Google Previews Chrome OS

In the world of software, new products of all stripes come out all the time, and rarely is a launch that exciting. But when the launch involves a brand-new operating system, and one that's being developed by none other than Google, people start to pay attention. Yes, I'm of course talking about Chrome OS, an operating system that was only announced this past summer, and hasn't been able to escape daily mention in the news ever since.

Google unveiled the OS for the first time at a low-key press conference yesterday, and it looks almost just as we'd expect. The entire OS is essentially a robust browser, with many tabs found at the top to access various parts of the system, or for various website tabs you might have open. It's important to note that this isn't a desktop OS, and it's absolutely not meant to be, so such a simplified design might prove to be fine for most people running it on a netbook or similar device.

Think that might change? Don't count on it. Apparently, Google is going to have rather tight hardware standards, so it's not going to work without issue on everything. Interestingly, it's not going to support typical HDDs, but rather SSDs. It will support x86 and ARM CPUs, however, which means it will support many mobile devices currently on the market. I wouldn't count on these restrictions as being a bad thing, because Google has released the entire OS as open-source, so there's little doubt that modified versions will come along for use on other platforms.

I'm quite interested to see just where Chrome OS is going to go, because Linux-based OS' for netbooks and the like have been done before, and people always seem to flock back to a Windows-based OS. But given the popularity of Google online applications, this Linux OS in particular might appeal to a much larger crowd of people, and might just put Google on a path to OS super stardom.

Interested in giving the OS a try for yourself? There's actually a torrent available, with a VMware image, and since VMware Player is completely free, as tackled in our news the other day, you have everything you need to see what it's made of. Note that this should be treated as nothing more than a preview, though, because that's what it is. The final version still isn't due until sometime late next year.

As far as going to market, Google's not talking details until the targeted launch at the end of next year, but Chrome OS won't run on just anything -- there'll be specific reference hardware. For example, Chrome OS won't work with standard hard drives, just SSDs, but Google is supporting both x86 and ARM CPUs. That also means you won't be able to just download Chrome OS and go, you'll have to buy a Chrome OS device approved by Google.

Adobe Releases GPU Accelerated Flash Plugin Beta

There was a rather significant release that occurred earlier this week that I ended up forgetting about, but it's worth mentioning now even if I'm a few days late (whoops!). Adobe released its long awaited Flash 10.1 plugin. Before you say, "Who cares?!", realize that this is the version that brings GPU acceleration into things. That's right... the latest version (in beta) will allow you to run version Flash videos accelerated on the GPU rather than the CPU.

Right now, the acceleration is limited to H.264 encoded videos, but that's hardly an issue given just how popular that codec is. The GPU acceleration isn't just for the desktop either, but notebooks, and across all three graphics card producers. Yup, even Intel has added the support via its latest driver. There's a catch though, and it applies to all three graphic card vendors. The card you have must be relatively recent in order for the acceleration to work.

For ATI cards, both the desktop and mobile parts need to be part of the HD 4xxx family, or higher, while on the integrated side, HD 3xxx and higher is supported. NVIDIA supports pretty much every GPU that's been released since the 8000-series, including ION. For Intel, graphics chips part of the 4 series chipset family are supported. If you want to check the full list, or get additional details, you can download the official release notes (100KB PDF).

To make sure that the GPU acceleration works, be sure to download the latest possible driver from either vendor. ATI's latest, and stable, Catalyst 9.11 is fine, but for NVIDIA you'll need to download the beta 195.55 driver. For Intel, version 15.16.2.1986 or later is required. To take a look at some test videos while learning something about the new Flash, you can go here. The image I've posted below can be clicked to go to an H.264 YouTube HD video, in true 720p. Other 720p Flash videos are likely to also work fine.

I haven't had the chance to test out the beta plugin yet, but I'd like to soon. I was hoping my "netbook", the AMD-driven HP dv2 would be supported, but as it was built using an already-outdated GPU when I bought it this past spring, I'm out of luck. As far as I'm concerned, though, netbooks are the largest beneficiary of this feature. It's frustrating to run a YouTube HD video only to have it lag like no tomorrow. I'm very interested to know if the latest drivers and plugin solve this issue, so if you test it out for yourself, be sure to relay your thoughts in our thread!

This public prerelease is an opportunity for developers to test and provide early feedback to Adobe on new features, enhancements, and compatibility with previously authored content. Consumers can try the beta release of Flash Player 10.1 to preview hardware acceleration of video on supported Windows PCs and x86-based netbooks. You can also help make Flash Player better by visiting all of your favorite sites, making sure they work the same or better than with the current player. We definitely want your feedback to help improve the final version, expected to ship in the first half of 2010.

Tech Roundup - November 20, 2009

Motherboards & Processors
• Intel Core i5-750 - Vortez Hardware
• Intel P55 Motherboard Round-up - TechSpot

Displays & Video Cards
• AMD Radeon HD 5870 1GB CrossFire - Elite Bastards
• ASUS Radeon EAH5870 Voltage Tweak Edition - PureOverclock
• HIS Radeon HD4850 iCooler 1GB - Tweaknews
• Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB - ThinkComputers
• Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X - Bjorn3D

Memory & Storage
• Elixir 6 GB 1600 MHz CL9 Tri-Channel - techPowerUp
• Two Kingston 40GB V Series Boot Drive SSDs in RAID 0 - Legit Reviews

Peripherals & Gadgets
• ASUS SBC-04D1S-U External Slim Blu-ray Combo Drive - ThinkComputers
• Insignia NS-BRDVD3 Blu-ray Player - Digital Trends
• SilverStone Raven 3200DPI Gaming Mouse - OCModShop

Cooling
• Antec Notebook Cooler 200 - Benchmark Reviews

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Antec Sonata Elite Mid-Tower Chassis - EXTREME Overclocking
• IN WIN Maelstrom Chassis - Overclockers Club
• NZXT Beta EVO Chassis - BCCHardware
• Sunbeamtech Automaton Chassis - Madshrimps
• Thermaltake BlacX Duet Dual HDD Docking Station - Pro-Clockers

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Apple MacBook 2009 - Digital Trends
• Editorial: Going Beyond Just Measuring Frame Rates - Phoronix
• LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 - Digital Trends
• Contest: NZXT Gamma Chassis - Benchmark Reviews