Acer Wants to be the First Netbook with Google’s Chrome OS

by Josh Smith on December 2, 2009

Short Version:

Acer is on a race to bring the first Chrome OS powered netbook to market but you can install Chrome OS on your netbook now!

If Acer chairman JT Wang can be counted on Acer will be the first netbook to market that ships with Google’s Chrome OS. In an interview with DigiTimes Wang claims that the company has been working on the netbook for since earlier this year and plans to launch the Chrome powered Netbook in the second half of 2010.

If you can’t wait until 2010 for a Chrome OS powered netbook there’s good news, you can install the Chrome OS on a thumbdrive as small as 1 GB and use it just like you would a live CD. This means you can try it out without actually installing it to your netbook.

Hexxeh has compiled a version of the OS nicknamed “Chrome OS Diet USB” which fits on a 1 GB USB drive and offers additional hardware support. To find out if your netbook will work check out the Chrome OS netbook compatibility chart.

Whether or not Acer is first to market with a Chrome OS powered netbook, as Warner Crocker points out on GottaBeMobile, it will be a fun race to watch between manufacturers.