Hasta La Gadget!

When Computex kicks off next week, don’t expect to see any devices running Chrome OS.

Computex, held every year in Taipei, Taiwan, is one of the largest trade shows for PC makers, and you’d think Google’s upcoming OS for netbooks would be a star attraction this year. But Google is still racing to finish the operating system, and consumers aren’t likely to see the first Chrome OS devices until late fall.

Chrome OS will also be seen only in netbooks, at least at first, since the company isn’t encouraging Chrome OS for tablets. Instead it is steering tablet makers toward Android, the first of which will be the Dell Streak that launches in the U.K. next month.

“For Chrome, we are targeting the netbook form factor,” a Google representative told Wired.com. “The timeline for the first products is towards the end of the year.”

Google introduced Chrome OS in November as a lightweight, browser-based operating system that would boot up in seven seconds or less. The company said at the time that the first Chrome OS netbooks would be available in the “second half of 2010.” 

Google is working with major netbook makers such as Acer, which is hoping to ship a million Chrome OS netbooks this year. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said Chrome OS netbooks will cost between $300 and $400, coming in line with devices running Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

Earlier this month, a report suggested Acer could show its Chrome OS netbook as early as June, but Acer has denied it. ”We have no short-term plans for such as product at Computex,” said an Acer statement on the company’s website.

“Given Google’s emphasis on Android at its developer conference, it is unlikely that we are going to see much if any Chrome activity at Computex,” said Michael Gartenberg, partner at research and consulting firm The Altimeter Group. “Chrome is probably not ready for prime time.”

If Google doesn’t move forward fast enough, it may lose ground to Microsoft’s Windows operating system, particularly among tablets. While they haven’t abandoned their Android plans, MSI and Asus both recently announced Windows 7-powered tablets.

Chrome is visibly a work in progress. At its I/O developer conference last week, Google announced a web-based app store that will feature free and paid apps. The app store will be a big step forward to making Chrome an attractive OS, according to Michael Cherry, vice-president of research for operating systems at independent research firm Directions on Microsoft.

“The missing piece so far has been apps and with the web-app store announcement Google is a step closer to the finish line,” said Cherry.

Apps are important for Chrome because Google has pitched it as a Linux-based, open source operating system centered on Google’s Chrome browser. Applications will run exclusively inside the browser.

Having easy access to those apps will be the key to the success of Chrome. The newly announced Chrome web store would do just that. When Google Chrome users install a web application from the store, a shortcut to quickly access the program.

Meanwhile, Google has to do a fine balancing act between Chrome and Android.

Chrome OS has been largely designed for netbooks and larger clamshell devices, while Android is aimed at smartphones.

Tablets fall somewhere in the middle, potentially causing confusion about which OS is best suited to the form factor. For its part, Google has been telling partners to adopt the fast-growing Android for mobile devices and reserve Chrome for netbooks and laptops: machines that can actually deliver on the thin client promise.

“Chrome is an open source project so anyone can take the code on any sort of device without telling us,” says the Google spokesman. “But we think Chrome and Android are two different approaches.”

Google wouldn’t comment on if it will ever merge Chrome and Android.

For now, Android is racing ahead, says Gartenberg.

“Android has the resources and momentum, and it is run by Andy Rubin and his team,” Gartenberg says. “Chrome appears to have fewer resources and no clear leader, at least from the outsider’s perception. In the near term, Google’s efforts are going to be Android-based.”

See Also:

• Chrome OS Netbooks For Under $400, Says Google
• Five Things Google’s Chrome OS Will Do for Your Netbook
• Acer’s Google Chrome OS Devices Likely in June
• Acer Plans a Million Chrome OS Netbooks, New E-Reader
• Google Chrome OS: Ditch Your Hard Drives, the Future Is the Web

Photo: (Travelin’ Librarian/Flickr)

It seems like we’ve been talking about external graphics cards forever, but how many do you recall that look quite as raw and ready as this? The Graphics Upgrade Solution, set for a full unveiling at Computex, is MSI’s latest answer to the eternal problem that is gaming on the move. Serving as a conduit — via its own PCI Express interface and the oft-neglected ExpressCard slot — between desktop GPUs and laptops, the GUS comes with its own power brick that can support cards with up to an 84W TDP. That, together with the limited bandwidth on offer, makes the ATI Radeon HD 5670 bundle pretty much the top of the GUS pile, but at somewhere around $229 that doesn’t look like a terrible deal at all. Alternatively, you can buy the bare unit for around $100 and make use of some old GPU to give a little extra pep to your laptop. It’s all good.

MSI Graphics Upgrade Solution seeks an ExpressCard slot to call home originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nah, it’s no Core i5 ULV-powered X series, but MSI’s latest does use a Core i5 processor and does have an X in the model name. Mind-blowing, right? The outfit’s latest 15.6-incher is a multimedia powerhouse, humming along with a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU, twin DDR3 RAM slots (plenty of space for 4GB), a 1,366 x 768 resolution display, six-cell battery, 1.3 megapixel webcam and a pair of stereo speakers. There’s also a 320GB or 500GB SATA hard drive, 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI / VGA outputs, twin USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA socket, audio in / out, Ethernet and a “film print coating” over the palm rest area to minimize wear. Mum’s the word on a price and release date, but we suspect we’ll know a bit more on both of those points when we touch down at Computex in a fortnight.

Continue reading MSI brings Core i5, GeForce 310M to 15.6-inch CX623 multimedia laptop

MSI brings Core i5, GeForce 310M to 15.6-inch CX623 multimedia laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 05:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DigiTimes has it that MSI will be showcasing a 10-inch Windows 7 “Slatebook” tablet at Computex in June — just as we had heard a few weeks ago. According to its sources which tend to be pretty solid at Taiwanese shops, the sub-$500 tablet will feature an e-book reader with a negotiated content provider, 3G and WiFi wireless, and Windows 7 running on Intel’s old Menlow-class of Atom Zxx processors. It’s not running Android on Tegra 2 like the unit above that we handled at CES six months prior, MSI is apparently still evaluating market demand before making any such commitment. So dear readers, why not let MSI know exactly how you feel about its design choices in the comments below.

MSI’s Slatebook 10-inch Atom tablet is not what we’ve been waiting for originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI‘s just outed a new 17.5-inch (1600×900 resolution) laptop, the beautifully named CX705MX. This one’s got an Intel Core 2 Duo under the hood, an up to 500GB hard drive, a 4-in-1 card reader, HDMI and VGA output, three USB ports and an Ethernet port and Windows 7 Home Premium. Most notably, of course, is that it’s packing ATI’s brand new Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics chipset, giving this bad boy HD video capabilities. We don’t have specific information about availability or pricing yet, but we’ll let you know when we do.

Continue reading MSI launches Radeon HD 545V-boasting CX705MX laptop

MSI launches Radeon HD 545V-boasting CX705MX laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 04:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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