In the race to the cloud, we all knew that Google was going to be one of the front runners to the race, and we have for a long time been hearing about the fabled ChromeOS, but I was a little surprised by what I saw in the Chromebook announcement.

The Chromebook is a completely web based system that runs a thin OS on it built with the Chrome browser.  This browser gives you access to the internet and al your Apps stored in the cloud.  The OS is thin enough that Google is boasting a 8 second boot time on the Samsung version of the Chromebook.  While keeping the Chromebook close to an internet source is desirable, Google is supplying apps like Gmail, Google Docs, and more in an “offline” mode.

The true test for me with the Chromebook is going to be it functionality with 3<sup>rd</sup> party applications like VMware View and Citrix.  Google has teamed up with both virtual desktop providers, but there isn’t much clear information about what the capabilities of these apps on the Chromebook will be yet.  I would like to see a local mode available for VMware View.

Below are a few of the Google marketing videos with basic (if not vague) information on the Chromebook.

I think this one is a wait and see.  They will be released to the general public 6/15.  See Google’s <a title="Chromebook launch page" href="http://www.google.com/chromebook/#" target="_blank">Chromebook</a> launch page for more information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqe8ieqz10

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc-WpGvBkLo