Google Unveils Chrome OS - A Browser Based Operating System

Google unwraps its much awaited Chrome OS - a browser based operating system, which the Google CEO Eric Schmidt has termed "a viable third choice" over the popular traditional OSes Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X.

Chrome OS which runs on a customized Linux kernel banks heavily on the concept of Cloud computing. All your data and the applications reside on a remote server and not on your machine.

Google says this makes data backups redundant. Even if your laptop running Chrome OS gets stolen, you don't lose your data. All you need to do is buy another Chrome OS laptop and you are up and running. More over, because the data store on your Chrome OS laptop is encrypted, no one will be able to break into it and access your data.

Notebooks running Chrome OS will be available from Samsung Electronics Co and Acer Inc in the first half of 2011.

Google has also hinted that Chrome OS is designed to work across a wide range of screen sizes and foam factors, enabling hardware manufacturers to deliver computing devices beyond notebooks. Which makes me wonder if Chrome OS is discretely being positioned as a future replacement to Google Android.

Google also unveiled the Chrome Web Store which is an online store that helps a Chrome OS user discover and download new applications. Chrome Web Store has been designed on similar lines to many online stores by mobile phone providers such as Nokia's Ovi store, Apple's App store, Samsung Apps, and so on.

[Source : Google Chrome blog]