New Google Chrome OS Close, Microsoft Set To Offer Win 8 On USB stick
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Google who are close to delivering their new Chrome OS is tipped to make a major announcement later this month.

The new OS which has already won support from manufacturers of PC’s is set to compete head on with Microsoft’s new Windows 8. 

This week Google released a “stable” version of the software which means that it is very close to final release and commercial shipments

Chrome OS is a major extension of Google’s Chrome web browser however the big benefit over Windows 8 is speed and the fact that it does not need to draw on processing power to perform some functions. Applications for banking to photo-editing, are now available online thus reducing the need for device computing power.

Analysts believe that the new Google OS will challenge the dominance of Micorosft’s Windows.

Google will host its annual I/O conference in May, and has previously announced that both Samsung and Acer are already working on Chrome OS hardware for sale.

Currently Chrome is being tested on “experimental” laptops that come with new features that users will have to get use to. The CR-48 features a multitouch trackpad and a search button instead of a caps lock key, but is unbranded and not intended to give users a sense of what Chrome OS machines will look like in due course.

Writing on the Google Blog when the CR-48 launched, Linus Upson and Sundar Pichai wrote that “simply by logging in, all of your apps, bookmarks and other browser settings are there. Setting up a new machine takes less than a minute. And even at this early stage, we feel there is no consumer or business operating system that is more secure.”

 

A stable version of the software has not yet been released specifically for the CR-48, however. This could indicate that Google is focusing its efforts on new machines, or that the software’s readiness is still a work in progress.

Meanwhile Microsoft is looking to make Windows 8 available for USB sticks. The feature, called ‘Portable Workspace’ requires a USB stick with at least 16GB to play with in order to store all the necessary files and will please anyone who can’t bear to be parted from their OS.

It is described as “a feature that allows you to run Windows from a USB storage device” in a leaked screengrab of the set up window.

The downside is that users who have Windows 8 Enterprise Edition will be able to take advantage of the new feature.