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Chrome OS & Chrome Web Store to Launch December 7th  (View post)

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

Saturday, December 4, 2010
14 years ago251,822 views

<< Multiple sources have told us that Google will be holding some sort of event on Tuesday, December 7th – we're not sure if it'll be a live event, a webcast, or something else entirely – and that the shindig will see the launch of that Google-branded Chrome OS netbook we've been hearing about. >>

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/03/sources-google-branded-chromebook-to-launch-on-december-7th/

<< Google just announced an event in San Francisco for December 7th, which promises "exciting news about Chrome." Naturally, we're expecting that to be the announcement of a Google-branded netbook that runs the Chrome OS, in addition to the launch of the Chrome Web / App Store. >>

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/12/chrome-invite-top-1-1.jpg

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/03/chrome-event-confirmed-by-google-for-december-7th/

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Below the message send to developers, I got one to.

<<Hello!

   Thank you for developing for Google Chrome. These last few months, our team has been hard at work, preparing for the Chrome Web Store launch later this year. Extensions and themes for Google Chrome will be part of this new store. With this email we wanted to inform you of some upcoming developments and changes in the extensions gallery and how you can best prepare the items you have listed in the gallery for the upcoming launch.

   We have updated our guidelines for extension and theme creative assets: We recommend you to produce all the creative materials described in our docs. These are currently available only to apps developers but the same guidelines will apply to all items listed in the store once we launch. So, if you get these prepared now, you are going to be ready when the store launches. For those of you with complex extensions, we also highly recommend investing some time in preparing videos and slideshows, describing how your extensions work.

   Double-check our branding policies: If you are using Google trademarks and brand names to describe your items, please take a moment to re-read our branding policies to help you avoid common mistakes.

   Verify your listed items using Google’s Webmaster Tools: This new feature allows you to associate your website with the items you have posted in the store. This will make users more comfortable trying them out. Access this feature at the developer dashboard.

   Set up your Google Checkout merchant account and associate it with your developer account: If you are located in the US and want to sell apps and eventually extensions or themes through the store, you’ll need to register for a Google Checkout merchant account. You can find more information on this new help article.

   Make your extensions more discoverable: We will be launching a robust system of extensions categories in the gallery. You now have the option to classify your extension in up to three of these categories through the developer dashboard. This will help your extension be discovered by users who will be browsing the pages for each category.

   Thank you again for making Google Chrome a better browser.

   The Google Chrome Extensions team>>

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

If a Chrome OS netbook will be released I'm curious how it compares to the iOS iPad and the Android OS Galaxy Tab. The Galaxy Tab is almost like a pad but running Android.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

From an email about the event I got from Google:

<<The event will be webcast live on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/googlechrome . Mark your calendars for 10:30 a.m. PST and tune in.>>

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

They're announcing the Chrome Web Store right now...

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

They're now announcing Chrome OS.

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Official blog post:

<< Today the Chrome Web Store is open for business. Developers have already started uploading apps, and we expect the number to grow over time. Right now the store is only available in the U.S., but will expand to many countries and currencies early next year. The store will be featured prominently in Chrome, helping people discover great apps and developers reach millions of users around the world.

Chrome OS

Last year, we announced our effort to design an operating system that is built and optimized for the web. Many people already spend all their time in a web browser, and by building an operating system that is essentially a browser, we can make computers faster, much simpler and fundamentally more secure.

We’re not done yet, but Chrome OS is at the stage where we need feedback from real users. Some of the features of Chrome OS require new hardware, but we didn’t want to sell pre-beta computers. Instead we’re launching a pilot program where we will give test notebooks to qualified users, developers, schools and businesses. We're starting with the U.S. and will expand to other countries once we get the necessary certifications. >>

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/update-on-chrome-web-store-and-chrome.html

Mrrix32 [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Google Blog Post:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/update-on-chrome-web-store-and-chrome.html

<<Right now the store is only available in the U.S>>
:'(

<<In the first half of next year Chrome notebooks will be available for sale from Acer and Samsung.>>

Not sure if I need another Laptop, I'll see what the prices are like when they come out.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

That was interesting stuff they presented. I like the easy setup of Chrome OS. I guess one big unanswered question is how Chrome OS and Web Store compares to and competes with to their own Android OS + Market Place running on larger-screen devices.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Here's some apps I made specifically for the Chrome store, based on the website:

Vintage Ad Browser
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pfglajcoefoemcijifglfechlpmgljmo

Cover Browser
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bicaodkgicmmpopeghinpdcdphhekfic

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search?q=lenssen

Juha-Matti Laurio [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

http://www.google.com/chromeos/

Juha-Matti Laurio [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

And

http://m.zdnet.com/photos/google-puts-chrome-os-into-focus-photos/489779

Nick [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Does anyone know if there's a way to download a copy of Chrome OS now?

