Right now it’s not a perfect build; we should expect that at this point, given that Chrome isn’t supposed to be out for a year. Not everything works, and what does work isn’t as fast as Google and its users want. You can take a look for yourself in this video demo of Chrome OS running as the primary OS on a laptop. I get it, it looks promising. But do we really need to put this thing through its paces a year before it’s supposed to be out? I say let the Google folks work on their project and get back to us. They don’t need people looking over their proverbial shoulder every step of the way.

Acer, no stranger to netbooks with Google-backed operating systems, is hoping to have the first Chrome OS netbook on the market by the second half of next year, according to DigiTimes.

The company has apparently been developing the machine since the middle of this year. Acer’s JT Wang “expressed his confidence that the company will be the first vendor to launch [a] Chrome-based netbook in the market during a recent interview with Digitimes.”

The second half of 2010 is light years away as far as technology development is concerned but, hey, now you have something to talk about at your next dinner party. I’d bring it up right away, like before you even take your coat off.

Acer to launch Chrome OS netbook in 2H10 [DigiTimes]

You can now run Chromium OS, the open source developmental version of Google Chrome OS, on your Dell Mini 10v. Don’t have one? Neither do I, so don’t feel too bad.

It make take some time to set up. For one, the download (an image file), as put together by a few of Dell’s Linux guys, weighs in at 7.5GB. Not only will that take a while to download, but you’ll also need a flash drive with at least 8GB of free space on there—another thing I don’t have. You’ll also need access to another Linux-based computer (well, any computer that can run the “dd” command) to get everything up and running.

Beyond that, it does appear to be fairly painless to instal. You download said image file then copy it from the Linux computer using “dd” to the flash drive. You take this flash drive, stick it into you Dell Mini 10, and away you go!

What’s your reward for going through all that? Running Chromium OS, of course. Think of it as Google Chrome OS, but way alpha.

I’m going to file this under the “Why would you bother doing that? Because you can” category.

via Liliputing

Sharper eyes than mine have spotted this little easter egg in the Google Chrome OS Demo video that Google published yesterday. (Or were you completely off the grid yesterday, and didn’t know that Google hosted members of the media to demonstrate Google Chrome OS?) Big Boss? An e-mail from Yoji, asking you to be on time today? Snaaaaake!

So yeah, apparently someone on the development team is a big Metal Gear fan. (Yoji Shinkawa is a character designer at Konami, and Big Boss hopefully needs no explanation.) Google instantly wins, like, 10 Awesome Points for the references.

And that’s all there is to say.

ChromeOS may not be powerful, it may not play Far Cry and it may not run Microsoft Office but it’s a game changer. The underpowered laptops that limped along under Vista, XP, or 7 will fly under a new ChromeOS regime and thin-and-light laptops will fall below the vaunted $199 mark as the so-called “Microsoft Tax” – basically the small cost manufacturers pay for OEM licenses – disappears.

I’ve been saying for most of this year that Android will replace Windows Mobile as the “default” smartphone operating system. Thus far, if a manufacturer didn’t have their own OS or wasn’t in bed with a certain provider, they chose Windows Mobile. That operating system is still popular with a certain subset of user, namely users with lazy IT departments or computer owners cursed with the inability to download and install odd syncing software. Android will change all that.

The same will come to pass for lower-end hardware solutions, solutions where Windows or Windows CE were once standard.

My prediction is this: netbooks, as we know them, will come with ChromeOS as a boot option. Ultrathin laptops (think the Dell Adamo or the HP Envy 13) will come with Windows 7. Netbook configuration, then, will consist of entering your IMAP and SMTP info, a few social media credentials, and maybe uploading a picture of your dog as a background image. The rest – installing apps, buying games (other than Android/ChromeOS games), and running Microsoft Office – will be gone, thrust into the cloud.

I’m usually a pessimist. I’m not when it comes to something like ChromeOS. This is just what Asian OEMs are looking for – a respected software stack for their underpowered hardware.

When the Motorola Droid launched this month everyone was amazed that a company so down on its luck was able to put together a well-designed phone running a powerful, “brand new” OS. The whole package – hardware, software, and marketing – seemed flawless. In fact, phones running Android 1.5 now look hopelessly outdated and with 2.0’s gesture, CDMA, and search support you’d wonder why handset manufacturers like HTC, LG, Kyocera, and Samsung are using 1.5 at all.

The reasons have more to do with Google than any decision on the carriers’ part. In fact, according to a source close to the handset business, Google’s Android team directly assisted Motorola and Verizon in building the Droid’s software from the ground up and is currently assisting another, unknown, handset maker in Korea to create a finely-tuned hardware and software combination. Most important, however, is that this is sort of assistance most manufacturers do not receive and, in the end, they are dinged for running an “older” version of Android.

