If there’s one thing you can say about Google it’s that they’ve more than their share of irons in the fire. Over the past several years, the company, originally known for their search engine excellence, has branched out to embrace cloud-based communications and online office productivity technologies with products like Gmail, Google Voice, Google Docs and their oh-so-doomed Google Wave endeavor. In short, Google has become an unstoppable technology juggernaut hell-bent on forcing their way into every section of your gadget-filled life that they can.
Today, the company came one step closer to fulfilling that dream of whole-market permeation with the official unveiling of a number of new products that may have the potential to alter the technological landscape to such an extent that even we Mac users--content in the cloister of our walled garden of the iTunes and Mac App Stores and finely-tuned hardware and the awesome power of OS X and iOS-- stand to be affected by.
image via Gizmodo
Google’s first attempt at a computer operating system languished for a long time in development, but was finally unveiled this morning. Not to be confused with Google’s pre-existing Chrome internet browser, Chrome OS is a self contained cloud-based operating system that users can access via Google’s Chrome browser on any computer the application is installed on. It can also be installed onto a dedicated machine.
No matter what format you choose--a browser-based installation or a dedicated installation--Chrome will allow you to access all of the cloud based applications and services that the company provides. However, and this is the kicker, your cloud-based applications and documents will be cached by your Chrome OS installation for use at times when an internet connection isn’t available.
Getting started with Chrome OS couldn’t be easier. After downloading it, users of the operating system are invited to sign into their pre-existing Google Account or to open a new one. If it is the first time that you’ve used Chrome OS, Google will load your user interface with a handful of default settings. If you’re a Chrome OS veteran or have it loaded on a secondary machine, Google will open up the operating system with all of the settings, including where you left your desktop icons, wallpaper and even the documents you last worked on in the same place and manner as the last time you used Chrome OS. Unlike most browser-based applications, with Google Chrome OS, web based applications launch in full-screen mode, to provide users with an immersive experience, much like we’ve recently seen with iPhoto 11’s new full screen interface. Thanks to the operating system’s support for WebGL, Chrome handles real-time 3D rendering like a champ.
The concept, while intriguing, is not without its shortcomings. Currently, there is no reliable USB support for essential devices like printers and cameras. During today’s unveil, Google told those in attendance that this was something they were working on.
Currently, Chrome OS isn’t available to just anyone. While it’s in beta, Google is only making the OS available to selected businesses and developers via their reference notebook, which brings us to Google’s next offering of the day…
Image via Engadget
While it’s been rumored for sometime now, we got our first good long look at the first piece of hardware built to run Chrome OS, the Cr-48. Manufactured to provide a piece of reference hardware for developers and pundits to sample Google’s new OS with, the Cr-48 boasts a 12.1 inch screen, an ample clickpad, built-in Qualcomm Gobi 3G chip, flash storage and 802.11n dual band wifi.
The laptop doesn’t have any function keys, instead, where function keys would normally be found, Google’s implemented a series of mission-specific action keys. More surprising than this is the absence of a caps lock key. We’ll say that again: THERE IS NO CAPS LOCK KEY. Instead, where the loud-talking button is normally found on just about every other keyboard in the universe, Google has opted to include a Search key, which, yep, gives you a hardware shortcut for searching the internet and the contents of your Chrome OS computer.
In the form we saw today, the Cr-48 was unbranded, with neither any sort of Google-related markings or the logos of any hardware manufacturers. This could be a clear signal that the laptop will never be released to the consumer market. For those of you out there that have a burning desire to pick up a Chrome OS powered piece of hardware, don’t panic. Google did indicate that both Acer and Samsung will have Chrome powered offerings available for purchase by the middle of the new year.
Even if you’re not interested in what Chrome OS has to offer, it’s going to be hard to ignore this one. In addition to today’s new fangled operating system-based shenanigans Google also unveiled the Google Web Store.
The service, which is available now to all comers, provides a home to an already impressive collection of web-based applications designed to run from inside of Google Chrome browser or Chrome OS. As with the iTunes App Store, Google is offering up free and paid applications through their online applications portal from both well known and up and coming developers. The timing of the unveiling of the Chrome Web Store couldn’t be better.
By opening up the Chrome Web Store to the public well before either Chrome OS or any hardware that rocks the operating system becomes available, Google has stumbled on a way to pre-train consumers on the use of applications that will be available to them once Chrome OS is up for grabs. At the same time as they ease consumers into being more comfortable with the use of web-based applications, they’re also bound to raise the number of downloads of their already popular Chrome browser, as for the time being, it is the only way to sample what the Chrome Web Store has to offer. Well played, Google. Well played.
Remember the Cr-48’s built-in Qualcomm Gobi 3G chip we just told you about? Yeah, Verizon’s all over that. With Chrome OS relying so much on web-based applications and cloud services, it should come as no surprise that Google wants the users of Chrome OS powered laptops to be connected to the interwebz at all times. As such, they’ve partnered with their old chums at Verizon to ensure that every one who purchases a Chrome OS netbook or laptop will be offered a complimentary 100MB of data per month for 24 months. Plans that offer a more reasonable amount of bandwidth will of course be available for a reasonable price sans contract. We have to say that this sounds like a pretty sweet deal for folks who plan on using their Chrome OS device to keep tabs on the email or get a little bit of work done. However, we can’t help but wonder, after the slimy net neutrality showing we received from the pair this past summer, what, is any machination can be found at the heart of this deal.
It is hard not to see the value in a truly portable operating system. By offering users the ability to sign into their workspace and view, not just their files, but their desktop, along with all of their preferred settings, Google may have stumbled upon the very finest sort of foothold into a new market that a company can hope for: one that has not yet been adequately fulfilled.
If over the upcoming months Google can impress the viability of the web applications available via their Chrome Web Store, they could very well carve themselves out a serious piece of personal computer market share in much the same manner as they did with the release of Android. Then again, maybe not. Google has always been a company who’s products hit-or-miss, seldom offering up anything close to what one could call middle ground. For every success the company has enjoyed with offerings like Gmail they've suffered at least twice as many blasé receptions for their less than stellar releases such as Google Catalog, Google answers or Orkut. No doubt we'll know in the months to come, and in no uncertain terms, whether Google has struck upon the next big thing, or simply another curiosity brought to us by the folks at Google Labs.
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