Mrrix32 [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Is it me, or are all of Google's First Party "Web Apps" just bookmarks?

In fact, the only "Web App" that I've tried that is more than a bookmark is TweetDeck.

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I ran home for lunch today and was VERY pleasantly surprised to find a Cr-48 Chrome OS Notebook at my doorstep!! -Thanks Google!

I took a few quick pics and I'll post more about my experiences later...

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/872/imag0328.jpg

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1277/imag0336.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7426/imag03430.jpg

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/5563/imag03610.jpg

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Cool :-), that was fast.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I want one of the devices that's illustrated on the outside of the box!

Above 17 comments were made in the forum before this was blogged,

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

MBegin, can you show us screenshots of the different option menus and the other screens? You know, the login screen, the wifi finding screen, the settings screen...? And a pic of the keyboard? Please :)

Gabriel Virga [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

When did you request the notebook?

Tadeusz Szewczyk [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Cr-48 is an awful "name" for a gadget you don't really need but would be nice to have in case you could actually remember the name.

Thomas [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Caps lock gone. Finally! That alone is a reason to celebrate!

Ian Davies [PersonRank 2]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here]Tadeusz Szewczyk Cr-48 is an unstable isotope of Chromium, so as a beta product it's really quite a clever name! :-)

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

> Caps lock gone. Finally! That alone is a reason to celebrate!

Wait until you find out if the key they replaced it with (Search) is less annoying :) Does anyone know how that key works? (Pressing it pops up a search immediately everytime or...?)

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Not surprisingly, the "Windows" key is gone. Maybe it has morphed into the "Search" key.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Ha, nice:

Click the wrench and go to "Settings". You can change the "Search" key back into a caps lock key (amongst other things), or disable that key altogether.

Source:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2374117,00.asp

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Some more pics:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/cr-48-1/#3663238

Kevin Penrose [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Did you know you had been picked to participate in the beta before the Cr-48 showed up on your doorstep?

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> MBegin, can you show us screenshots of the different option
>> menus and the other screens? You know, the login screen, the
>> wifi finding screen, the settings screen...? And a pic of the
>> keyboard? Please :)

I’ve uploaded all the pics it took yesterday here: http://picasaweb.google.com/someyahoo/ChromeOS -I will try to figure out if there’s a “print screen” option and I will add new pics of all the different option menus later today. If I can't find a print screen option, I'll try to take some decent quality pics of the screen with my phone again...

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> When did you request the notebook?

I was watching the webinar live on Tuesday and requested the notebook right when they announced the Pilot Program – Around 11:30 AM PST.

A slide came up in the webinar with a QR code on it. I immediately took out my Android phone and scanned the QR code and it brought me to a “basic” Chrome notebook registration page. Then I filled out that form on my phone and submitted it...

You can find the QR code in this YouTube video around 37:27 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjb5kFLOz_Q#t=37m27s

I forwarded that QR code to 3 of my coworkers about an hour later and they filled out the basic form too. Two of them also received Chrome notebooks at their homes yesterday!

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> Wait until you find out if the key they replaced it with (Search) is
>> less annoying :) Does anyone know how that key works?
>> (Pressing it pops up a search immediately everytime or...?)

Pressing it opens a new tab in the browser with the cursor focus on the Omnibox. As Roger pointed out, if you go into the Chrome OS settings, that “search” button can also become: Ctrl, Alt, Disabled, or CapsLock.

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> Not surprisingly, the "Windows" key is gone. Maybe it has
>> morphed into the "Search" key.

The Chromebook keyboard is very similar to the Macbook keyboards... Including the funtion keys across the top.

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> Did you know you had been picked to participate in the
>> beta before the Cr-48 showed up on your doorstep?

No. I had no confirmation from Google or anyone that I was getting one, or that it had already shipped and been delivered! I just read about people receiving them yesterday, so I went home for lunch with my fingers crossed :)

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I figured out how to take "screen shots" or "print screens" in Chrome OS. It's Ctrl + the "Overview Mode" key at the top of the keyboard... So I'll take a bunch of screen shots of all the screens and add them to my Picasa Web Gallery today.

