Google Chrome OS-based netbook tech specs are out

The specs sound outstanding. Especially if it's a convertible-tablet/swivel-screen netbook. Add, to Chrome OS, the Android "Dalvik" runtime, and I'm sold. I just hope we don't have to wait until 2010 holiday season. First half of the year would be much better.

Perfect choice in ARM and Tegra (hopefully tegra 2.0?). Besides having some benefits over Atom the ARM platform can be very useful for Chrome OS because if ARM platform takes off, windows can't come to it - at least not with current versions of windows.

Well, actually if you're going to get a 3G Plan, it'll be like getting a Mini Cooper for the price of a Ferrari. The average cost of the plans is $60 a month, over 2 years is $1440 for the life of the contract. If you could tether it to an existing phone, and if Google made that a preference, then it might come in quite handy and it would be a more viable option.

Sounds great, but what are your sources?

Where is the source for this data?

What can I say? Awesome news...

I'd love to get my hands on one of these and convert it to a linux distro like Jollicloud... mmm.

Gimme! I'll take ten of them, thank you very much. Where's the link to buy? xD

ARM eh? I wonder if anyone will port RISCos to it?

@BobShaftoe Chrome OS is a linux distro, but awe, man! I couldn't think of a nicer computer to run Jolicloud!

you have to be connected... it's not for me.

Hope that battery problems have been solved (working time)

@Lucian: There is a Windows version. It's called Windows Mobile or WinCE.

All of the Google apps listed are web-based and cannot be "installed"

Straaaaange specs.

The title says the specs are out, but the story is full of rumour and speculation. What are the exact specs and what is the source? Or is this just an effort to boost readership by pretending to have a scoop?

Knowing Google they will sign up with a GSM based security provider to not only give the government access to our information passed along these networks but also our data. WTG Google take the gaming concept of clouds and put the rest of our lives out into the public eye. https://har2009.org/program/attachments/119_GSM.A51.Cracking.Nohl.pdf http://reflextor.com/trac/a51

i am wondering why you guys don't approve my comment? i was just asking about your source for the specs. Actually when i take a look at the numbers in front of the commenters, it seems that you are kinda picky about approving comments.

i want to download and install random shit off the net, if i can do that ... fine, i'll bite.

Outstanding specs? Not really? Interesting, indeed.

Er, this is surely BS. Ignoring everything else there's no way it would be a 64gb SSD for ChromeOS. 8GB would be huge for the OS and the limited "local storage". I'd also wonder about what use bluetooth would be, could be for HID devices, or A2DP sound, but doesn't seem smart to add to v1 ChromeOS. Everything else is possible, albeit a little unlikely in my books.

Google apps, Google OS. Yippee. :-/ So what else will it run? Nothing.

I can't wait to own a device that allows google to spy on me 24/7. With these specs, and the "advertising subsidy" that's being alluded to, I know for a fact that I'll be buying one and hacking the spyOS right off of it.

Of course you can NOT download and install random s**t off the net (unless it's Chrome OS random s**t). Chrome OS is not Windows.

Wow, so it'll come with all those apps "preinstalled", right? Who knew a netbook would be powerful enough to run server-based applications locally? I wonder, will the preinstalled "Google Search By Voice" actually let you browse the entire internet through the application, or just view the search results? Still, this explains one other thing I noticed... a 64GB SSD would still be pushed to fit all this, which is why they're putting "Google Map" on there, instead of Google Maps; any news on where the map will be for? I hope they put something in place where you can change which map it holds. It'd suck if mine just had a map of a small French town, or something.

sounds a bit too good to be true

Will I be able to install Windows CE on it?

You already can get all the Google reources docs, email, etc... by using your own browser from any computer. Why do you have to user their notebook?

C'mon - that's not enough info. Will serve the user this machine without net for local contents? How can I upgrade, or even get anything if I haven't got any internet in near? HW is impressive. But together are usable? Live show? Youtube? How do you know all this?

Just talking OS here.. Just to see a fancy "Google" logo instead of "Microsoft" when it boots, I would not turn to be google's guinea pig.. I can't live w/o my productivity softwares right from Notepad, Paint, Word, Excel to the browser (IE8) I am using to post this comment... nope not ready yet to miss so much.. love you Google but not ready to leave Microsoft.. not just yet :o)

are these specs still expected to be good in the next holiday season?

Saw the couple of Jolicloud comments; the only thing about that is that Jolicloud is targeted for the Atom processor, they'd need to branch off a port for the ARM proc. Which they may do, who knows.

whats so great about this ? especially if I cannot download anything off the internet. This seems to be like a complete dominance of Google on user's privacy. I WILL NOT BUY !

