Eeebuntu is a popular Linux distribution designed  for netbooks.  Specifically, it’s interface has been optimized for laptops with small screens and it’s been slimmed down for lower powered Intel Atom processors.  Today the Eeebuntu team launched the first public beta of Eeebuntu 4.0, which drops the Ubuntu base for Debian Linux.  The servers were getting hammered when I tried to download it, but keep trying.

Jolicloud Netbook OS in Public Beta

It’s been a year since we first posted that Jolicloud was advancing rapidly, and today Jolicloud is available for download under its new name ‘Jolicloud Express’.  Yes, you read that correctly, no more need for an invitation or special permissions, everyone can download and try out the Beta version of Jolicloud now.

There is a 600MB executable file which you can run while in Windows.  It will install Jolicloud Express on your netbook ,while keeping your Windows operating system intact. Or, if you’d rather,  there’s an ISO file to download as well.

Visit Jolicloud to find out more and get your download.

Google Chrome OS for netbooks

Google’s Chrome OS, first announced last July, will be launched and available for download within a week.   Normally I would dismiss this as a crazy rumour, the likes of which we’ve seen before regarding Google’s Chrome OS, but this time, it has been reported by Michael Arrington of Techcrunch, who traditionally has pretty solid leads and connections with Google insiders.

So what can we expect?  According to Techcrunch, a version of the OS (probably an Alpa release) will  be available to download from Google within a week.  The early version will likely have only very limited driver support for your hardware, since it’s speculated that Google will be relying on hardware manufacturers to write and provide those drivers.

Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you up to date on this developing story.

Snow Leopard and Atom don't mix

For those of you that have ‘Hackintoshed’ your netbook, don’t upgrade to the latest release of Snow Leopard when it comes out.  Stellarolla, a well known OSX authority, and a key contributor to the original hackintosh writes on his blog:

In the current developer build of 10.6.2, Apple appears to have changed around a lot of CPU related information. One of the effects of this is Apple killing off Intel’s Atom chip.

Now, before we all panic, please note that he says ‘current’ and ‘developer’.  This isn’t the final consumer release, so Apple could still stop being petty and allow Atom processors to run Snow Leopart 10.6.2.  If they don’t however, we recommend keeping your frankenmacs loaded with 10.6.1.

Stells Blog via Wired

Google Crome OS Screenshot

Remember a few days ago when we reported about some Google Chrome OS directories that were accidentally left open by Google?  Well, at least a few people were able to grab the code and get it running to give us these screenshots.  There isn’t too much here yet except for visuals since not much is working yet in this build. but as predicted, Chrome OS looks to have a very heavy focus on the browser.  I mean, don’t we all spend 90% of our computer time in the browser now anyway?

Get the full walk through of this initial (pre-beta) build here at Techcrunch or click the ‘read more’ link below to just see more screenshots.

Details of Google's new Chrome OS found

A Chrome OS folder has shown up in some of Google’s own open source developer directories – usually used to download the latest builds of other Google software in development.   Only very cryptic details are being discovered, including an application called Gview, which opens and views PDF files and probably others.  Also, references to a ‘touchpad’ has Techcrunch wondering if Google is creating a tablet, but to me it looks more like a reference to the hardware touchpad found on netbooks and laptops.

All this seems to corroborate that Google’s much anticipaeted netbook OS is definately on its way, sooner rather than later.

via Techcrunch

The Hercules eCafe EC-1000W

Hercules  has launchned a new netbook, the 10″  eCafe EC-1000W featuring a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive and a 6 cell, 4400mAh battery.  As Blogeee reports, it’s an attractive package with a chiclet keyboard and good design wrapped around very traditional netbook guts.  Probably more interesting though, is that it’s one of the first netbooks to ship with Windows 7 Starter as standard.  Just a few days ago we learned of the new Samsung N130 and N140 netbooks, which are also shipping with Windows 7 Starter.  There has been some question about which version of Windows 7 netbooks would come installed with, but from these first data points, we’d have to say Windows 7 Starter looks to become the netbook standard.

The Hercules EC-1000W will come in at  349 Euros when it’s introduced on the continent, no word yet on UK pricing or availability.

Gmail inbox with labels

Inbox optimized for smaller screens, netbooks

The team at Google labs have added a feature that lets you remove labels and see more of the email subject, which makes the most of the limited space you have on a 10″ netbook screen.

This may not seem particularly newsworthy, and the feature  by itself isn’t.  However, more significant is the effort Google is putting into catering to netbooks.  Recently, they announced their plan for the new Chrome operating system which caters specifically to netbooks as well.  So, for netbooks, this is good news to have one of the (if not *the*) biggest player in the tech industry behind netbooks.

More over on the Gmail Blog.

X is not compatible, Green for go, Orange for geekery required

The guys and gals at Boing Boing made this handy chart to let you know if your netbook might be suitable for operating system transplant surgery to the much loved Apple OSX.  The chart (above) gives a quick and easy overview of which of your netbook’s functions will still be usable if you choose to make the switch over to OSX.  In some cases installing the operating system might be possible, but it would leave you without Bluetooth, wirless, or something else critical.  In most cases, it’s because the required drives are not available for OSX.

As ever, the Dell Mini 9 or its counterpart Vostro A90 is the one to go for for the easiest Hackintosh.  However, the Dell Mini 10V, MSI Wind, HP Mini, and Asus 1000H also look like pretty good candidates.

The Dell Mini 10v is available at Dell UK for £229.

Google Chrome OS

Previously, we stated that Google’s new netbook operating system, Chrome OS, would start appearing on new netbooks in 2010.   Well, it’s possible that we’ll see the new OS later this year, according to Google’s Chief Executive, Eric Schmidt.  The Reuters news agency, quoting Schmidt at te Allen & Company media and technology conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 9 as saying:

“Everybody we’ve talked to under nondisclosure is excited about the plan,” Schmidt told Reuters. “So hopefully later this year we’ll see some announcements.”

Now, it takes a bit of creativity to take this to mean that we’ll see netbooks shipping with Chrome OS in 2009, but it is a possibility, especially given the time sensitive nature of a new OS for portable devices.  Google is reportedly working with HP and Acer, among others, to create devices running Chrome OS, which is to be designed to better exploit the Chrome browser and modern Web services, such as online applications.

We eagerly await new developments…