symbiosis at its best
It's all coming together, folks. It doesn't take much of a gander at the Chrome Web Store to notice a trend: some of the flashiest, most mature "apps" are actually just in-browser versions of iPad apps. And you know what else? Most of these "apps" actually run fine in Safari on the iPad. We're not sure how long Google gave developers to port their experiences over, but it seems like most of the best work had already been done in the form of HTML5 apps that were merely wrapped in app form for App Store delivery. Google's just taking things to the next logical step. Continue after the break as we expand this thesis paragraph into a number of supporting blocks of text, a few jazzy pictorial examples, and a stunning closer.
Google Cr-48 laptop torn down and destroyed in one unlucky day (video)
Boy, we know the Cr-48 is supposed to be a test platform and all, but even by that standard, Google's Chrome OS laptop has had a very rough first day on the job. Ambushed by one of our kindly tipsters upon its arrival, the Cr-48 has been gutted and disassembled (mostly, the motherboard is mercifully left attached to the chassis), revealing the typical arrangement of tiny electronics, which includes Hynix memory chips and a SanDisk-branded SSD. We're just glad to see that masking tape isn't playing a structurally integral role in its construction. Things don't really get much better for the slinky 48 once it gets back home to Google HQ, however, as its makers have put together an entire video composed of creative destruction methods for it. Cruel, cruel people. %Gallery-110278%
Flash working poorly on your Google Cr-48? Adobe's working on it
Yep, that Flash error up there is one of many we got today on our Cr-48s. On top of that, as you may have read in our in-depth preview, we've been experiencing incredibly sluggish Flash performance, including choppy playback of YouTube and Hulu videos. It's certainly not a good situation, but Adobe's aware of it and promising that hope is on the way. Adobe's Senior Director of Engineer Paul Betlem has put up a post regarding the matter on the company's very own Flash Player blog, and says that " In terms of Chrome notebooks specifically... video performance in particular is the primary area for improvement." He also goes on to promise that the updates will be seamless as the Flash plug-ins are integrated directly into the self-updating operating system. That sure sounds good to us, but in the meantime, we'll be waiting for these Flash errors and stuttering 480p videos to disappear -- or, you know, for HTML 5 to take over.
