Not exactly what we're hoping from the future of netbook; I for one is expecting for computer manufacturers to come up with more powerful netbooks but cheaper or at least the same price as today's netbooks.
But looks like computer manufacturers will see an alternative way to keep the low specs in netbook with this new browser-based OS called Cloud, the Cloud OS is claimed by its maker; Good OS (gOS) as a Linux kernel that boots "in seconds" and it runs independently of Windows or other platforms.
Basically, Cloud OS will only has limited capabilities compared to heavier platforms like Windows, Linux Ubuntu or Mac OS X. Cloud OS doesn't open up onto a desktop, instead it boots into a web browser. Good OS has created "a wrapper that enables you to perform all your major rich client applications from within the browser," said gOS founder and CEO David Liu.
The Cloud OS web browser user interface has a striking close similarity to Google's Chrome web browser, which I wouldn't be surprised if later Google or gOS announce they're actually working together on this Cloud OS, because at the bottom of browser windows there's a dock (like in the Mac OS X's dock) containing shortcuts to applications like Google Docs and Calendar as well as Blogger and YouTube. They can include a media player, a Skype client, a Gmail session, or a tool for configuring Wi-Fi access, and you can even also boot to Windows from there.
However, it's likely that for running more powerful applications such as Photoshop or Microsoft Office, Cloud OS users must run a full and heavier OS like Windows or Linux. Cloud OS isn't meant to replace Windows but live alongside it, gOS states that Cloud "does not require additional hardware and is compatible with any operating system." gOS also says that Cloud is compatible with any operating system so presumably Mac users will not be left out in the cold.
No words yet on how much gOS will charge computer manufacturers for this Cloud OS, David Liu can only hinted that it would perhaps be "under US$500," and that in any case he expected it to be "very competitive."
That's all what we know for now from gOS who demonstrated its Cloud OS on a Gigabyte touch-screen netbook at the World Summit in Paris, we'll have more information when Gigabyte Technology shows a Tablet PC-style touch-screen netbook at CES in Las Vegas in January next year. In the mean time, you can watch the video demo of Cloud OS in action that I've embedded just below this post.
Sources are from:
No comments:
Post a Comment