ARM platform will only be interesting to the masses if priced $150-$200. Linux (Ubuntu) already works with ARM - so the new netbook will likely run both Chrome and any flavor of Linux you prefer (with full productivity suite). For some ideas of what this could look and function like: http://www.thinkgos.com/gos/index.html This is the OS that was on some Walmart offered low-end pc's a few years ago - but most netbooks now are not low end specs (unless you want to run Vista etc). It will certainly be interesting soon.

why would i purchase a netbook for $300 when I can get a more powerful and functional (and nearly as portable) laptop for $400? let's face it, unless sticker price is $200, netbooks are just a novelty. Anything above $250 has me looking at a laptop instead.

If I'm going to buy a toy, then I'm going to buy an Iphone or Ipod - not a google netbook.

Add an ebook reader and cell phone to the platform and we have a deal...

Isn't it humorous that the two heavyweights that moved into the OS space in the last 10 years lifted most of their core technologies from Open Source?

The specs sound underpowered and crap. I have had a netbook with better specs (less touchscreen) for over a year now, and didn't pay much more than Google's 'subsidised' price. Seriously, I expected Google to do better. What will stop people from buying one of these adware subsidised netbooks and sticking linux on it anyway?

Sounds like an great computer. Cant wait, all that and no Microsoft apps, all the better. You wont have to deal with the security holes that let in viruses.

I hope a person in the US can pay the non-subsidized price for an unlocked version.

I hope it doesn't use a Tegra NVIDIA card, proprietary driver suck.

where do i sign up to pre-order one!?

I like the nvidia choice but not the ARM. wine a will not work with the ARM arc. so those little win apps you need and cant live without. I agree it is faster and better but i need wine.

@foo - Tegra is a graphics chip, not a video card. No issue w/ drivers @Adrian - LMAO! Thanks for the laugh. Glad I'm not the only one that caught the "GoogleMap" typo I notice a lot of similar complaints about not being able to install apps on Chrome OS. This is the resistance to cloud-computing. Make no mistake though, cloud-computing IS the future. By being 1st to market w/ a cloud-computing Google will bear the brunt of user's complaints about this paradigm shift. It's not the "perfect storm" for this technology, but I'm glad Google is pushing the envelope starting now. 64GB seems like reasonable space for some media files to play around w/ on the rare cases you can't get net. Having an always up to date kernel, virus-free device seems nice as well...

I see comments complaining about the speculation in the article. C'mon People! Even Google can't predict the final specs a netbook will have a full 6 months from now! Technology moves too fast -- are you all newbs!?!?!

Wowing... A definite iSlate killer in my opinion.. $300.00 price range and google quality makes all the difference.

Sign me up!

I would buy an Ipod Touch instead of this google netbook. I just don't want to be tied to subscription.

All spec speculation so until its actually out not worth getting all excited

One "minor" correction: Google can not subsidize the netbook (i.e. sell it below manufacturing cost) as it is illegal under US and EU law. They'd have their asses kicked in court and they know better than that.

Google cannot be trusted with your private data. Forget about Google!

whats the hell. i would like to line up for the netbook..cheers

It's not a great spec but it's a nice every day computer. Though this doesn't really cater to me, if they sell it very cheaply I might just pick one up.

Why does it have such a large SSD? Isn't it supposed to be almost entirely cloud based with a stateless operating system so it's virus proof etc?

It seems this article has generated a lot of interest. And, I am thankful to those who have pointed out the mistakes in this article, especially the part about its storage space. I had mentioned 64GB Solid State Drive. It's meant to be 4GB only. I apologise for this trivial error! The Google netbook, you see, is supposed to be based on cloud-computing concept and hence, the presence of a such a large physical storage space is redundant. Hence, I have made the necessary correction and I apologise for any inconvenience caused to IBTimes readers. However, please note [1] This report/article never purports to claim or claims that the tech specs cited here are "official." This article is purely based on speculations and was meant as an exercise in rounding up the speculations/rumours. In fact, if you come across any article/report on any tech site that claims to have the "official" tech specs of any gadget/device that is yet to be launched, I suggest that you take it with a grain of salt. Especially if the specs relate to a Google or an Apple product. Why? Because these two companies have mastered the fine art of enshrouding the details of their products in a veil of secrecy till their actual launch. In other words, unless you get to hear of the details of any Google/Apple product right from the horse's mouth (read: Sergey Brin, Larry Page or Steve Jobs), you can safely assume that the tech specs of any such product are just speculative in nature. [2] The Google netbook, it is rumoured will be launched sometime in the holiday season of 2010. Now, if that's true, it means that we have to wait for more than six months to catch a glimpse of the actual Google product. Which also means that even if the tech specs were true and "official," they might still turn out to be wrong. Why? Because six months is more than enough time for Google to decide whether they should change the tech specs of their product, if necessary, to include the latest advancements in technology.

I got the more information about the Google Chrome OS from the http://www.techarena.in/review/18377-google-chrome-os-chromium-os.htm

Sounds like speculation, not news. I am very interested in getting one when they come out, so I hope it is awesome.

Sure, its cool, but will it really work? everyone got hyper over the iPad, but it really didnt deliver much of what Apple promised.