From a personal standpoint, Chris has had a few problems on the Stable channel with his Chromebook while Kevin is enjoying all the new features of the Dev channel. A few new tips are shared — including where to get a Chromebook at a discount — as well as our extension of the week for Chrome and Chrome OS.

Show notes

Hosts: Chris Albrecht and Kevin C. Tofel

• Asus plans Chrome hardware for the second half of 2013
• What might Intel’s Silvermont silicon bring to Chromebooks?
• More about that LTE radio in the Pixel
• Tip: Opening tabs in new pages
• Chris’ Chromebook is crashy!
• Kevin is finally rocking the Dev channel and all the great new features it brings
• Extension of the week: Add to Amazon Wish List
• Google Keep is no Evernote, but it’s handy and works offline; it’s a Packaged App!
• Chromebooks can be found for as little at $185.50 at Amazon’s Warehouse

Got questions, tips or tricks for an upcoming GigaOM Chrome Show? Find Kevin on Google+, Twitter (@kevinctofel) or via e-mail (kevin@gigaom.com)

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• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro
• How tomorrow’s mobile-centric data centers will look
• Analyzing the wearable computing market

We have three tips for Chrome OS users while this week’s showcase extension is for the Chrome browser on Windows and Mac computers. Plus: more about that Skype version for the web you might have heard about.

Show notes

Hosts: Chris Albrecht and Kevin C. Tofel

• Shout out to the Reddit Chrome OS community: http://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos
• Chrome OS code points to Intel’s Haswell chips
• Skype for web arrives, but only through Outlook.com for now
• ‘n00b’ Chris shares his new Chromebook experiences
• Does anyone want a Chrome tablet? How might it work?
• A pair of handy Chrome OS flags: Immersive mode and contact integration
• Question from Max: How do I revert back to an older version of Chrome OS?
• Extension of the week: Chrome Office Viewer
• Pixel owners: looking for a case or sleeve? Try the Apple Store!

Got questions, tips or tricks for an upcoming GigaOM Chrome Show? Find Kevin on Google+, Twitter (@kevinctofel) or via e-mail (kevin@gigaom.com)

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• Podcast: Mobile winners and losers in 2012 and what to expect in 2013
• Analyzing the wearable computing market
• LTE-Advanced: what it is and isn’t

So what’s the evidence that Haswell-based Chromebooks are in the works? Chrome Story author Dinsan Francis spotted numerous references to Haswell in code for Chrome OS. The code name for the device build is Slippy and I did my own code-hunting to verify Francis’ report. Haswell is mentioned all throughout the code, as is Lynx Point, the chipset controller expected to complement Haswell.

As the Chromebook Pixel is the highest-performing Chromebook to date, it’s possible to see a refresh as a Haswell-powered Chrome OS laptop. If so, the Pixel may be a bit more appealing because it only gets five hours of run-time on a single charge; one of the few technical challenges of the expensive machine. Google could also use Haswell to create a Chromebook in the “middle ground” range: There are no Chromebooks priced between $550 and $1,249, for example.

Don’t expect any new Chromebooks with Haswell at the Google I/O developer event in two weeks, however. It’s an outside possibility that a prototype product could be shown off, but there won’t be one for sale until after June.

While Haswell hasn’t officially debuted yet, it’s quite common for hardware and software companies to get early chip samples. This allows time for integration and testing so that when the chip arrives in larger quantities, new products can immediately hit the market.

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Since Google pulled the release, I haven’t been able to install the software on my Chromebook Pixel for testing but I will as soon as I can to verify the function. Still, the wording seems pretty clear: the notes say you can “rotate the screen on all Chromebooks” with this software update.

I can’t really think of a reason I’d want to rotate the screen on my Pixel — or any of the other Chromebooks currently available — so I’m thinking either a Chrome OS tablet or a Chromebook with rotating touchscreen is the works. Perhaps we’ll hear more at Google I/O next month?

Although this might be a stretch on my part, I see another sign of new form factors or Chrome OS tablets. The updated Chrome OS build adds a “New Immersive browsing mode – browse the web with only 4px of Chrome.” While this will be handy on any Chromebook, it can help maximize the screen space of a smaller tablet. However, I may be reading into that function too much.

Still, I could see Google pushing the envelope when it comes to Chrome OS hardware. Heck, it just did that with the Chromebook Pixel, bringing a premium Chrome OS experience at a premium price. How could Google continue down this path? A Chrome OS tablet with docking keyboard, similar to Microsoft’s Surface hardware would be my best guess.

That design would bring the desktop browser experience to a more mobile device while still allowing users to work on a laptop-like computer with a dock or keyboard attachment. The touchscreen feature originally pioneered on the Pixel would come in handy for such a device although Chrome OS would need an on-screen keyboard. Guess what? A peek at the Chromium source code from two weeks ago shows that Google is working on just that: A software-based touch keyboard for Chrome OS.

