We have been hearing rumours about a netbook running Google’s Chrome OS being released towards the end of the year for a while. And we can now confirm that there is a lot of substance in that rumour. We have managed to get a look at the prototype of a netbook made by Acer running Chrome OS and have been told that it is in an advanced development, and “hopes” to be in the market sometime next month.
We barely used the netbook for a quarter of an hour in very restricted conditions (no photographs, alas), but we can tell you that it sported a 12 inch display, had no touchscreen and was totally keypad driven, had an Atom processor, 1 GB RAM, an 8GB Flash memory drive, Wi-Fi (no Bluetooth), a SIM card slot (for 3G SIM connectivity), weighed about a kilo and a half, and best of all – booted up in four seconds.
The model we saw had a special version of Google Docs, and links to Social Networks, but no games. It supported Flash-based sites quite easily (we played a few games on Facebook to try it out) and we were told that it would last for upto seven hours on a single battery charge on Wi-Fi. Contrary to what we had heard in some quarters, it did not feature a high-definition display.The resolution of the model we saw was 1024 x 768, but it was crystal clear. Internet connectivity would be through a 3G sim, ethernet or Wi-Fi.
The device had no optical drive, and no graphics card, but yes, what we can say is that it ran quite briskly, and while the model we saw was already connected to the Internet, we were assured by our contacts that it would work just as fine offline and that, contrary to some fears, it could be booted even in offline mode without logging into one’s Google account.
The price? Our contacts were a trifle cagey about this, but evidently the effort is on to ensure that it costs around USD 300. Of course, all this is just a talk at this moment, and we kept being reminded that the device might not actually make the market or might reach the market in another form and configuration, but after today, we can safely confirm that Acer is indeed working on a Chrome OS netbook.
totally keypad driven? No mouse?
If you’re going to post information like this, you should at least use you real name and spell check your article. This doesn’t sound like credible news the way that you have presented it.
A kilo and a half? That’s 3.3 pounds. I hope you are wrong and the first Chromebook/Speedbook will weigh closer to 2 pounds.
Why does it matter what this guy says? He’s not credible. He can’t write, and he can’t use his own name. It’s pathetic.
May i remind that Mr Spock has an impeccable repute in predicting things? Getting scoops and doing exclusives? Appreciate the comments folks, love debates 🙂
Maybe predicting my horoscope… it’s no wonder this is a fourth tier website. As a legitimate blogger I cannot report what you say because you guys don’t use your full names. That’s probably why sites like Mashable, TechCrunch and Business Insider quote me and not your playtime garbage.
I look forward to your comments.
All right, I have had enough of you. Trying to promote your blog / articles by cooking up such debates wont help.
What – you girls are moderating what I say now? Probably because this article is not factual.
Like anyone is going to believe that ‘Cawrey’ is a real name. Pishaw. Total fake.