1. Next step in the Chrome OS journey
Last year we announced a new kind of computer. This is the next step.
All of you haiku fans (like many of us on the Chrome team) can stop here; the rest can read on for more details.
A year ago we introduced a new model of computing with the launch of Chromebooks. We’ve heard from many of you who’ve enjoyed the speed, simplicity and security of your Chromebooks at home, at school or at work. (Thanks for all the wonderful feedback and stories!) Today, we wanted to share some developments with you—new hardware, a major software update and many more robust apps—as we continue on our journey to make computers much better.
Next-generation devices
Our partner Samsung has just announced a new Chromebook and the industry’s first Chromebox. Like its predecessor, the newest Chromebook is a fast and portable laptop for everyday users. The Chromebox is a compact, powerful and versatile desktop perfect for the home or office.
Speed
Speed is integral to the Chrome experience. The new Chromebook and Chromebox, based on Intel Core processors, are nearly three times as fast as the first-generation Chromebooks. And support for hardware-accelerated graphics, a built-from-scratch multi-touch trackpad and an open-source firmware stack provide a much faster and more responsive computing experience. The new Chromebook boots in less than seven seconds and resumes instantly. With the Chromebox, you can be on a video conference while continuing to play your favorite role-playing game on the side.
An app-centric user interface
With the new user interface you can easily find and launch apps, and use them alongside your browser or other apps. You can pin commonly-used apps for quick access, display multiple windows side-by-side or experience your favorite apps in full-screen mode without any distractions.
Be much more productive...or not
Starting today, you can get the new Chromebook and Chromebox from our online retail partners in the U.S. and U.K., and in other select countries over the coming weeks.
Last year we announced a new kind of computer. This is the next step.
All of you haiku fans (like many of us on the Chrome team) can stop here; the rest can read on for more details.
A year ago we introduced a new model of computing with the launch of Chromebooks. We’ve heard from many of you who’ve enjoyed the speed, simplicity and security of your Chromebooks at home, at school or at work. (Thanks for all the wonderful feedback and stories!) Today, we wanted to share some developments with you—new hardware, a major software update and many more robust apps—as we continue on our journey to make computers much better.
Next-generation devices
Our partner Samsung has just announced a new Chromebook and the industry’s first Chromebox. Like its predecessor, the newest Chromebook is a fast and portable laptop for everyday users. The Chromebox is a compact, powerful and versatile desktop perfect for the home or office.
Speed
Speed is integral to the Chrome experience. The new Chromebook and Chromebox, based on Intel Core processors, are nearly three times as fast as the first-generation Chromebooks. And support for hardware-accelerated graphics, a built-from-scratch multi-touch trackpad and an open-source firmware stack provide a much faster and more responsive computing experience. The new Chromebook boots in less than seven seconds and resumes instantly. With the Chromebox, you can be on a video conference while continuing to play your favorite role-playing game on the side.
An app-centric user interface
With the new user interface you can easily find and launch apps, and use them alongside your browser or other apps. You can pin commonly-used apps for quick access, display multiple windows side-by-side or experience your favorite apps in full-screen mode without any distractions.
- Get more stuff done, online or offline: With the built-in ability to view Microsoft Office files and dozens of the most common file formats, you can access all your content without the hassle of installing additional software. Google Drive makes it easy to create, store and share with just one click. Drive will be seamlessly integrated with the File Manager and support offline access with the next release of Chrome OS in six weeks. With Google Docs offline support (rolling out over the next few weeks), you can keep working on your documents even when offline and seamlessly sync back up when you re-connect. In addition, there are hundreds of offline-capable web apps in the Chrome Web Store.
- Have more fun: The revamped media player and a built-in photo editor and uploader enable you to easily play and manage your personal media collections. Through the Chrome Web Store, you can access entertainment apps such as Google Play, Netflix, Kindle Cloud Reader and Pandora, and thousands of games including popular games like Angry Birds and console titles such as Bastion.