These two bits of information – that Google assists certain companies in making specialized hardware and software and that Google is now helping another manufacturer to the detriment of others – sounds like sour grapes. However, the original vision for Android (as it was understood by lay users like myself) was an open, free OS available to multiple manufacturers and carriers. This preferential treatment is an anathema to that thought. This is akin to Linus Torvalds building a special version of Linux just for a commercial partner and refusing to release it until that partner has milked its value.

While it is clear that some manufacturers like HTC are keeping a stiff upper lip and running their special special UIs over 1.5, reviewers consistently ding manufacturers for running 1.5 while the Droid is given a pass.

And 2.0 matters. We asked Ross Rubin from the NPD Group about his thoughts on 2.0 and got back a half a book:

Android 2.0 brings refinement and more integration to the operating system, Examples include support for Microsoft Exchange and Facebook, which are the digital contact centers of many people’s professional and social lives. It also brings a revamped and much faster browser, albeit one that Google isn’t yet deriving from Chrome. The other big application improvement is Google Navigation, which it has introduced as a free service on top of Maps. Many carriers, including Verizon, charge for such functionality in other devices. Google is aggressively driving a major update while Microsoft is between major revisions of Windows Mobile.

We asked him why he thought Motorola got 2.0 early. He wrote:

As to why it debuted on a Motorola device, there could be several reasons. Verizon’s subscriber strength and more direct competition with AT&T and the iPhone may have led it to push for Android 2.0 to be more competitive. Or it could be simple product development timetables. Moving forward, HTC will want to put its Sense user experience on top of Android 2.0, which requires development time. Google wants a healthy Android ecosystem and a competitive Motorola contributes to that.

While this desire is absolutely understandable on Google’s part, there is a method to this madness. Google releases major updates on one handset and one handset alone. These updates are then pushed out to other android partners. Case in point:

• 1.0 went to the HTC G1

• 1.5 went to the HTC Hero
• 2.0 went to Motorola

In short, they offer exclusivity to a certain partner in exchange to unfettered access to the design process which, in Motorola’s case, was gravely needed.

Why is there no outcry? Handset manufacturers are deathly afraid of Google. They worry that they will be cut out of the upgrade process and lose access to Google’s Android team.

What needs to be done? In the interest of fairness, all updates should roll out to the general ecosystem before heading to any one carrier. Sadly, this hippie attitude is no good for Google’s business and by creating flagship devices featuring their latest and greatest they ensure forward momentum for the platform. Fairness, it seems, stops at the grade school sandbox.

Again, you can take this as a complaint or a call to action. Android is an excellent platform but Google’s tendency towards “flagship” phones is detrimental to the general ecosystem, especially once the OS falls in along with RIM and Apple as a preeminent smartphone platform.

They’ve just announced that they’re going to be extending the free Wi-Fi to 47 entire airports. And not only that, but there’s a raft of giveaways, charity matching, and other nonsense in the bargain as well. I’m starting to think that it’s not “Don’t be evil” so much as “Give away enough stuff that people forget about the evil.” Maybe that’s disingenuous. In fact, I’m sure it is. Oh well, ’tis the season for moral ambiguity.

Here are the details, as briefly as I can state them.

• All airports on this list have Wi-Fi right now. Except Sea-Tac, which is getting it later (just my luck).
• Google will match any donation (up to $250K) made via the Wi-Fi in one of the airports. The airport that has the most donations on January 15 will get a $15,000 credit to donate to a local charity of their choice.
• The service is provided by “Boingo, Advanced Wireless Group, Time Warner Cable, Electronic Media Systems, Lilypad as well as numerous airports that provide wireless services themselves.” i.e. Google is just paying the bill, everything else is the same.
• No data is being collected besides the donation data (you’re not a guinea pig).
• At some point you’ll be able to submit a photo of yourself via the Wi-Fi in order to enter for a prize drawing. Okay…? That’s kind of weird. I guess “Don’t be creepy” isn’t in the Google charter.

Sounds good to me. If anyone finds a catch, let us know, but I think it’s pretty straightforward. More info at the Free Holiday WiFi page, if you’re interested or feeling FAQ-y.

Also, as commenter Harold points out, Yahoo! will be providing Times Square with Wi-Fi for a whole damn year, and Microsoft is partnering with JiWire to put Bing-sponsored free Wi-Fi in “hotels and airports.”

[via LA Times and Black Book, and The P-I for that last bit]

The promo starts on November 16 and runs through January 15, 2010. The only catch is that once you log onto the free Wi-Fi, you will be prompted to try Google Chrome and set Google as your default search engine. Fine by me. In fact, it sounds less annoying that current airport Wi-Fi that generally has a gigantic banner somewhere on the screen reminding you that you’re in a wonderful airport waiting to board an H1N1-infested plane.