Interestingly, past Chrome tablet rumors have turned out be to that: Simply rumors. In fact, Google’s vice president of engineering Linus Upson told TechRadar in May of 2012 “We are not working on a Chrome OS tablet.” But that was then and this is now. We’ve already seen a major shakeup at Google when Sundar Pichai, SVP of Google Chrome and Apps, took over Android from Andy Rubin last month. Perhaps this is all related to a new direction for Chrome OS?

It’s worth noting also in the new Chrome OS software are the improvements to the Files app that we discussed on our GigaOM Chrome Show podcast this morning. Users of Chromebooks and Chromeboxes can expect to see file options for recently viewed files, shared files and files that are marked for offline use.

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That last point is key because Packaged Apps take advantage of Chrome’s security elements — sandboxing, in particular, so that if they crash or hang, they can’t affect other apps or browser pages  – while still using web technologies. The apps are treated like first-class citizens to the operating system. You can tap Alt + Tab to switch between them, for example. Google explains:

Packaged apps deliver an experience as capable as a native app, but as safe as a web page. Just like web apps, packaged apps are written in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS. But packaged apps look and behave like native apps, and they have native-like capabilities that are much more powerful than those available to web apps. Packaged apps have access to Chrome APIs and services not available to traditional web sites. You can build powerful apps that interact with network and hardware devices, media tools, and much more.

Aside from the Packaged App technology, the developer build of Files has more and better ways to show files.

On my Chromebook Pixel, for example, I can only see Downloads, Google Drive and any external storage in the Files app. Since the Pixel is my full-time work machine, I typically run the standard Stable version. The newer Developer version also shows recently used files, files that are shared and those marked for offline use. From what I can see, it doesn’t yet include support for other cloud services, however.

Both the usability improvements and the standalone nature of the Files app show that Google doesn’t plan to keep Chrome OS as a simple browser running atop a Linux kernel. The platform is quickly iterating to provide the desktop experience that traditional computers users are used to while still being a lightweight but effective computing environment.

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• Life After Chrome: What’s Next for Android
• Analyzing the wearable computing market
• Carrier IQ and the continued erosion of operator trust

Welcome to the inaugural GigaOM Chrome podcast, where we’ll discuss all things Chrome on a weekly basis. That means topics such as the Chrome browser, Chrome OS, Chromebooks, and Chromeboxes are all on the table. And we’ll do that in a short 20 minutes or so, making the audio podcast digestible on your commute, over a meal or just before bed. In another first, our two hosts are actually in a makeshift studio together; normally, they’re on different coasts!

Show notes:
Hosts: Chris Albrecht and Kevin C. Tofel

• What’s the show all about and who are we
• Google I/O hardware outlook
• Blink and WebKit: what’s it all mean?
• How to move files from a Chromebook to an Android device: AirDroid is a great option
• Must-have extensions for a new Chrome OS user: Pocket, Evernote Clearly, Save to Google Drive
• Powerwash vs Recovery: When to do which and how to do them
• Three-finger scrubbing through tab browsers in beta; Goodbye CTRL + TAB
• New Chrome management for IT admins, plus support for legacy browsers arrives

Got questions, tips or tricks for an upcoming GigaOm Chrome Show? Find Kevin on Google+, Twitter (@kevinctofel) or via e-mail (kevin@gigaom.com)

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• What Does the Future Hold For Browsers?
• What Google Must Do to Make Chrome OS a Success With Netbooks
• Life After Chrome: What’s Next for Android

I hit up the Podcast Gallery website earlier today and took it for a spin. In short: I’ll be using this for both my audio and video podcast needs going forward on all of my devices. It doesn’t hurt that I have a fair amount of storage available to me in both Dropbox and Google Drive of course. Here’s Podcast Gallery’s creator, Amit Agarwal, explaining how Podcast Gallery works:

About the only feature I see missing — and I’ve already pitched it to Agarwal — is the ability to subscribe to a show and have it automatically upload new episodes to my cloud storage.

Yes, podcast subscription is a primary feature in any podcatcher, but I still see value in Podcast Gallery. The ability to watch or hear a podcast through a browser on nearly any device is a big plus. I’ve already streamed several audio and video episodes on an iPhone 5. And the Google Drive integration is perfect for Chromebook users; you can even set the media files to be available offline so they sync to your Chrome OS device.

One potential holdup for some: to save favorite podcasts to your collection requires you to sign in via Facebook or Twitter. Some folks won’t use a service that is connected to a social network. Surprisingly, you can’t sign in with a Google account, which would actually make sense, given the Google Drive integration. Regardless, Podcast Gallery is a handy and refreshing take on podcatchers that smartly bridges mobile, desktop and the cloud.