- Carry your other computers...inside your Chromebook: With Chrome Remote Desktop Beta, you can now securely connect to your PC or Mac from your Chromebook or Chromebox. With the underlying VP8 technology, it’s almost like you’re in front of your other computers in real time.The (always) new computer.
- We’ve released eight stable updates over the past year, adding a number of major features and hundreds of improvements to all Chromebooks through our seamless auto-update mechanism. There’s a lot more on the way, so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits of the (always) new computer.
Starting today, you can get the new Chromebook and Chromebox from our online retail partners in the U.S. and U.K., and in other select countries over the coming weeks.
Computers are more affordable these days than they ever have been. But what if affordable ain't affordable enough—what if you need absolute, rock-bottomest, dirt cheap? Our friends at Laptop Mag rounded up the 8 cheapest computers in the world, just for you. More »...
3. Sony Nixes Plan to Scratch Discs for PS4
Sony's next-generation gaming console will reportedly arrive next year. Users of the upcoming system will be able to play games by inserting discs, just like they do with the present-day PlayStation 3. However, Sony executives came very close to limiting the console to downloadable games only. Currently, PS3 users can either buy a physical copy of a game or download games and other digital entertainment content from Sony's online store without using a disk or cartridge. Because of concerns about the varying quality of Internet service worldwide, however, Sony decided to keep the disk format option.
4. Invasion of the Tiny, Linux-Powered PCs
Bigger may be better if you're from Texas, but it's becoming increasingly clear to the rest of us that it really is a small world after all. Case in point? None other than what one might reasonably call the invasion of tiny Linux PCs going on all around us. We've got the Raspberry Pi, we've got the Cotton Candy. Add to those the Mele A1000, the VIA APC, the MK802 and more, and it's becoming increasingly difficult not to compute like a Lilliputian. Where's it all going? That's what Linux bloggers have been pondering in recent days.
5. And here it is: Windows 8 Release Preview
As we all were expecting thanks to an errant blog post early this morning, Microsoft has announced the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview in fourteen different languages worldwide.
Get it now.
"Our focus from now until RTM is on continuing to maintain a quality level higher than Windows 7 in all the measures we focus on, including reliability over time; security to the core; PC, software, and peripheral compatibility; and resource utilization," said Windows President Steven Sinofsky on Thursday. "We will rely heavily on the telemetry built into the product from setup through usage to inform us of the real world experience over time of the Release Preview. In addition, we carefully monitor our forums for reproducible reports relative to PC, software, and peripheral compatibility."
Microsoft highlights the fact that the Windows 8 Release Preview comes with new Bing-powered apps for Travel, News, and Sports, and has improved the Mail, Photos, and People apps. The Start screen has added personalization options, multi-monitor support has been added, and Internet Explorer 10 includes expanded touch support and full Adobe Flash support.
Microsoft still hasn't announced pricing options for the eventual finished product, but on June 2, the company will roll out the Windows Upgrade offer in 131 markets, which lets customers buy eligible Windows 7 PCs with a built-in Windows 8 Pro upgrade for $14.99.
6. Stay anonymous online with SecurityKiss
If you feel you’d like to be a little more anonymous online then installing a free VPN client is generally a good place to start. But there’s a snag: even though the VPN service know you’re concerned about your internet privacy, they’ll often still ask you to create an account, provide your email address and maybe other details, too.
SecurityKISS takes a simpler approach. There’s no “signing up”, no forms to fill in, no personal information required at all: just download and install the OpenVPN-based client and you’re ready to go.
Another convenient plus point comes in the ability to choose your server location. When we clicked the Change Server button we could select IP addresses in France, the UK or US, very handy when you’re looking to bypass annoying location restrictions on the web.
SecurityKISS is also simple to use: just click Connect and you’ll be protected in seconds. The free client gives you 300MB traffic every day, adequate for our online essentials. And while browsing performance is obviously reduced, it was still perfectly acceptable in our tests.
