Hasta La Gadget!

We know there’s a lot to digest after Google’s Chrome OS event today, but following the shindig we caught a few minutes with Google VP of Product Management Sundar Pichai. While he wouldn’t answer our questions about upcoming Chrome OS laptops — you know, the ones coming from partners such as Acer and Samsung in mid-2011 — he did tell us that those Atom-powered laptops won’t dual boot Windows. In fact, he told us that “certified” Chrome OS laptops won’t support dual boot environments at all. Of course, the Cr-48 has a root feature so it will likely be able to run Windows (assuming there’s enough flash storage), but it’s clear that major manufacturers won’t be shipping laptops with Google and Microsoft operating systems living side by side.

With that said, we asked Sundar about one of the major concerns we’ve had about Chrome OS: customer support. (Some history here — we’ve heard from a few laptop manufacturers that Google’s lack of customer service for the computer OS is a major issue and a legitimate reservation). Sundar said that it’s a valid concern, but that the OS is incredibly simple and that Google doesn’t expect to have many confused or troubled customers when it’s ready for primetime. Nevertheless, Google will provide live support for those that receive a Cr-48 and help with any and all issues. No word on if that aid will continue past this limited pilot program, but we’re sure there will be more much more to come on all of this next year.

Google: Chrome OS laptops won’t dual boot with Windows, live customer support for Cr-48 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on May 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

This morning I woke up and saw that we had received a tip from someone pointing to this article by the Inquirer. It caught my attention because it was talking about a new set of upgrades to Apple’s MacBook Pro line of computers. As the day went on we received a few more tips on this, and a few of them linked to some gadget websites who had also written about it. But when I went to visit some of the articles they pretty much disappeared into a black hole.

This was all pretty confusing to me, and maybe you’ll understand why after reading this snippet from the Inquirer:

Apple has quietly updated its Macbook Pro laptop range while no-one was looking. There wasn’t even a press release.

The new versions which come in five fruity flavours ranging from a 15 incher with a 2.4Ghz Intel dual core Penryn processor, up to a 17-incher with 2.6GHz under the bonnet.

All come with the usual Apple bells, whistles, software and gorgeousness, but the most interesting new addition comes in the form of Multitouch, previously only seen on the bank-balance-battering Macbook Air.

My initial instinct was to check the date on the article, but it was indeed written today. As you might recall this aforementioned MacBook Pro upgrade actually came back in February 2008… nearly 3-months ago. Hmmm, and they said that there was no press release? Guess they must have glanced over it.

CrunchGear and Gizmodo wrote about the story, and instead of providing an update they both just yanked the articles all together possibly hoping that no one saw them. Although Gizmodo has managed to scrape together 12 Diggs thus far on their non-existent article. Neither of their articles linked to any source, but I think it’s safe to assume that it all of this came from the Inquirer’s write-up.

We’re all human and make mistakes, but I guess I’m just in awe that this news has slipped by so many gadget-loving geeks. I wasn’t originally going to cover this story, but I wanted to keep everyone informed in the event that you saw these articles in your feed reader. And since the gadget sites didn’t provide an update you might assume that these are the new models you’ve been waiting for.

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If there’s one problem with the current generation of laptops, it’s their battery life. And one of the most likely ways to overcome this is by using fuel cells. In addition to providing more power, these cells also have the added benefit of being environmentally friendly, as they utilize methane gas. Traditionally these types of cells have been both too expensive and too hot to be practical, but scientists at Harvard say that may soon change.

According to Shriram Ramanathan, the lead researcher behind the project at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, solid-oxide fuel cells (or SOFCs) may soon be the most common form of power for portable devices. The team has developed a thin SOFC that eschews using platinum, making it both a cheaper and more reliable alternative. This only leaves the high temperature as an issue.

“Low temperature is a holy grail in this field,” Ramanathan told Science Daily. “If you can realize high-performance solid-oxide fuel cells that operate in the 300-500°C range, you can use them in transportation vehicles and portable electronics, and with different types of fuels.”

Research is ongoing, and Ramanathan says that one of the main goals is to find “affordable, earth-abundant materials that can help lower the operating temperature even further.”

The Jolicloud Jolibook. Oh yes, it’s sounded like a made-up device ever since the pictures of it started to leak out, but the netbook centered around the Jolicloud Linux operating system is indeed a real product. So real that we’ve been using the Atom N550-powered system over the past few days. Sure, we’ve gotten looks in public because its cartoon-covered lid, but the £279 ($443) machine isn’t meant for “grown-ups” — it’s intended for a younger set, or those between the ages of 15 and 25. You know, those that tend to live in the Cloud. So, does the netbook have appeal beyond the young’uns? And is the social, app-based Jolicloud 1.1 OS, which is built on Ubuntu and HTML 5, robust enough to take you away from Windows or another flavor of Linux? We’ve got the answers to those questions and so much more in our full review.

Continue reading Jolicloud Jolibook review

Jolicloud Jolibook review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To find out the best laptops of 2010, we checked in with Mark Spoonauer who, as editor-in-chief of Laptop Magazine and Laptopmag.com, oversaw 140+ notebook and netbook reviews this year. If you’re buying, buy one of these. More »