"Chrome can't run off USB" - Could I have been more wrong?!

@hexxeh has officially made me look a fool. I think it's a personal vendetta. But either way, I was wrong, you don't have to wait for a package from Google, this crazy-legend-guy-dude has just done that bit for you.


I'll give you the Windows instructions here, because they're the only ones I can vouch for right now, if you want to check I'm not lying, or you want Linux/OS X instructions - check out his site.


For Windows:


Download the chromiumos.tar.gz torrent
and the Image Writer


Open the .exe, select the chromiumos.img image, and te drive letter of your USB drive.


Click Write, close the program - Kapow! your done. Read more on this article...

For those after a "full" Chrome native boot/install or USB...

... I've had several emails about people asking me how to boot Chrome on their PC as soono as hey hit on, no faffing around with VirtualBox.

Well I'm afraid to say, at least for now, it can't be done. See Google hasn't actually "released" it, they've merely released the code... So thanks to the guys at GDGT who packaged it for the rest of us fools, we can run it in a emulator.

However I think for someone to actually make it bootable in itself, would take a considerable amount more work. And I think the frst time we see something like that will be a leak from Google.


Sorry to disappoint! Read more on this article...

How To: Install Google Chrome OS (Just gone Open Source!)

On the 20th November Chromium OS went open source, meaning we can now play around with it! Unfortunately, I was on holiday until now, so I've only just downloaded a copy and got mine working. Here's how it's done.

1) Download VirtualBox and install it to your machine.

2) Download the Chromium file [url="http://gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/download/[/url]

Note: At this point you may see their set of instructions, but please keep following mine, as I can go a bit more in depth to some of the settings so you won't have any network problems like some of the commenters have had.

3) Unzip the file

4) Run VirtualBox AS AN ADMINISTRATOR - close the registration, it's unnecessary

5) Click "New", "Next" then name it Chrome and select the OS type "Linux" and the version as "Debian"

6) Click "Next", then choose how much virtual RAM to give it. Then click "Next"

7) Select "Use existing hard disk" and locate the Chromium file you unzipped

8) Click "Next" and "Finish"

9) Click settings and make the following adjustments:

Under System, Tick Network, and move it to the top.

Under Network, change NAT, to Bridged - and change the adapter if necessary

Click "OK"

10) Click Start, and Chrome will boot! It's blisteringly fast, and once you reach logon, it's your gmail account you use.

However a lot of people are having trouble with that, so thanks to the changes we made earlier, you can logon by typing username "chronos" and hitting enter twice. Once logged on you can sign in fine and get online.

As soon as I am aware of a better fix I will post it.

Read more on this article...

Early releases for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Tesco was first to cave in the UK, releasing the new game the week before release. GAME also shipped the preorders a day early and Sainsburys sold copies for £26 on the day, until they ran out of stock.

That last has nothing to do with early releases, I just thought it was an interesting move.


Tesco have subsequently been fined £500K - havn't heard anything about GAME, that might have just been some one off deal for pre-orderers, seems unlikely however. Read more on this article...

Palm Pixi to ship with updated WebOS - but not 2.0

The rumours that Pixi would be getting WebOS 2.0 can be marked nul. It has now been said that the latest handset from Palm will be running 1.3 - hopefully a worthwhile step up from 1.8/9 for all those Palm lovers out there.

The new mobile has been confirmed for launch in the UK - but no pricing or release date stated yet, watch this space. Read more on this article...

Windows 7 breaks pre order record on Amazon!

Title says it all really, this is just UK amazon, not US etc. as well, but still pretty amazing! As I hear it Harry Potter was the previous record owner - I don't know if this is all versions of Win7 combined, or just one of them - but either way, this looks good so far if you're Microsoft! Read more on this article...

US defense contractor ships Android to Afghanistan

Raytheon have built an application for soldiers that allows them to tag other soldiers or UAV's (Unmanned planes) as their "buddies". This will allow them to see the position of other members of their unit, or get a real time video stream from the plane.



Two main issues as far as I can tell. 1) Security, an obvious problem but I expect they've addressed it and found a good solution. It would be bad for instance, if a downed soldier left a device that showed the position of other NATO forces... and 2) When are we gonna see exciting tech for British soldiers! Answer - never with the current PM and budgeting. No way we're getting individual mobiles with exciting apps whilst we're still scrambling around for heli's and body armour. Vote tory! ..Anyway, far too political, let's lighten up and hope..


Picture from Engadget. Read more on this article...

Airport Extreme 25% speed boost. Time Capsule backs up your files now in a 1/60th of the time.

Apple have tweaked the antennae design on the AE so that it will now supposedly operate 25% faster than it previously did.