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Luther went on to explain that Google did a lot of work on the security layer that delivers the videos encrypted to an HTML5 player. “As far as I know, we are the first to ever do that,” he said.

He added that there is a lot of interest from other content services to use this type of technology for their offerings as well because it would allow them to deliver video to a variety of platforms that support HTML5, as opposed to customizing solutions for each and every platform. “A lot of content providers really want to do HTML5,” he said.

WebM was open sourced by Google in 2010, and the company has been working on integrating the format into both real-time video communication as well as video delivery for sites like YouTube. It was meant to become an open, royalty-free alternative to the predominant H.264 video codec, but the overwhelming majority of videos are arguably still delivered in H.264. Luther replied Wednesday by saying that H.264 had the same kind of adoption curve, adding: “I’m very bullish on VP8 for the next … many years.”

Nonetheless, Google is already working on a successor to WebM’s VP8 video codec, which is unsurprisingly called VP9. “VP9 is starting to come together, and we are seeing some pretty amazing results,” reported Luther. “We are seeing huge imporvements over VP8. It’s kind of a gigantic leap forward.”

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Acer’s president, Jim Wong, has been one of the most vocal critics of Microsoft’s partners of late, first announcing disappointment in Microsoft’s decision to launch its own Surface computers and now suggesting that Windows 8 “is still not successful.” For its part, Microsoft has turned the finger-pointing back at PC makers, with The Register reporting last week that Microsoft feels partners didn’t build enough attractive Windows 8 tablets for the 2012 holiday season.

Blame game aside, the numbers are telling. This month, Microsoft announced sales of 60 million Windows 8 license sales, but that figure includes sales to hardware makers for new PCs that may not have been sold yet. And the overall PC market is down in terms of sales. In the final quarter of 2012, the industry experienced a decline of 6.4 percentage points over the year ago quarter.

A few reasons explain the sales decline. For starters, consumers and businesses may be holding on their older computers longer; unless you have a budget PC from a few years ago, you can very likely upgrade to Windows 8 or simply keep using Windows 7 for now.

Cheaper options for PC-like tasks are available as well: Smartphones to some degree and tablets to a much larger extent can handle many activities once reserved for computers. Plus, you can remotely connect to and use a computer from these tablets if needed.

The popularity of Google’s Chromebook is another example of less need for a traditional computer. It’s clearly not a full computer replacement but after using one since June of last year, it fits nearly all of my needs, for example. So much of today’s computing activities take place in a browser that the Chromebook can be a secondary device allowing an old computer to suffice for more resource intensive tasks or apps.

Ironically, Acer’s Chromebook entries are simply low-priced Windows laptops repurposed for Google’s Chrome OS. That cuts out any licensing fees to Microsoft, which if the market for Chromebooks grows, can hurt the company down the line. No Windows also means no Office; essentially a double whammy for Microsoft revenues if Acer’s Chromebooks become a hot seller. Samsung sells both Windows 8 computers as well as Chromebooks and it appears HP is entering this non-Microsoft market too.

Don’t think Acer is divorcing Microsoft, however. The company still builds Windows devices and surely makes the bulk of its PC division revenues from these.

In fact, I just received a Windows 8 tablet review unit from Acer — the Intel Atom-based W510 — and my initial impressions are mostly positive. The $599 tablet offers the benefits of touch when desired plus full Windows compatibility and an optional keyboard dock: A handy combination. But if that’s too much money for you, Acer’s Chromebooks start at a low $199; a price that will command more attention than any Windows 8 laptop on the market.

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I’ve spent a few hours with Google’s new device and have a short overview, comparison to the prior model and thoughts after some hands-on time. Take a look:

ChromeOS is still the same here, although it has a few subtle design tweaks that make it look more professional as a platform. The device comes with 16 GB of on-board storage, can be expanded with an SD card and gains 100 GB of free Google Drive storage; something we expected to see happen at some point. A faster USB port and full-sized HDMI jack for digital TV output is also here, but gone is the wired Ethernet port; it’s Wi-Fi or nothing for connectivity. Google will debut a 3G model in the future, however.

The new Chromebook is just under 2.5 pounds and is both sleeker and thinner. Battery life appears the same as Google says “up to 6.5 hours.” While the 1366 x 768 screen is 0.5-inches smaller, it’s not a detriment. Of course, the biggest change is the ARM processor inside. It’s a Samsung Exynos 5250, which is a dual core, next-generation Cortex-A15 chip of Samsung’s own design. It handles 1080p video just fine and runs the ChromeOS quite well. I’d say the performance is comparable to the Intel-powered Chromebook I have, but perhaps a half-step behind; at least in my few hours of using the device.

At this price, however, Google has a large opportunity for students and general consumers to pick up one of these new Chromebooks. I still believe that a Chromebook isn’t for everyone; I’d never suggest otherwise. For everyday web tasks and basic productivity, however, the device is perfect and attractively priced.

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