UK Netbook Review

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.

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 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.

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.

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: