Mobile Phones

Faltering Facebook phone's Europe launch delayed

On 27 May 2013 |0 comments

The European launch of the "Facebook phone" has been delayed following disappointing US sales and negative feedback. The HTC handset runs Facebook's enhan

MWC: Top 10 mobile industry insights from Barcelona bash

On 04 Mar 2013 |0 comments

Mobile World Congress (MWC) has been and gone, giving the mobile community a chance to come together and show off their latest products in Barcelona, while no

Tablets

Nook tablets join Barnes & Noble's UK line-up

On 26 Sep 2012 |0 comments

US book chain Barnes & Noble plans to launch new Nook tablets alongside its e-readers in the UK later this year. They will compete against products

South Korea rules Apple and Samsung infringed patents

On 23 Aug 2012 |0 comments

A South Korean court has ruled that Apple and Samsung both infringed each other's patents on mobile devices. The court imposed a limited ban on national sal

Cameras

Olympus TG-1, toughest ever compact camera?

On 08 May 2012 |0 comments

Waterproof, crushproof, freezeproof Olympus has officially unveiled a compact camera that the manufacturer promises will deliver expert shots at up to 12 m

TIPA Names 2012 Award Winners

On 19 Apr 2012 |0 comments

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) has announced the winners of its annual Awards for the best photographic and imaging products of 2012. Headlin

Laptops

Google Chrome OS computers updated with faster processors

On 30 May 2012 |1 comments

Google has announced new computers running on its Chrome operating system.   The Samsung-manufactured laptop and desktop PCs include processors base

Apple's Tim Cook rejects idea of laptop-tablet hybrids

On 25 Apr 2012 |0 comments

Apple's boss has dismissed the idea of mixing laptops and tablets into a hybrid product.   Chief executive Tim Cook said the idea of combining the iPa

Other Recent Articles

Amazon signs lease on 210,000 sq ft central London offices

On 31 May 2013 | 0 Comments

Amazon has signed the lease on prime central London offices to accommodate 1,600 staff as it expands further into sectors such as book publishing and televisio

Microsoft 'U-turn' sees Start button back on Windows 8

On 31 May 2013 | 0 Comments

Microsoft has confirmed a Start button is returning to the desktop mode's taskbar of its Windows 8 operating system. The lack of the facility - which had be

Apple 1 from 1976 signed by Wozniak sells for $650,000

On 27 May 2013 | 0 Comments

An original Apple 1 computer from 1976 - one of only six still in working order - has sold at auction in Germany for more than 500,000 euros ($650,000). Th

Faltering Facebook phone's Europe launch delayed

On 27 May 2013 | 0 Comments

The European launch of the "Facebook phone" has been delayed following disappointing US sales and negative feedback. The HTC handset runs Facebook's enhan

MWC: Top 10 mobile industry insights from Barcelona bash

On 04 Mar 2013 | 0 Comments

Mobile World Congress (MWC) has been and gone, giving the mobile community a chance to come together and show off their latest products in Barcelona, while no

Burger King's Twitter account hacked

On 18 Feb 2013 | 0 Comments

Burger King's Twitter account appeared to have fallen victim to hackers on Monday as it began sending out pro-McDonald's messages and the occasional rap video

Google Chrome OS computers updated with faster processors

By Anonymous on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 1 comment

Google has announced new computers running on its Chrome operating system.
 


The Samsung-manufactured laptop and desktop PCs include processors based on Intel's Sandy Bridge technology, addressing criticism that the launch models were underpowered. Chrome-based computers run all their applications through the firm's web browser and store their files online. Google has not released sales numbers for the previous range, but analysts said demand had been very low. Tech consultants IDC said that 50,000 Chromebooks had shipped in the US in the first three months of the year in a market that had absorbed about 10 million laptops over the same period. An earlier study by Gartner suggested there would be fewer than 300,000 Chromebooks sold worldwide this year. Google Drive Google says software updates had helped boost the computers' speed so that they ran 2.5 to 3.5 times faster than before. Improvements include greater use of the machines' GPUs (graphic processing units) and tweaks to ensure the system runs Javascript more efficiently. An upcoming software release will also enable the firm's Google Drive cloud storage service to act as the computers' file system, making it easier for users to manage their documents.

It will also allow users to edit Google Documents files when offline. The files will subsequently be synchronised when a network connection is restored tackling complaints that the machines were of limited use when not on the internet. The search giant's decision to build in a limited 16 gigabyte hard drive has helped it keep costs relatively low. The Chromebook laptop is marketed for $449/£379 while the desktop Chromebox is $329/£279. Low maintenance The firm highlights the fact that the devices need "zero administration" because files are stored in the cloud, system updates are controlled by Google and the computers have virus protection built-in. Linus Upson, Google's vice president of engineering, told the BBC that this had already encouraged more than 500 schools across 41 US states to "deploy" Chromebooks to their students. He said he hoped businesses would now follow. "From a security standpoint just about every major corporation in the world is under continuous attack by various governments around the world as well as criminal enterprises," he said "Probably the single most important thing companies can do to secure their network is to secure the PCs that their employees use because that's normally the way in. "Everything from a phishing email saying 'hey install this thing' to exploiting flaws in browsers or plug-ins. At Google we see deploying Chromebooks broadly as being one of the best ways we can protect our user data." He admitted that the computers were not suitable for people wanting to use traditional software packages such as Photoshop and Microsoft Office. But he suggested such programs were "legacy" products that would "decline over time" as users opted for the type of browser-based software available via the Chrome Webstore. Mixed reactions David Daoud, personal computing research director at IDC, is sceptical about the platform's prospects.

 "The issue with Chromebook is the fact that it is in a sort of grey zone," he said. "It has neither the power of a laptop in the productivity world, nor the appeal of an iPad or an Android tablet. "It is confined to a web environment that may not be so appealing in emerging economies where the wireless infrastructure may be limited. In such environments, characterised by tight budgets, consumers do not see why they would spend some $400 on a system that does not fully deliver on a more comprehensive user experience." But Frank Gillett, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said he believed there was a niche for the machines: first-time users looking for a low-cost simple device. "It's cheap, good enough for most of the things you want to do when you're starting out and it's just less complicated to figure out than alternatives out there," he told the BBC. "This is the first interesting version of the product - the launch models were more proof of concept. The Google Drive capability clears the bar to making Chrome-based computers useful to enough of the population to keep it going." Google says the computers will go on sale in the US and UK, adding that devices would come to other European markets "soon".












By Leo Kelion Technology reporter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18253961

Category: Feature , Laptops

1 comments:

Post a Comment