Business Center Blogs

When Google unveiled its open source Chrome OS on Thursday, many commentators were quick to dismiss the new operating system as unimpressive and underwhelming. Citing everything from the browser interface that represents the entirety of the user experience to its limited hardware support and inability to install apps or play PC games, early critics have slammed Google's cloud-based OS for being exactly what it is intended to be: lean, fast, and simple.

To my eye, all this criticism appears to miss the point of Chrome OS--and indeed, the point of most of Google's services. Of course, this is nothing new for Google.

It has been difficult for Google to explain away the seeming conflict between Chrome OS and Android.

Saying that Chrome is for the Internet and Android for devices, requires a belief that users actually make the distinction.

Barnes & Noble seemed to have it all wrapped up. Except now it will be wrapping up many fewer Nook e-readers than had been hoped.

Thanks to a supply shortage, this year's must-have techie gift has gone from fizz to flat in near-record time.

Have some extra USB hard drives you'd like to put to a good use? How using them to create an Internet storage cloud for your company, yourself, or your family?

Though marketed primarily as a media-sharing device, the forthcoming second-generation Pogoplug is a cool and useful tool for sharing business information as well. The device was introduced earlier today.

Yesterday Google hosted a press event at its Mountain View campus to reveal a first glimpse at the Chrome OS. The excitement around the operating system has led to rampant rumors and speculation, but I question whether the Chrome OS is really worth any of this hype.

Google is Google. It has a Midas touch when it comes to web-based applications and services so its easy to get wrapped up in anticipation about a web-centric operating system from Google. Here are five reasons Chrome won't live up to the hype.

Excitable Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer actually had something to be excited about at yesterday's shareholder meeting, where he announced that Windows 7 sales are "fantastic."

"Since launch, we've already sold twice as many units of Windows 7 than any other operating system we've ever launched in a comparable time," Ballmer said.

Today in Mountain View, Google held a press event to announce details of its upcoming Chrome OS. What it unveiled is an exciting new platform for Web computing that is aimed squarely at consumer netbooks, and has little relevance to businesses today.

In a nutshell, Chrome OS consists of a Chrome browser running on an optimized Linux kernel. It supports only solid-state storage, and with the exception of locally cached user data, all data will be stored in the cloud. It's built to be fast, simple, and secure. It eliminates all local apps (except, of course, for the browser). Let's be perfectly clear: If it's not a Web app, it won't run on Chrome OS. While it doesn't accommodate local storage, it will read from USB storage devices (memory sticks, cameras, etc). It's a promising idea, as long as you buy into the whole Google ecosystem hook, line, and sinker.

Watching Google's Chrome OS event made me realize: There is a lot in Google's OS that can benefit Microsoft--like giving it a completely new platform and one it needs. If Google is really true to its open source promises, Microsoft should join the fun.

(Take our visual tour of Chrome OS if you don't already know what the fuss is about).

Firing back at Verizon, AT&T has released a new ad that talks about the wonders of the iPhone--and then promotes two Samsung handsets. How misleading is that?

The AT&T "Side-by-Side" spot (see it here) promotes the benefits of "access to over 100,000 apps," but then sells handsets that run few if any of them (and none of the over 100,000 iPhone apps, of course).

Want to know when Apple's tablet will ship? Here is the only provably true answer: It will ship when Steve Jobs decides it is ready to ship and not a moment before.

In the words of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils: "It'll Shine When It Shines," title of a song about "a good old boy that's learned to wait."