Chrome OS opens for public beta

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Google is starting a public beta of its open source Chrome operating system, which it claims is the most secure and web-ready OS on the market.

The new operating system has been designed to be based around the browser and to run web applications. Key parts of the operating systems are stored in read-only memory, making it impossible to subvert without physically removing memory. It can also go from standby mode to full operation in a few seconds.

"We're confident this is the most secure consumer operating system ever shipped," said Google vice president of product management Sundar Pichai.

The first laptops using the operating system have been designed just for the public beta and are dubbed Cr-48. They feature a 12.1 inch screen, full sized keyboard, 802.11n Wi-Fi, a Verizon 3G modem and give over eight hours of operation or eight days of standby time from a single battery charge.

"One change you will see is that there is no Caps Lock on the keyboard, which is us doing our bit to make internet conversations more civilised," Pichai said.

In a major change from other providers Google is giving users 100MB of data free each month. Additional data can be purchased by the gigabyte or users can get an unlimited day pass for $9.99 without signing up to a lengthy contract.

Selected users of Chrome, YouTube and Facebook will be getting a free Cr-48. Some Chrome users will receiver an invitation on their web page, while fans of Chrome's Facebook page have already had a competition to win a sticker, but the winners will be getting one attached to one of the new systems. The company is also running a competition on YouTube, where the best videos uploaded explaining why the creators should get a Cr-48 will be invited to take part.

The beta program will run until the spring and the first comercial laptops using the operating system will be released in the middle of next year Pichai said. Acer and Samsung have already signed up to produce the hardware and they will be using Intel processors.

Google is also aiming for business customers with the new operating system and is running beta testing with several blue chip organisations, including the Department of Defence, Virgin America and American Airlines. Google is also partnering with Citrix to allow access to all Citrix applications on the Chrome OS via Citrix Receiver.

"The best thing about this partnership is that it's customer driven," said Gordon Payne, general manager of Citrix's Desktop Division.

"It was CIOs getting in contact with us suggesting we partner together. We're working with engineers to make Citrix Receiver work well with Chrome OS."

In the first half of next year all Citrix customers would be able to use the Chrome OS to run all applications he said.

Pichai said there was huge growth potential for the operating system for business. Managers like the security of Chrome, while support calls were reduced because it was so simple and automatically updated itself. Finally he said total cost of ownership was better by orders of magnitude over systems like Windows.

"It does seem to me that one of the things Google is trying to explore is whether or not an operating system that is really just around a browser will work," Tony Cripps, senior analyst at Ovum told V3.co.uk.

"Whether or not that can deliver the experience people have come to expect, I don't know the answer to that. It might be the case, if Chrome is successful, that this experience is very different from what we know now."

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