Acer To Demo Netbook With Google's Chrome OS

by Jennifer Johnson — Monday, May 17, 2010, 11:38 AM EDT

Acer plans to show off the first netbook that operates on Google's Chrome OS at a trade show in early June. According to various news reports, Acer will show the device at the Computex Taipei show on June 1-5. Acer hasn't confirmed these reports, but has said the company will be one of the first hardware manufacturers to offer a Chrome OS-based device. Google plans to release the OS in the later part of this year and has confirmed that Chrome OS-based netbooks will begin appearing by year's end.

Announced late last year, the Chrome OS has become an attractive option to some manufacturers because it doesn't require a ton of resources. This lightweight, browser-based platform enables devices to boot almost immediately. Holding true to Google's vision of cloud computing, the Chrome OS has a strong emphasis on cloud-based applications and storage. As we reported last month, Chrome could help users cut the cord with their printers forever by enabling cloud-based printing. The Chrome OS uses a Linux kernel derived from Ubuntu.

Acer isn't the only manufacturer that is planning to offer devices built around the Chrome OS. Samsung, ASUS, and Lenovo are also expected to launch Chrome OS devices. In addition, Dell has shown a demo of Chrome running on a netbook.

Tags: Netbook, Chrome, Linux, Google, Acer, Cloud, Computex, Chrome OS, Computex Taipei

Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer grew up around technology. From an early age, she was curious about all things related to computers. As a child, Jennifer remembers spending nights with her dad programming in BASIC and taking apart hard drives to see what was inside. In high school, she wrote her senior term paper on her experiences with building custom computers.

Jennifer graduated from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. After college, she began writing full-time for various PC and technology magazines. Later, she transitioned to the Web. In these roles, Jennifer has covered a variety of topics including laptops, desktops, smartphones, cameras, tablets, and various consumer electronics devices. When she's not playing with or writing about the latest gadget, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, capture memories with her camera, and scrapbook.

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