Jason Ryberg [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Here's how to replace the OWNER profile picture on Cr-48 http://www.anitgenius.com/how-to-replace-your-crappy-profile-picture-on-your-cr-48

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I took screenshots of all the "Settings" pages in Chrome OS and posted them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/someyahoo/ChromeOSSettings

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I took screenshots of the Chrome OS Advanced File Browser and posted them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/someyahoo/ChromeOSAdvancedFileBrowser

This file browser lists all the system file and system folders of Chrome OS!

I found this file browser by going to imageshack.us and clicking the browse button on their site... The file browser I get in Gmail is much different and doesn't show ANY system folders.

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> I forwarded that QR code to 3 of my coworkers about an
>> hour later and they filled out the basic form too. Two of
>> them also received Chrome notebooks at their homes
>> yesterday!

UPDATE: That third coworker received a Chrome notebook at home tonight...in fact, he had TWO Chrome notebooks sitting on his doorstep when he got home from work today!! We're not sure how he got two, but they were both addressed to him.....

Ernestas [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Why there is no opportunity to get laptop outside US? And why there is such a long list of countries if only US is acceptable? :D

A S [PersonRank 3]

14 years ago #

Wow! Are they sending these out to almost everybody who filled out the form on Tuesday, 12/7? I registered for the pilot that afternoon, shortly after it was published on the Google blog. I have not received anything yet.

I bet there would have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people who registered soon after the pilot program was published on the blog. Keeping my fingers crossed.

mbegin – Do you live in California or neighboring states? Or did you register as a business participant? Just wondering if geographical distance and type of participant is a factor in who they are sending these out to.

Caleb E [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here] A S: The QR-code form doesn't have the type of participant field. It only has a small subset of the fields on the main form

[put at-character here]mbegin: That file browser is probably the one initiated by Flash instead of the HTML upload form element. It's actually (if I'm not mistaken) the Nautilus file picker.

Also, is your coworker going to sell his second Cr-48 on eBay? Probably could get a decent amount :-)

Caleb E [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Ah, I take it back. Apparently the Terms and Conditions for the Cr-48 forbid you to sell or transfer the device to anyone else. Probably a good idea to just keep it then? I guess in case his first one gets destroyed, a la the commercial.

Mike McDonald [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

I have the CR-48 and I can tell you that I would welcome the caps lock button because I'm constantly bringing up a new tab every time I accidentally hit the search button lol.

FeemAmolO [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

I am impressed with your web resource.

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

>> Wow! Are they sending these out to almost everybody
>> who filled out the form on Tuesday, 12/7?

Here are the public stats for the QR code that I scanned during the webinar on Tuesday: http://goo. gl/info/ocJBw

As you can see there were about 1,490 clicks right around the time Google announced the Pilot Program. That’s when I registered. My coworkers registered about an hour later after I forwarded them the “short url” from that stats page... I don’t know how many people using that code received Chromebooks, maybe everyone???

mbegin [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here]Mike McDonald: You can disable the Search key or make it function as a CapsLock key or Ctrl key or Alt key.... Go to your Chrome OS System Settings, then click the “Modifier keys” button.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

> Here are the public stats for the QR code...

Those stats don't make sense. The figure for Macintosh + iPhone + iPod + iPad is 744, yet supposedly 2262 people used the Safari broswer! Even if ALL of the Windows users were browsing with Safari it still doesn't add up.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Jamendo geeks solve the hidden Chrome OS equation (and win a Cr-48 netbook):
http://blog.jamendo.com/2010/12/10/jamendo-geeks-solve-the-hidden-chrome-os-equation/

Caleb E [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here]Roger Browne: It might be miscounting Android users as running Safari. The Android user agent string is kind of weird in an effort to trick sites with iPhone compatible sites into using the same sites on the Android browser. It's something like this:

Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.1; en-gb; dream) AppleWebKit/525.10+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0.4 Mobile Safari/523.12.2

The google url shortener stats probably hasn't had wide testing on URLs that are only distributed via QR code.

This would also explain the large number of instances of Linux.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here]Caleb E: The Android browser effect would totally explain it. Thanks!

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

If you'd like to get a Chrome OS notebook and you live in the US, post a comment here: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/12/win-chrome-os-notebook.html .

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