Google Netbook Specs Leaked 176
Foochee noted that specs have leaked for an alleged new Google NetBook. Coupling this with the HTC Google Phone, it really appears that Google is going to be pushing into new spaces in the next few years.
smartbook is nice, but where are the ARM nettops? (Score:1, Interesting)
Does anyone know why there are no ARM nettops?
Is it that it can't be made or perhaps that there's almost no profit margin left if it has to undercut something like the $200 Acer Aspire Revo?
I'd love to see something like Beagleboard that I could mount on the back of an LCD.
Is it going to be free? (Score:1, Interesting)
i played with Wave and think it sucks. it's slow, it's a resource hog and no one is on it. I joined a few public waves and now my Chrome RAM usage goes up to 600MB of RAM.
I played with Chrome OS and think it sucks as well. you can't do anything without an internet connection.
even my iphone can do a lot more without an internet connection in places like the NYC subway
10" screen?? (Score:5, Interesting)
At the same time, having a bundled deal so that one gets phone service with the netbook isn't that much of a benefit, IMO. You can already do this with a HTC Hero/Android device or even an iPhone.
Re:Odd (Score:3, Interesting)
HTML 5 supports offline caching and I think even Google will allow it. other than that 64GB SSD's are probably the smallest you will find next year
Re:smartbook is nice, but where are the ARM nettop (Score:5, Interesting)
The advantages, IMHO, of ARM are all tilted for use in the mobile space.
Being 5, 15, whatever watts more efficient than an Atom is a high price to pay for breaking x86 compatibility when you're hooked to a wall outlet, considering your choice in monitor likely has as much impact on your final power bill as your ARM/Atom choice.
Re:Google notebook specs... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Cool. (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, when you take out windows margins (cost of windows software and also royalties, etc), it's not that much of a surprise what they are saying they will offer.
Re:Is it going to be free? (Score:3, Interesting)
I believe they are probably working towards a system similar to Zero Install.
http://zero-install.sourceforge.net/faq.html [sourceforge.net]
Apps would run on the device, but be initially loaded from the web. There is no installed, only cached. When net connectivity isn't available, they run from the system cache. Syncing is done when connectivity is restored. I mean, if it was 100% web based then there wouldn't be much of a need for a big SSD, would there?
It actually has a lot of potential.
This has failed before and will fail again. (Score:4, Interesting)
Okay, let's see if I've got this straight...
#1) Google will SUBSIDIZE the cost of the netbook (aka NetPC, which was hacked out of existence).
#2) Unlike NetPC, they won't be using an intel processor, locking out Windows.
--- so when joey or jane try to download and install their favorite game or chat client, it will fail.
--- so when grandma can't load in her quickbooks document for the church, it will fail.
#3) As someone who has lurked in many a netbook forum, I can tell you the number one question will be "How do I install Windows XP on it?"
#4) Someone will figure out how to install alternative OSes on it, maybe even write some kind of intel CPU emulator, or real-time recompiler, and then hack Windows into running on it, and then the lawsuits begin.
#5) As soon as people get bored with it, into the trash heap it goes.
Google will lose money on this deal. Chrome will not take hold, in fact, most early adopters will be spending their time trying to get Chrome off of it. When the masses get it they will be disappointed by it's lack of backwards compatibility, and start searching (ironically using Google) for websites to show them how to "jailbreak" the thing into running what they want. Adblocker apps will appear as will other hacks to thwart Google, so people can feel they got a "free netbook".
SUBSIDIZED (Score:3, Interesting)
$300 price tag due to the device being subsidized.
And since Google is not a charity organization, that means there will be other costs.
Most likely a wireless contract.
unless Google is willing to promote its new OS so hard, that it intends to sell these at loss just to gain a market share. Sounds extremely unlikely but knowing Google and its wild ideas (free 1GB email with POP3 anyone?) not entirely impossible.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Very interesting. (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm all for opening up the playing field to competition and seeing ARM, PPC, and others gain marketshare but we are talking about a standard computer type of device and that's not going to fly with Microsoft. Mostly because of what you stated, they don't have Microsoft Windows to put on it. We have already seen a big hardware company CEO apologize for showing an ARM based netbook at this years CompuTex trade show and he did it with Microsoft on stage with him. We also saw the head of the largest manufacturing association say that they fear Microsoft and say something like non PC stuff is ok for them but PC stuff is scary for them because of Microsoft. If you remember Netscape, they know how to kill babies before they get a chance to grow into something tougher to kill. Just look at how they took a Linux platform, the netbook, and turned it into a Windows XP platform in just over one year. Sure Linux is still on 30% of those netbooks sold worldwide but the press tells everyone Windows is _the_ netbook OS and mom and pop believe them.
There's bucket loads of potential and capabilities in ARM on netbooks but Microsoft will not let that grab hold if they have any say in it. So there's a good chance we'll see more illegal activities by them and will probably see them in court again in 5 years. But we may also see that ARM netbook start to blossom and then get mowed down by MS. Intel is no saint either so it's going to be a backroom battle once again. IMO.
LoB
Re:Bullshitus Netbukus (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:This has failed before and will fail again. (Score:2, Interesting)
- Plugins. Ok, you surely will have flash...
Not on ARM. Which is probably why Google is moving towards HTML5: the single most popular flash-dependent site on the interwebs is YouTube. Moving it from flash to the video tag will give ARM a chance.