Five Things You Can Expect From Chrome OS Products

Google is making a bold move in 2010, entering the operating system market with Chrome OS. The product is very different from Windows 7 and Mac OS — it’s much more focused and much more limited. For some users, it will work out great. For others, it might not be what you’re looking for. For consumers that are always connected to the Internet, Chrome will be a fantastic OS that will be available on a variety of inexpensive products. If you still need more info on what Chrome is, be sure to check out this article. Once you’re up to speed, here are five things you can expect from Chrome OS products.

Google Chrome

  1. Chrome OS Products Will Be Cheap — Ever since Asus kicked off the netbook craze with its Eee PC line, consumers have been gobbling up inexpensive laptops. Chrome OS will continue the trend and push prices down further. The most popular netbooks today use Windows XP or Windows 7, which means part of the cost goes to paying Microsoft an OS license. Chrome products will not have that burden. Personally, I rather have a more expensive system that can dual-boot Windows 7 and Chrome OS. Hopefully that will be an option that will complement the flurry of inexpensive Chrome OS products that will hit in 2010.
  2. Chrome OS Netbooks Will Boot Crazy Fast — Since the operating system is being designed with flash memory in mind, Chrome OS products will not be bogged down by hard drives. At its announcement event on Thursday, Google showed a Chrome OS laptop booting up in seven seconds. Keep in mind this is an incomplete version of the OS on unoptimized hardware. Final products should be even faster, allowing for the “instant on” experience. This is awesome and way overdue. I’m annoyed that my Windows Vista machine takes a minute to boot. It’s 2009 for fricks sake. Continue reading “Five Things You Can Expect From Chrome OS Products”

PSA: Buy a PS3 Slim and Get an EA Sports Game for Free

PS3 Slim 3

Yesterday’s Amazon “Countdown to Black Friday” deal wasn’t worth mentioning, but today’s is much better. It’s a PlayStation 3 promotion. If you buy a PS3 Slim then you get one EA Sports game for free. You can choose from FIFA Soccer 10, NHL 10, or Madden NFL 10. Check it out!

Remember, this offer expires at 11:59PM PST tonight (Friday).

PlayStation 3 to Get Firefox?

Mozilla Foundation

According to PlayStation Insider, Sony is negotiating with the Mozilla Foundation to build a version of Firefox for the PlayStation 3. The site claimed:

We recently received a tip from a source very close to Sony who says that they have been in talks with Mozilla lately about possibly porting firefox over to the PS3. That said, our source made sure to point out that they were unsure if any deal had actually been reached at this point, but it is great news none the less considering the complaints Sony has been getting about the lack of reliability with their current built in PS3 web browser.

This would be a welcomed addition to the PS3. The current browser isn’t very good — it can’t even render this simple site properly — and Mozilla is the hotness. That said, I’ve never heard of the sourced site or the writer, so I’m taking the rumor with a boulder of salt. Besides, it would make more sense for Sony to build its own browser with open-source code. Whether it’s Mozilla or WebKit, it would be simple for the company.

Btw, do any of you use the PS3’s web browser?

Source

Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan “Confrontation”

If you haven’t seen Ric Flair’s first promo for Hulk Hogan’s Australian Hulkamania tour, go check it out. If you have seen it, prepare for part II. The Nature Boy and The Hulkster meet to try to drum up interest in the tour.

This promo made me a little sad. Although Flair can still put on a good match with a solid partner like Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle, he can’t do much with an old, broken down, and extremely limited wrestler like Hogan. I found it amusing that Flair mentioned “the big boot”, but didn’t mention Hogan’s leg drop, which he can’t do anymore because of his hip problems. At least neither of them are as pathetic as “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, who was never that good and is only on the tour because he kisses Hogan’s ass.

Congrats to Smartguy (and Other Contest Updates)!!!

RPad Magnet Iceman

Congrats to Smartguy!!! He’s the latest winner in the RPad.tv chick magnet giveaway. One of the site’s best and most frequent commentators, Smartguy won with this comment. Keep an eye on your email!

