Google To Launch Operating System

There were always rumors that Google was developing an operating system. We are not speaking about Google Android, the operating system that is being installed on mobile devices like cellphones. No, this time we are talking about an operating system called Google Chrome OS which, as the name implies, is somewhat connected to the Google Chrome web browser. So what exactly is the Google Chrome operating system then?

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Google Chrome OS is basically Google Chrome running inside a new windowing system and Linux kernel that is compatible with both x86 and ARM chips. Applications for it can be written using web technologies which has the advantage that they are also working in other standard web browsers even if they run on operating systems like Microsoft Windows, Linux or Mac.
On the differences between Android and Google Chrome OS:

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

The operating system will obviously require an Internet connection to work. Even if many web applications can be run locally there is still the need to run some that cannot. That’s a bummer for users with no Internet connection and those with slow Internet connections. What happens if the Internet connection becomes unavailable. Google will have to answer many questions like these in the near future.

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Gmail Leaves Beta

Gmail has by far been a product that has been in beta for the longest possible period we have seen, not that the features in Gmail were buggy or anything, the Beta tag lived on and stuck to it.

If you login to your Gmail account, or refresh the page if you already have it open, you will no longer see the beta text under the logo.

This is definitely a huge step forward for one of the best innovations email has ever seen, I have been a early adopter of Gmail, and when it launched more than 5 years back, it looked something different, something we were never used to.

I remember to have learned the concepts of starring emails, archiving them and more from Gmail, the interface and all has all stuck on with me.

So here is wishing Gmail all the best, now that it has shed the beta tag. But wait, we are all used to seeing the beta under the logo, how can you live without it, well the folks at Gmail thought about this, and added a Gmail Labs feature which will allow you to view the plain old Gmail Beta logo instead of the newer one.

To enable it go to Settings –> Labs and enable the Back to Beta feature to view the old logo.

How long have you been using Gmail for? Will you be happy now that Gmail has finally shed off the beta from the logo? Do let us know through your comments.

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Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB

It was a big month for storage. Not only did Western Digital bring to the market the first 2TB consumer hard drive, but Seagate came to the game with another milestone: a two-platter 1TB drive. Both offerings contain 500GB platters, the highest platter density yet achieved.

The Barracuda 7200.12 1TB is the first drive we’ve tested from the 12th generation of Seagate’s 7,200rpm Barracuda line, and it’s Seagate’s best chance for a fresh start following the firmware issues that plagued its 7200.11 line.

The 1TB 7200.12 has much in common with drives from the previous generation of Barracudas: It features 32MB of L2 cache, 7,200rpm rotational speeds, and SATA 3Gb/s data transfer with Native Command Queuing. The 7200.12, though, needs just two platters to achieve 1TB, whereas the 7200.11 used four.

The next-generation Seagate Barracuda is wicked-fast.

Generally, fewer platters mean higher areal density, which translates into better performance. For example, our previous favorite terabyte drive, the Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ, used three platters and outperformed the older Barracuda’s four platters. So surely a two-platter drive will be faster, right?

Yup. The new 1TB Barracuda’s read and write speeds approach those of the Western Digital Velociraptor. The Barracuda’s average sustained reads in our h2benchw benchmark exceeded 100MB/s, 7 percent faster than the Samsung’s, while sustained write speeds were an impressive 99.3MB/s, nearly 14 percent faster than the Samsung drive. Random access reads were more than 25 percent quicker on the Barracuda, burst speeds were 24MB/s faster, and the Barracuda’s PCMark Vantage score was more than 25 percent higher than the Samsung’s. In fact, only the Barracuda’s random-access write speeds failed to beat the Samsung’s—at 15.2ms, they’re still zippy, but no match for the Samsung’s 9.8ms response time.

The 1TB 7200.12 drive has a list price of $150 and a street price of about $120, which puts it in direct competition with its older, bigger cousin, the 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11—which has retailed for around $140 consistently for months. The 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green fetches $300.

As appealing as the Caviar’s eco-friendly message may be, you can actually save money by buying two of the 7200.12 drives—and get better performance to boot.

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Dual-Core ARM to Debut in 2010

Most smart phones now days are run off of ARM processors (that includes the iPhone and the Palm Pre), and while their performance is already pretty slick, a new dual-core ARM processor is set to hit next year that promises to greatly increase their capabilities.

The new processor, also known as the ARM Cortex-A9, is set to release early 2010. ARM is stating that while the chip is dual-core, it’ll offer users increased battery life in daily usage compared to their current generation of single-core chips.

Reportedly, the A9 will also give smartphones the ability to play 1080p, as well as record HD video.

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How To: Stop Loading Images / Pictures in your Browser

Sometimes Images on a web page often make the page load more slowly, especially if you have a relatively slow connection (e.g., a dial-up connection). To decrease the time it takes to load a page by preventing images from loading, follow the appropriate steps below.

Blocking Images & Embedded Pictures in your Browser

To Stop Loading Images in your browser simply follow the given steps below for each browser Firefox, Safari & Internet explorer. But remember turning off images can make the visual appearance of a website really terrible.

Firefox

1. In Windows, from the Tools menu, select Options... . On a Macintosh, from the Firefox menu, select Preferences... .
   
2. At the top of the window, click Content.
3. Uncheck Load Images or Load images automatically.
4. Click OK.

Internet Explorer

In Internet Explorer 5.x and later for Windows:

1. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options... .
2. In the window that appears, select the Advanced tab.
3. Scroll down the list to "Multimedia", and uncheck Show Pictures.
4. Click OK.

Safari

1. From the Safari menu, select Preferences... .
2. At the top of the window that appears, click Appearance.
3. Uncheck Display images when the page opens.

Getting to load the Blocked Images

Simply Right Click on the Blocked Images and Select “Show Picture”, “View Image” or “Load Image”.

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Windows 7 Build 7260 RTM Leaked

The primary source of Windows 7 leaks seems to be located in Russia. The latest of a long series of leaks is Windows 7 Build 7260 which made its way on the Internet just yesterday. The build is available as a 32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate VHD image (virtual hard drive image) with the build string 6.1.7260.0.win7_rtm.090612-2110 which indicates that the build was compiled on June 12.

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.BUILD.7260.WIN7_RTM.X86.VHD.ENGLISH-WZT – NEW
FILE: 7260.0.x86fre.win7_rtm.090612-2110.client_en-us.ultimate.vhd
(the original VHD in packed RAR archive, size RAR file: 1,919,600,205 byte
SHA1: 0FF53F8ED2BBC0B1B174B47F80055BB3DACF2F01)
SIZE: 5,185,507,840 byte
CRC: 67C23FE0
MD5: 0703C259676D7E4C58E0EF2184369663
SHA1: 7540399601506675CF1B329CB3507875F64C555B

Microsoft is currently aiming for the RTM build which might raise the build number to 7300.

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