Of course there are also significant restrictions with the free service, the most severe of which is the extreme lack of protocol support: you can’t use it with email clients, VoIP, games, video chats, music and video streaming, and so on.
SecurityKISS just fine for browsing, though. And if you need more than even the most basic “economy” plan (around $4 a month) makes a real difference, providing faster speeds, a monthly 20GB traffic allowance, and support for games, VoIP, music and video streaming. The service website has the full details.
7. What would you pay for a 7-inch, quad-core Asus-made, Googe-branded Android 4.1 Nexus tablet?Rumor stories are uncommon here at BetaNews, and rare when we don't get the information ourselves. But Android Police has got one so tasty and so in line with others, I can't resist. In less than one month, Google could debut the highly-anticipated Nexus tablet, produced in conjunction with Asus and packing quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.1. The only question, if rumors prove to be true, is price. What would you pay for a 7-inch Asus-made, Googe-branded Nexus tablet?
David Ruddock reports evidence from Rightware's Power Board benchmark and Android Police server logs showing instances of Androd 4.1 and Nexus devices. But the benchmark tool is more revealing: 1.3GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1280 x 768 resolution display, Google brand and product name Google Asus Nexus 7. That's hardly a smoking gun. Asus and Google could be testing a prototype device, or even several. But given that Google I/O starts June 27, developers received tablets there last year and the search giant promised a Nexus tablet in about six months half a year ago, the discovery is too credible to ignore.
Something else: Android 4.1 is listed as Jelly Bean. If true, then Ice Cream Sandwich's successor will come sooner than most Google watchers expect, and it won't be version 5. That's a risky but courageous move to make, just as the Android tablet market limps along to ICS. For the 14 days leading up to May 1, Ice Cream Sandwich accounted for 4.9 percent of devices accessing Google Play. I expect Google to update the stats either June 1st or 2nd.
Timing -- and perception -- is everything in business. Microsoft is planning to release a final preview build of Windows 8 in just a few days. Apple's developer conference, where next iOS and OS X versions are expected to take center stage, starts June 11. Twelve days after Worldwide Developer Conference ends, Google gets the last say in June. Nexus tablet, and Jelly Bean, delivered at the right price could shake the earth. Rumors are $199, but I'm not so sure.
Earlier this month I purchased the Asus Transformer Pad 300 for $390 and some change from Amazon. The tablet retails for $399 and packs 10.1-inch display and quad-core Tegra 3 processor. Could Google really sell an Asus-made tablet with top-of-line processor and graphics for 200 bucks less? Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is an attractive 7-inch dual core tablet selling for $249. How could Google really offer so much more for so much less?
The answer: There's no other choice. As I explained about a month ago, Google has lost control of Android. Two hugely successful OEMs, Amazon and Samsung, are fracturing the platform. They are seizing control with their customized-Android versions. Meanwhile, other device makers lollygag around updating their tablet customers to the newest Android version.
Asus is the exception, by the way, and that's another factor making Android Police's findings and conclusion about them credible. Asus ships stock Android on its tablets, with few modifications, and updates fairly quickly. My Transformer Pad shipped with Android 4.0.3, for example. (But, hey, where's 4.0.4, Asus?)
A $199 Nexus tablet could:
- Expand Android tablet market share against iPad
- Provide tablet buyers with a pure Android experience
- Move more of the install base to the newest Android version
- Wrestle control of the Android ecosystem from Amazon and Kindle Fire
I can't express enough the importance of the latter one. As I explained in early April, "Google isn't trying to save Android but kill Kindle Fire". Low price, and a compelling stack of curated services similar to Apple's, define Kindle Fire. But a similarly-priced, widely-distributed Nexus tablet selling for the same price could devastate Amazon's Android lead.
Hell, I'd even spend $299. But for $199, I'd buy one for my mom, wife, daughter and father-in-law. What would you pay?
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