Samsung: Yep, we’re working on a Chrome OS netbook [Chrome OS]

In not-too-surprising, yet good-to-know-for-sure news, it seems that Samsung is indeed working on a netbook designed around Chrome OS. Now, what exactly that comprises I can’t tell you — my guess is they’re really just getting a cheap netbook ready to go with whatever Google announces when Chrome OS hits prime time. Or maybe they’ll use one of those neat (useless) transparent ones?
The specs are nothing crazy: 3G, 2GB of RAM to start, 64GB or more of SSD storage, probably a 10.1″ screen, and a nice long battery life. The chipset and processor weren’t disclosed, but the source is suggesting a 1.5GHz Snapdragon. I wonder about that — I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some curveballs in there. Dual Snapdragons, for instance, or a dedicated GPU like the iPad. It’s actually very similar to this speculative post here, except without a price, which makes it much easier to swallow.
Guess we’ll find out… not soon. It’s not clear when they’ll be making the real announcement, and at any rate we’ll probably hear from Google first.
[CrunchGear via Tom's Hardware]

Chrome OS Netbook Specs Leaked: Multi-touch, SSD, and More [Rumor]

Google's Chrome OS netbook's rumored specs are out, and they're looking pretttty, pretttty, prettttty good.
According to IBTimes, the Google netbook will house an Nvidia Tegra platform with an ARM CPU. If the rumors hold up, it will also have a 10.1' multi-touch screen that supports HD, come with a 64GB SSD, 2GB of RAM, and other standards like Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, a webcam, and so on. Not surprisingly, the netbook will run Chrome OS and come pre-installed with a suite of Google Apps.
The rumors also indicate that the netbook will be available by holiday season 2010 for a subsidized price of under $300, which is impressive for the type of hardware they're talking about. It would sold directly from Google's website, and they may partner with a network operator to sell it as a bundled 3G plan.
If these rumors turn out to be true—which at this point, who knows—that's a welcome step up from the current generation of netbooks.
[Gizmodo via IBTimes]

e-book + netbook + android = entourage edge

You know that shiny new Nook or Kindle you just got for Christmas? Looks like it’s already time to upgrade to the next hot new gadget. The enTourage eDGe combines the best of e-Book readers and Netbook computers into a single package.

The so-called “dualbook” gives you everything you’d expect from an e-Book reader, but includes a complete netbook computer, running on Android OS. The left-hand panel of the folding computer is a touchscreen e-Ink display, while the right side is a full-color LCD touchscreen. The e-Ink panel measures in at 9.7″ diagonal and 1200 x 825 resolution, while the LCD is 10.1″ diagonal, with 1024 x 600 resolution. When folded, the eDGe measures a compact, but pragmatic 8.25″ (h) x 10.75″ (w) x 1″ (d). At 2.75 pounds, it’s definitely not as lightweight as other e-Readers, but it’s comparable in heft to most netbooks. Battery life for the e-Ink side is rated at 16 hours, while you’ll only get about 6 hours of use with the LCD screen turned on.

The netbook side includes a web browser, media recording and playback, e-mail, and contact management among other things. Initially, the eDGe will work only on WiFi networks, but you’ll be able to use it on 3G networks with and EVDO or HSDPA modem down the road. You can read books in ePub or PDF formats, watch videos in 3GP, MP4 or H.264 formats, or listen to audio in MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG and M4A among other formats. What I really like about the screens is that they also support pen-based input, making them great for quick note taking and doodles too.

You can check out a web-based demo of the eDGe’s interface here, but the hands-on video from netbooknews below gives you a glimpse at a working prototype in action:

The enTourage eDGe ships in February 2010 with prices starting at $490 (USD), with a $40 upcharge for premium colors. They’re accepting pre-orders now over on the enTourage website. This is definitely one to watch.
[technabob]

LifeBook MH380: Fujitsu’s new netbook with Pine Trail processor

Intel’s Pine Trail Atom processor (1.66 GHz Atom N450/unveiled earlier this year) is one of the key elements in the LifeBook MH380, Fujitsu’s latest netbook. The MH380 has a 10.1-inch glossy LCD screen with LED backlight, 200nits brightness and no less than 1,366×768 resolution. What’s quite unique design-wise is the tiny circle area (next to the trackpad), which enables circular motion scrolling.

You also get 2GB of RAM, a 250 GB SATA HDD, a card reader, a 1.3 MP web camera, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, USB/SD/SDHC ports, and Windows 7 (Starter). The made-in-Japan MH380 has a battery life of 7.5 hours and weighs just 1.3kg (2.97 lbs).

Fujitsu America will start selling the MH380 next month (price: $449). It will be available in brown, black and white.

[CrunchGear via Netbooked]

Rumor: Google Working On Chrome OS-Branded Netbook With One (Secret) Manufacturer [Google Chrome OS]

Google's already said you'll need to buy a Chrome OS machine if you want it officially, but if TechCrunch's sources are right, they could be launching Google-branded hardware for the platform, much like they're doing with the Nexus One.
Sure, you may've already downloaded an early Chrome OS build on your current machine, but unless you want it to be your sole platform, and running just the way Google intended, then you'll need to buy the official hardware. Acer's stated its intent to be first with a product release, presumably at the tail-end of next year, but ASUS, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba are also involved in the Chrome OS project too.
A 'request for proposal' has already been issued to potential suppliers, such as those mentioned above, supposedly listing the specifications Google would like to see in that first netbook. Google is believed to be working with just the one manufacturer, to build the ideal netbook. TechCrunch's sources are claiming they'll be 3G-embedded, and quite possibly subsidized by a carrier.
Michael Arrington, editorializing at this point, goes on to say that:

'I'd be willing to bet one of our writers' right hands that it's ARM [as opposed to an Intel Atom processor]. And I'd even go out on a limb and suggest that they may very well be targeting Nvidia's Tegra line.'

Adobe, Freescale, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are the other parties already working with on the Google Chrome OS project, so presumably the netbook will contain some components from them as well.
So, which company do we think Google will choose in this all-important talent show? Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo or Toshiba, or even someone else? ASUS obviously has strong heritage with netbooks, thanks to inventing the market for it back in 2007, but Acer launched the first Android-powered netbook. HP, Lenovo and Toshiba have all produced some solid netbooks in their time, but haven't quite measured up to Acer and ASUS' success just yet.
[Gizmodo via TechCrunch]

Jolicloud Netbook OS Is a Bit Like Chrome OS with Awesome Desktop Applications [Screenshot Tour]

Chrome OS is a promising cloud-based operating system, but the big complaint most people have about it is that Chrome OS is entirely browser-based. New netbook OS Jolicloud is a lot like Chrome OS, but with the addition of killer desktop apps.
Before you even consider Jolicloud, you may want to look at their big list of compatible devices. It's pretty huge, and I'd also suspect not complete. I'm actually testing it in a virtual machine and it's working just fine, and it would probably work on a fair amount of other hardware.
Think you'd like to try it out? You can install it easily from Windows using a simple installer. Rather than wipe out your Windows installation, it simply carves out some partitioned space on your hard drive so you don't have to worry about ditching Windows altogether just to try it out. Ready to give it a try? The installation is pretty straightforward, but if you want a little hand-holding, check out the gallery below.
Once your Jolicloud installation is complete, you'll end up at the login screen.

Enter the username and password you created during installation, and when you log in, you'll end up staring down the Jolicloud netbook launcher screen.

You'll also be prompted to set up your Jolicloud account at this point, but unfortunately the specialized Jolicloud accounts—which is part of what makes Jolicloud so cool—requires an invitation code, so you'll probably want to sign up for one ASAP. If and when you do sign up with a Jolicloud homebase, you'll get access to the Jolicloud App Directory pictured below.

It's from this directory you can install your favorite programs—from Skype and Dropbox to Boxee and Spotify in a single click. When you're logged in to Jolicloud, you've also got access to your social stream:

...and a convenient update manager:

In short, Jolicloud is a very impressive looking netbook operating system. Sure it's just a specialized interface running on top of Ubuntu and powered by a lot of Mozilla Prism packages. The App Directory makes the operating system—as TechCrunch accurately put it—feel like an iPhonesque OS for netbooks. And unlike the current state of Chrome OS, the current alpha release of Jolicloud is actually pretty well supported.
It's probably a little unfair to compare Jolicloud to Chrome OS, since they are ultimately very different in their approach, but they are both aiming for the same market—your netbooks. If you've given Jolicloud a try in the past or just want to weigh in on its looks from the screenshots, let's hear your thoughts in the comments.

[Lifehacker via Jolicloud]

Prime Note Cresion NA, DosPara latest ION Based Netbook with BD Drive

Here you are the Prime Note Cresion NA from DosPara, a 12.1” Netbook with a 1366x768 resolution, and a Blu-Ray Drive (Read only). Our Prime Note Cresion NA is powered by an Atom 330 and use Nvidia ION Platform, as well as featuring 2GB of RAM, 320GB of HDD (5400rpm), HDMI out, WiFI BGN, Bluetooth V2.1 +EDR and weight 1.92kg…

 This Prime Note Cresion NA will be sold in Japan at around 70 000 JPY (525€)