The Motorola Droid, on Verizon Wireless, is, by all accounts, pretty OK. That’s fair to say, no? Yes, I believe it is. What’s lame, though totally to be expected, is that it’ll cost you $30 for a car kit. And you’d want said car kit in order to make that Google navigation application really fly.

The car kit places your Droid on your car’s dashboard; the Droid then enters a special car mode, which presents a simplified user interface. From here, you’d be able to slap on your Droid and let the it take you to the “varrazanne Bridge” in New York.

There’s also a second such dock, one that’s meant for your bedside. It turns your Droid into a grossly overpowered alarm clock. Well, it’s also for viewing movies and whatnot, but I’d rather eat glass than watch a movie on a phone.

And sorry the photo is rubbish, but I couldn’t find a higher-res one.

Alright, everyone, settle down. I know the Google Maps Navigation stuff is pretty amazing, but let’s not write off the traditional GPS makers just yet. They’re not going anywhere for a while. Your parents and friends will see to that.

Hopefully the sudden market loss that companies like Garmin and TomTom saw yesterday will wake the companies up and see that they are doing it wrong. They are in the habit of producing 78 different versions of the same GPS. Each model steps you up $20 and adds another feature. It’s a ridiculous business plan and totally opposite what successful companies are doing.

But it’s true. Google dropped a bombshell on GPS makers yesterday with it’s free navigation tool that trumps almost anything currently available. The Android 2.0 app is about as robust as you can get thanks to the always-connected Android OS and almighty Google. You can simply say “Where is the Best Buy in Flint, MI” and it will take you there. All this is free from the “Don’t Be Evil” company, Google.

TomTom has a cell phone navigation solution too. Except theirs costs $100 for the app and another $120 for the car kit and the whole thing isn’t nearly as powerful as Google’s offering. But there are others as well: Navigon sells an app for $100, TeleNav has one for $10 per month, and there are other no-name programs out there for around the same price. Those apps are all dead in the water as soon as Google ports the Navigation app to other platforms.

The standalone GPS will be fine though. It should survive the cell phone GPS onslaught because it generally caterers to a different market. Do you really think your parents could operate an Android phone, let alone a GPS app within it? Some might be able to, but first they will have to be convinced to buy the phone and expensive data service to go along with it.

There is a gigantic market of folks outside the tech/nerd world that have absolutely no interest in smartphones and the high monthly bills that come along with them. These same people might just pick up a GPS at Walmart though and figure out the rudimentary functions over the course of a few months.

Standalone GPS units also have screen size in their favor. Have you actually ever used a cell phone-size screen for navigation while it’s mounted on your dash or windshield? It sucks. I’ve found the screen size to be way too small. Just think about your Dad’s cataract-filled eyes. How the heck is he suppose to follow a route on a 3.5-inch screen? As the recently announced Nintendo DSi LL clearly shows, an extra inch can make a huge difference.

What will likely happen is that the Google app will finish off the already small market for Internet connected GPS units and top-tier models. These are the units that carry a monthly service fee in return for access to basic functions like gas prices, custom routes, and traffic info. This is where the two markets of smartphone users and GPS owners overlap. But this market was already dying due to the rise of the other GPS apps, and Google Maps Navigation will put it out for good.

GPS manufacturers still need to get with the program and cut down their product line. Garmin is notorious for producing a dozen models, each with a slightly different feature set. How about making just three aimed at three distinct price points: $99, $249, and $500. It simply doesn’t make sense to offer so many different models with minimal price and spec differences.

But here’s the thing. Don’t shed a tear for GPS makers. They will be fine as long as they recognize that the market is changing and adapt. If they don’t, it’s their own damn fault.

For those of you who don’t know the song:

It’s too bad that Taco Bell isn’t there any more, but we’ve got Taco Gringos and Rancho Bravo now, so no worries.

[via Crave]

At ease, soldiers. The Pirate Bay is back in the Google search index. I understand this was eating at your very soul for some time now.

We know now who made the original DMCA complaint against Google: Evasive Angels, known for such works of art as “Big Butt All Stars” and “Horny Black Mothers.” That’s right, a porn producer was responsible for The Pirate Bay being thrown off Google last week.

In any event, The Pirate Bay is back in the Google index. As if any of you need to search for TPB to find it!

The Pirate Bay just can’t catch a break these days. I won’t bore you with the past, but today’s juicy gossip is: Google has removed The Pirate Bay from its search index because of a DMCA complaint!

A search for “the pirate bay” now brings up, in the first two results, the site’s Wikipedia entry, and a link to piratebay.com, a weaselly little site that promises “unlimited downloads” for “no extra fee.” Stay far away from that, friends.

Oh, also, the DMCA complaint isn’t online yet (as of 1:30pm ET), so we have no idea who made it.