Today I mailed out prizes to Hrolf and thiswillallbeburne. Iceman was kind enough to send a photo of his RPad.tv magnet. If you already have one, I’d love to post a photo, so please send ’em in. I love that Iceman is looking at my site and chicks in bikinis. Awesome.

Google Reveals More Details on Chrome OS

Google has unveiled details on its upcoming Chrome operating system. This open-source, lightweight OS relies heavily on the Internet for functionality and is being designed for netbooks. Its narrow focus eliminates a lot of the headaches involved with a traditional operating system, but also limits its capabilities. A post on Google’s blog revealed:

It’s all about the web. All apps are web apps. The entire experience takes place within the browser and there are no conventional desktop applications. This means users do not have to deal with installing, managing and updating programs.

Second, because all apps live within the browser, there are significant benefits to security. Unlike traditional operating systems, Chrome OS doesn’t trust the applications you run. Each app is contained within a security sandbox making it harder for malware and viruses to infect your computer.

The concept behind Chrome OS sounds great and I could totally work with it. The bad news for Google is that there are a lot of people that can’t work with a cloud OS. The bad news for tech geeks like me is that Chrome OS won’t be out until “this time next year”.

Also, the guy narrating the video is a nob, but he’s not nearly as bad as the toolbox that Square Enix hired for its Final Fantasy XIII video. Anyway, let me know what you think of Chrome OS. Is it something you could use? Would you buy a Chrome OS netbook?

Source

Supreme Commander 2 Walkthrough with Chris Taylor

Gas Powered Games founder and lead designer Chris Taylor — the funniest man in game development — gives an excellent walkthrough of his upcoming game, Supreme Commander 2. Check out this video, narrated by Taylor, that details the game’s terrain, units, weapons, and more.

I’ve been chatting with Chris lately and I will have a full interview with this handsome man soon. In the meantime, let me know what you think of this walkthrough video.

3D Dot Game Heroes Launch Trailer

Atlus has released the launch trailer for 3D Dot Game Heroes for PlayStation 3. The game has been the darling of importers and game writers, but I’m not sure how many of you are interested in it. For my part, I’m totally charmed by the game and can’t wait to play it. Check out the trailer and let me know what you think (please)!

Dragon Age: Origins DLC Announced for Holiday 2009

Dragon Age Cailan

BioWare and Electronic Arts have announced the “Return to Ostagar” DLC for the excellent Dragon Age: Origins. The DLC will cost $4.99 on PlayStation Network, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live. Here’s some info from the press release:

Return to Ostagar, BioWare’s next thread in the Dragon Age: Origins tapestry, summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to snag Cailan’s armor from his rotting corpse — dude had some pretty slick armor! I’m also curious the learn what his political agenda entailed. Did he want universal health care for every citizen of Ferelden? Was he planning to institute equal opportunity programs for dwarves and elves? Maybe has was going to let the Dalish open up casinos.

This is a day-one download for me. How about you, my fellow DA players?

California Restricts Television Power Consumption

Samsung LED Backlit TV

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gases, lower power consumption, and maintain the state’s reputation as the hippiest in America, the California Energy Commission has set strict guidelines that would require televisions to use less power. According to SF Gate:

The new rules, adopted unanimously by the California Energy Commission, will require manufacturers to cut the power televisions use by one-third in two years and in half by 2013 by setting wattage ceilings.

Consumers are expected to save $8.1 billion in energy costs over a 10-year period as a result of the restrictions, without sacrificing high-definition pictures, the commission said. The panel also cited a study that showed the energy savings could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million metric tons a year — the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road — in part by eliminating the need for a new power plant.

While environmental groups are applauding the effort, consumer electronics advocates are not. Doug Johnson, senior director of technology for the Consumer Electronics Association said, “This is a constraint on innovation and on consumer choice. It’s unnecessary and unjustified.”

Continue reading “California Restricts Television Power Consumption”