A first look at Cloud OS
by Celine Roque
One of the visions for Web 2.0 was for the browser take the place of the operating system, with web applications running instead of desktop apps. While a browser and an OS are really different beasts, gOS has just announced a product that is probably closer to marrying the two concepts than anything out there right now.
[photopress:cloud_OS.png,full,pp_image]
The Cloud OS, as you can see in the image above, boots into a desktop that features a Google Chrome-like user interface. There’s an icon dock below for program shortcuts, Network Manager, Boot to Windows (or Linux), and a Power Button. When you click on a program icon, it will run inside a newly opened tab, be it a web app or a traditional one like Windows Media Player. If desired, it can also be configured to boot into another program besides the browser.
I’ve seen a video of Cloud OS in action and it’s speed is pretty impressive. Booting up to the complete desktop takes only 5-6 seconds. Shutting down, meanwhile, doesn’t even take a second. This makes it perfect for those times when you just need to Google something quick while on the go. I see it having huge potential in the netbook and MID range of devices, or even beyond. However, wireless broadband Internet (3G & 4G infrastructure) will need to be improved for it to really catch on and gain wide usability.
The first consumer products to offer pre-installed Cloud OS will be Gigabyte netbooks, available in the first quarter of next year. It will come alongside either Windows or Linux installations. No word yet if it will be available for download, though, but I’d certainly like to try it.
Thought...
