Google Is Going to Release Its Own Chrome-based Netbook

In addition to introducing its own smartphone, Google is reportedly going to release a netbook under its own brand name. Naturally, this is going to run the upcoming Chrome OS, which is being developed for this class of low-cost laptops.

When Google first unveiled the Android OS, companies started looking into releasing netbooks running it. Interest waned, however, when Google announced the Chrome OS. This will essentially be Google's Chrome web browser running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel.

Google says it is is working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market, but an unconfirmed report says this software giant plans to introduce one itself, bearing its own brand.

If true, then 2010 could be a watershed year for this company, where it goes from just creating software to also offering the hardware for that software to run on.

Google is supposedly planning to release its Chrome netbook in time for the holiday shopping season next year. That's in-line with the time-table for the release of all the first-generation Chrome models, which aren't expected to hit the market before the second half of 2010.

Source: TechCrunch