I don’t trust the site that brought the rumour, but hey, we don’t have much else to report on so bear with me. DownloadSquad is reporting that they’ve heard from a reliable source that Verizon and Google are going to unveil a Chrome OS tablet in November. So basically, Chrome OS is going to compete with Android on tablets. Excellent idea. Oh and also, Engadget has compiled Verizon’s roadmap for the rest of the year, and it’s Android, Android, Android, Andrdoid. Update: Surprising – it’s nonsense.
The tablet itself will be built by HTC (from Nexus One fame), Google will supply the software, and Verizon will supply the networking prowess. Presumably, it will be heavily subsidised by Verizon, so you’ll get it for “free” with a 3G contract on big red.
Hardware-wise, it’ll be what everyone was already expecting based on earlier comments from Google and the Chromium OS source code. In other words, it’ll be based on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 platform, sport a 1280×720 multitouch display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB SSD, WiFi/BT/LTE connectivity, GPS, webcam, and a card reader.
It’ll launch November 26 in the US, which is Black Friday, when Americans apparently go into some sort of shopping frenzy because you just don’t love your children unless you give them a 800 USD gadget. Anywho.
Verizon already confirmed earlier this year that it’s working with Google on a Chrome OS tablet, so the existence of the device has already been confirmed. All we need to know now is whether or not Chrome OS will be ready by then.
As for Verizon’s roadmap for the rest of the year, it’s all Android, all the way. A new BlackBerry will arrive too, and there’s some hints at a Pre 2 (finally!), but for the rest it’s Android devices in all shapes and sizes from all manners of companies. Further proof for my personal misguided guess that no, we will not see a Verizon iPhone. They just don’t need it.
Sounds like Verizon and Google are getting chummy. Am I the only one who thinks that maybe Verizon’s recent love for Android could in any way be related to Google’s public support for axing net neutrality on wireless devices? Like, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.
Nah, must be a coincidence.
ChromeOS is not for touch devices, which tablets obviously are AND ChromeOS is supposed to be a “CloudOS” so why would you need 32 GB SSD? Sounds very fishy to me.
Android is much better suited to be on that tablet, especially with the new 3.0 version that is supposed to be released in the fall and should support higher resolutions.
ChromeOS is for really really cheap netbooks with ARM chips and 4 GB storage for under 200 or even 100 bucks. Anything else will be born dead.
OK, it was just made up BS
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/18/chrome-os-tablets-coming-from-go…
read the updates.
There was a rumor that Froyo (Android 2.2) was supposed to be released on the Droid Incredible today. Of course, that didn’t happen. And do ya’ll remember when Nexus One was supposed to be released through Verizon on March 23rd? Or any of the scores of other rumors that never actually came to pass?
Wish sites would stop wasting everyone’s time reporting on all these rumors.
I’m inclined to agree.
I’d rather see no news than fictional news
Edited 2010-08-19 15:37 UTC
Google and Verizon. Will this country never manage to decouple hardware from the carriers and their brutal contracts?
Now a whole new class of tablet hardware is going to be Verizon branded and bundled.
I bought an unlocked Nexus One which I happily use with my carrier of choice (no contract) and LOVE it! 3G performance is well above the average for the competing networks of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile (here in the Southeastern US.) I received the update from 2.1 to 2.2 the week 2.2 was released. My point is that I don’t think Google is the problem with its OS and mobile platforms, rather, it’s the carriers.
Android is currently available on T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon, all with very good choices. So what’s the problem? It’s not like the AT&T/Apple problem.
Worldwide sales show in the second quarter of 2010, the Google Android Smartphone passing the iPhone, which shows the company with the motto “Do no evil†is soon going to have some issues. The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle Corp. has sued Google Inc. for patent and copyright infringement, claiming the Android OS violates Oracle’s Java copyrights.
I read this here: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/08/16/oracle-sues-goog…
Eric Schmidt, a previous Sun chief technology officer, whose Google’s founder, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison are against one another within the suit. Oracle became the owner of the business that made Java, Sun, in January 2010. Today, Java is used in the Android Smartphone also as hundreds of other devices.
Edited 2010-08-19 06:35 UTC
I hope the designers don’t take the same tact that many non-Apple fans, and bash Apple. Apple didn’t get everything right with the iPad, but they got a lot right, and I hope they learn from Apple’s success. For instance:
* Battery life: I just flew from the US to India, and with watching a movie, a few Dr Who episodes, read most of a book and played games. When I landed in India, my battery was at 30%. That’s about 6+ hours of total usage, give or take, and I still had 30% of my battery.
* Getting media on my iPad was simple. I used iTunes, and it was easy. For books, I could have used iBooks but I used Amazon’s Kindle app instead (better selection and better overall store than iBooks IMHO). Also ridiculously easy.
* Everything was built for touch. There’s no mouse-based apps in there that have a shitty skin grafted on.
* It’s fast and responsive.
Edited 2010-08-19 06:24 UTC
I won’t be using anything google or verizon related from now on. Demon spawn of net non-neutrality be gone!!!
Just couldn’t keep from making a snide anti-American comment, eh Thom? Maybe it would be better if we rioted over football matches…