 It's still running dual band (2.4GHz as well as 5GHz) and as far as I'm aware, still both simultaneously, so there's really no change other than to the antennae right now.

Time Capsule hasn't been updated in itself, but if you're running Snow Leopard, Apple says it'll now back everything up 60 times faster. Read more on this article...

Apple Remote gets Aluminimised.

Nothing overly exciting, but for £15, why not? Especially now Apple coated it in Al for us.

I must admit I've never used one, but I hear they're pretty useful, integration's good, so hey, why not go nuts and spoil yourself or stick it on your Xmas list. Read more on this article...

Macbook "Amateur" gets plastic unibody enclosure

Earlier in the year Apple took steps to further differ the MacBook, and MacBook Pro product lines. Now it seems that they've gone back on that slightly, by giving us an unibody white 'book.

Pricing still the same, £799, nothing particularly of interest other than the unibody.

The right time to buy a MacBook for sure, but if you can't afford the Pro, go for a white refurb. Read more on this article...

iMac stretched out, Gucci'd up and on sale for £950 -> £1600

Some more Apple news for you folks, and believe me, more still to come. The Aspect Ratio is now 16:9, giving a wider viewing experience, and available for either 21.5" at a 1920x1080 resolution, or 27" of pure Apple beauty at a stunning 2560x1440 resolution.

The other great thing about them is the CPU clock speeds. The lowest end is 3.06, not bad for £950 and an Apple logo...

See the "Read more" for specs and pricing.

Here's a basic rundown of price & spec:

£950 - 21.5" screen, 3.06GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 9400M

£1200 - 21.5" screen, 3.06GHz, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, ATi 4670 256MB

£1350 - As above, with a 27" screen.

£1600 - 27" screen, 2.66GHz (Quad core), 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, ATi 4670 512MB
Read more on this article...

Mac Mini gets up-specc'ed

The Mac Mini is out, nothing to go wild on, but some notable spec changes, and pricing still Apple-esque, but not too bad.


For £500 you get 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB and of course our Snowy friend.

For another £150 Apple will kindly upgrade you to a 2.53GHz CPU, and double everything else. (Still just the one copy of OS X 10.6 though, of course)

Remember though, once you've payed for your keyboard, mouse and monitor, the pricing is a lot less attractive.

Although, if you have an old mini, then great! Chuck it on eBay and upgrade if you want. The Magic Mouse will still cost you £55 though, if you want it. Read more on this article...

Mighty mouse just got mightier, and turned magic - whilst Apple did what they do best, remove buttons

So there we have it. I always knew that thing had magic capabilities, maybe Microsoft can make an installation Wizard for it.

The new mouse dubbed "Magic Mouse" is much thinner and slicker looking than the old one.


It's also boasting multi-touch capability, and Apple exec's can proudly announce that they've found another button they can find a way around.

Apple reckon we can get a four month battery life out of this, so probably around a week, theres also no scroll wheel, such functionality is deemed a waste of a button or moving part by apple, this is now handled by vertical /horizantal scrolling, depending of course on the direction you might wish to scroll...

It's being included with current sales of Mac's, including the new iMac with 16:9 display. However it doesn't seem to be available seperatly yet, call me stupid, but I can't seem to find it on the App(le) Store.

UPDATED INFO! - Yep, you can call me stupid. Just found it in the store, apparently there's a revolutionary service available these days called "search"... maybe i should do a post on it. Read more on this article...

Acer's debut Android smartphone Liquid to hit the shelf -- well, we don't know when, or how much..

The Acer Liquid is a device that has been floating about the ears of hungry consumers and gadget enthusiasts for some time - but with no real solid information.



What we have known is that it will run stock Android (Although there are pictures floating around with an Acer menu bar on the bottom - so I'm not to sure what's up with that.) and have a rather mouth-watering 3.5" 800x480 screen. That's the same as the iPhone/Touch but with a higher resolution, I can't wait to have a look at that.

Also, it is said to have GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth Radios, along with the obvious - which may or may not be 3G, I havn't been able to confirm it either way, but with the seeming absence of a front facing camera, it's perfectly possible that Acer decided not to include a 3G radio.

It will also have a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an autofocus 5MP camera. Perhaps the most interesting feature, and the one which will push potential buyers over the edge, is the contact management, system, integration, call it you will, I personally love the idea of syncing my Facebook, Mobile, and Google contacts.
Now we just need to wait for Acer to get it in gear and confirm a price, and more importantly a date for release.

UPDATED INFO! - Acer's UK site is now sporting a flashvert for the Liquid, dating "Winter 2009" maybe they are on track for "A release before the end of the year.

Credit to Engadgetmobile.com for the last two pics.

Read more on this article...