Mar 13

Google ships last Cr-48 laptop ‘for now,’ partner Chrome OS devices still on track for summer

Posted in: chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, laptop, Laptops, shipping, Today's Chili

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.

Continue reading Google ships last Cr-48 laptop ‘for now,’ partner Chrome OS devices still on track for summer

Google ships last Cr-48 laptop ‘for now,’ partner Chrome OS devices still on track for summer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink thechromesource  |  source@sundarpichai (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 03

New Chrome OS update finally fixes the Cr-48’s touchpad issues

Posted in: chrome os, ChromeOs, hands-on, laptop, Laptops, Today's Chili, touchpad
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.

New Chrome OS update finally fixes the Cr-48’s touchpad issues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechcrunch  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 14

CUPP crams ARM inside of a MacBook Pro, makes it run Android with a button press (video)

Posted in: arm, chrome os, ChromeOs, hack, hacked, hands-on, Linux, macbook, macbook pro, MacbookPro, mwc, mwc 2011, Mwc2011, NVIDIA, open source, opensource, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, tegra 2, Tegra2, texas instruments, ti, Today's Chili, ubuntu, video
CUPP’s original prototype wasn’t exactly gorgeous, but the premise was sound — couple an ARM platform with an x86 CPU in order to give consumers the ability to run a desktop OS and a low-power OS such as Chrome OS or Android. It’s a tactic that has far-reaching potential. Imagine this: you’re on a flight attempting to finish up a document, but you only have ten percent of your battery remaining. On a standard desktop OS (like Window 7 or OS X), that’ll get you around 15 to 20 minutes of life; if you were instantly able to sleep that OS after saving your most recent copy on the hard drive, boot up Chrome OS and finish it there, you’d magically have at least an hour of usage time remaining. The fact is that ARM platforms require a fraction of the power that standard x86 systems do, with a demo unit here at MWC proving that a sleeping Windows 7 machine actually consumed more power than a typical ARM system that’s running. The company has shown off a beast of a machine before in order to prove that it’s concept was legit, but here at Barcelona’s mobile extravaganza, it brought something special: a modified MacBook Pro with a TI OMAP-based daughter-board module sitting in place of the optical drive. In theory, a battery similar to that found in the machine above could power an instance of Chrome OS or Android for 20 to 30 hours, just to give you some numbers to nibble on. Care to see how it all panned out? Hop on past the break for a few impressions along with a video.

Gallery: CUPP’s modified MacBook Pro does Android, Ubuntu at MWC 2011

Continue reading CUPP crams ARM inside of a MacBook Pro, makes it run Android with a button press (video)

CUPP crams ARM inside of a MacBook Pro, makes it run Android with a button press (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 05

Google’s Cr-48 netbook now surfing on AT&T’s GSM network (after a gentle hack)

Posted in: att, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, hack, hacked, mobile broadband, mobile internet, MobileBroadband, MobileInternet, mod, netbook, qualcomm, Today's Chili, wwan

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 Cr-48 netbook now surfing on AT&T’s GSM network (after a gentle hack) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear  |  sourceHexxeh  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 25

Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop now shipping with stickers, the good kind

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, laptop, Today's Chili
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.

Continue reading Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop now shipping with stickers, the good kind

Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop now shipping with stickers, the good kind originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Luigi Montanez  |  sourceThe Chrome Source  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 22

Google haters, now’s your chance for revenge

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Today's Chili

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.

Google haters, now’s your chance for revenge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DownloadSquad  |  sourceGoogle Demo Labs  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 15

GNU founder Richard Stallman and Gmail creator Paul Buchheit hate on Chrome OS

Posted in: Android, chrome os, ChromeOs, Gmail, Google, Today's Chili
GNU founder Richard Stallman and Gmail creator Paul Buchheit hate on Chrome OS, but for different reasons

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.

GNU founder Richard Stallman and Gmail creator Paul Buchheit hate on Chrome OS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BGR, The Register  |  sourceFriendfeed, The Guardian  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 14

Ubuntu meets Google Cr-48 laptop, keeps Chrome along for the ride

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, Linux, Today's Chili, ubuntu, video
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.

Continue reading Ubuntu meets Google Cr-48 laptop, keeps Chrome along for the ride

Ubuntu meets Google Cr-48 laptop, keeps Chrome along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish, Download Squad  |  sourceChromium Projects  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 10

Google Cr-48 laptop torn down and destroyed in one unlucky day (video)

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, laptop, netbook, teardown, Today's Chili, 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: Google Cr-48 laptop torn down

Continue reading Google Cr-48 laptop torn down and destroyed in one unlucky day (video)

Google Cr-48 laptop torn down and destroyed in one unlucky day (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourcegooglechrome (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 09

Flash working poorly on your Google Cr-48? Adobe’s working on it

Posted in: adobe, Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, flash, Google, Today's Chili

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.

Flash working poorly on your Google Cr-48? Adobe’s working on it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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