Google Chrome OS - Cr-48 NetBook

Back in November 2009 Google unveiled Chrome OS, an open source operating system based on Linux. At the time Google said they were "going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates". Chrome OS is a cloud driven operating system with no offline user storage.

Since November, Chrome OS (pre-beta) has been available to developers and I took it for an early spin on my Mac using VMware Fusion. As this was a very early build there were many areas that needed additional attention, however it provided an insight to what Google were trying to achieve with Chrome OS.

Fastforward one year and Google are ready to announce the next major milestone for the operating system. The first custom built NetBook, designed specifically for Chrome OS. The NetBook is known as the Cr-48 and is a reference design created by Google to be used as part of their pilot testing program and for reviewers.

On the surface the CR-48 looks like a standard NetBook, however the released specification shows that it has been tailored to take advantage of Chrome OS. For example - no "user" internal storage, which results in reduced size/weight and improved battery life. Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi and World-Mode 3G, to ensure that you can always connect to the cloud wherever you are in the world. 

The full specification can be seen below:

• Processor: Intel Atom Processor N455 1.66GHz 512K Cache.
• Chipset: Intel CG82NM10 PCH.
• Motherboard: Tripod Motherboard MARIO – 6050A240910 – MB – A03.
• RAM: Hynix 2GB DDR3 1Rx8 PC3 – 10600S RAM.
• Read Only Memory: ITE IT8500E Flash ROM.
• SSD Drive: SanDisk sdsa4dh-016G 16GB SATA SSD.
• Wireless WAN: Qualcomm Gobi2000 PCI Express Mini Card.
• 3G Adapter: AzureWave 802.11 a/b/g/n PCI-E Half MiniCard.
• Bluetooth: Atheros AR5BBU12 Bluetooth V2.1 EDR.

During the press release Google also gave an update on Chrome OS itself and attempted to address some of the concerns being raised by the developer community. Specifically, the limited functionality available when not connected to the Internet. To resolve this Google demonstrated an offline version of Google Docs running on Chrome OS and announced a 3G plan that would give Chrome OS users 100MB of free data each month (although currently only available in the US).

The Cr-48 will not be made available to the general public, however it is expected that around 60,000 units will be distributed to testers and reviewers over the next few weeks.

As for the general public release, we will have to wait until mid 2011. However the good news is that plenty of companies have signed up to develop hardware, including Acer, Adobe, Asus, Freescale, HP, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Intel, Samsung and Dell.

Introducing Google Chrome OS

What if your browser was your Operating System?

Google believe you spend 90% of your time, when on your computer, accessing the Internet. As a result they have created an Operating System that is based around the Chrome browser. The aim is that the Operating System will be super-fast and store all of your content in "the cloud", using web applications such as Google Apps, Facebook and YouTube etc. To help explain their reasoning Google have released a "What is Google Chrome OS" video.

They also released a concept video of what they believe the final product (due in 2010) will look like. 

The Operating System itself is open-source and based on Linux, however Google state they will be "going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates". Chrome OS is being aimed at devices with Solid State Storage to ensure ultra fast performance. The following companies have already confirmed they are creating hardware for the OS: Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Adobe, Asus, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Freescale and Intel.

Like the Chrome browser before it, the Chrome OS source code has also been released under open-source licensing as Chromium OS. Therefore, we should very soon have people compiling the code so we can all have a sneak peek.