chrome OS laptops

The first crop of computers powered by Google Inc's Chrome operating system will start selling in mid-2011 and come with free Verizon Wireless connections for two years, opening another front in its rivalry with Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc.

The new Chrome-based notebooks will come with 100 megabytes of free wireless data transfers per month for two years courtesy of Verizon, executives told reporters on Tuesday.

They are designed to promote Web-centric computing, in which consumers use online applications instead of downloading software to their PCs. To support that, the company started up on Tuesday a Web store selling some 500 games, news and other software applications, carving out a bigger role in the next generation of Internet media and entertainment.

Electronic Arts demonstrated a game that will go on sale on the Chrome software store later Tuesday. The online store will also sell applications to run news, from National Public Radio to the New York Times.

Google executives also told a news conference in San Francisco that the Chrome Internet browser, on which the similarly named operating system is based, has 120 million users. In May, it had 70 million.

Apple Inc in October said it would open an applications store for its Macintosh computers as it tries to replicate the success of apps sold for its iPhone. That store is expected to go live early next year.

Shares in Google, which had performed strongly all session, were up 2 percent at $ 589.40 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.

More details about the Google Chrome OS can be found at http://www.google.com/chromeos/

Acer unveils dual-screen laptop

Acer has launched the Iconia, a laptop-cum-tablet computer with two touch screens. The new dual-screen laptop has two 14 inch displays, including one in place of a traditional keyboard.

The Iconia, which was unveiled at a press conference in New York, features two touch-screens protected by ultra-tough Gorilla Glass.

The device can be used like a traditional laptop, with the second screen doubling up as a virtual keyboard, or can serve as a tablet-style computer, reports the Telegraph.

A tablet computer is a portable computer equipped with a touchscreen as a primary input device.

Users can spread the desktop across both screens, or use one to watch a video or surf the web, and the other to write an email or edit photos.

The device features palm sensors to detect the position of the user's hands, and automatically launch the virtual keyboard when needed.

Acer said the Iconia, which runs Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, would introduce "a brand new tablet experience".

"This level of commitment to touch technology is something no other PC vendor can compete with," said Jim Wong, president of Acer.

The Iconia, which goes on sale in Britain Jan 8, will cost 1,499 pounds. The device uses Intel Core i5 processors, and a minimum of 4GB memory and up to 750GB hard drive.

The success of Apple's iPad has prompted scores of consumer electronics manufacturers to launch their own rival devices.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which runs Google's Android operating system, is considered one of the closest competitors to the iPad.

Acer unveils 5, 7 and 10 inch tablets

Acer Inc, the world's No. 2 PC manufacturer, unveiled a range of tablet computers to help it compete with Apple Inc's iPad, wading into the fast-growing market.

The tablet computer market is becoming crowded as more companies produce the new devices, which fall between traditional PCs and smartphones.

Chief Executive Gianfranco Lanci announced at a news conference in New York on Tuesday that the tablets would have 5-, 7-, and 10-inch screens, running on Google's Android software. A second 10-inch tablet will run on Microsoft's Windows.

The company said the WiFi-only models of the tablets would come out in April 2011, while the third-generation (3G)-capable models would arrive about a month later. The 5-inch tablet doubles as a smartphone.

Separately Tuesday, Acer's rival Dell Inc announced a new tablet that runs on Microsoft's Windows software.

Acer, based in Taiwan, said it was in talks with U.S. phone carriers for 3G connectivity for its tablets.

No prices had been set for the devices, the company added.

"It's a gold rush right now," said NPD analyst Ross Rubin. "Everyone wants to get a tablet product out there."

Apple's iPad, a touchscreen tablet that began selling in April, still has an overwhelming lead in the fledgling market. It controlled 95 percent of the tablet market in the July-to-September quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

"PC vendors and hardware vendors are looking at this market and saying 'how will I compete with Apple?'" Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said.

Tablet sales are expected to grow to 54 million units in 2011 and to more than 100 million units in 2012, according to a forecast by research firm Gartner.

Acer also unveiled a screen laptop with two 14-inch LCD touch screens called the Iconia, along with a media store and software called Clear.fi that lets customers stream content on different Acer devices.

Dell's new 10-inch touchscreen Inspiron Duo looks and runs like a portable tablet but can also be popped into a laptop shell and used like a traditional notebook, similar to one of the new Acer tablets. The Duo starts at $ 550. Dell has already released the 5-inch Streak tablet.

Windows-powered 8.9-inch Slate tablet by HP

Hewlett-Packard Co unveiled its first product for the fast-growing tablet market, a $ 799 device running Microsoft Windows that is aimed at business customers.

HP's Slate 500 attempts to replicate the PC experience in a tablet form, providing a contrast to rivals who have brought more of a smartphone feel to their devices. The Slate runs the same version of Windows 7 used by many companies on their standard PCs.

The tablet has a bigger price tag than competing products such as Apple's iPad, which kick-started the tablet craze when it debuted earlier this year.

HP's offering has an 8.9-inch, multi-touch-enabled screen, weighs 1.5 pounds and comes with 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage and a digital stylus pen. It gets five hours of battery life.

It comes equipped with Wi-Fi access but no built-in capability to connect to high-speed cellular networks, as rivals including the iPad, Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab and Dell's Streak have.

Carol Hess-Nickels, director of business notebook marketing at HP, emphasized the Slate's business utility. She expects retail, healthcare and insurance companies, among others, to build custom applications that take advantage of the device's portability.

"It's really like a full-function PC, it runs Windows, it will run your office applications, it just so happens to be in a slate form factor," Hess-Nickels said.

The HP Slate features the Intel Atom processor, which is commonly found in inexpensive netbook computers. Rival tablets run on low-power ARM-based chips found in smartphones.

The device is equipped with cameras in the front and back, enabling video conferencing, and a USB port. It comes with a case and a docking station.

HP's Slate is now available online, and the company will be selling it to businesses through its direct sales force.

It's $ 799 price tag makes it more expensive than the Wi-Fi-only version of the iPad, which starts at $ 499 and runs up to $ 699 for a 64-GB model. A 3G iPad starts at $ 629.

Verizon Wireless plans to sell Samsung's 7-inch tablet for $ 600. Dell's 5-inch Streak is priced at $ 550 but can be had for $ 300 if bought with a data plan through AT&T.

webOS on the way

HP, the world's largest PC maker, plans to release a tablet next year that may look much different from the Slate.

That tablet will be based on the webOS software that HP acquired when it bought smartphone maker Palm earlier this year for $ 1.2 billion. It will likely be a more media-rich and consumer-friendly offering.

The tablet market is expected to surge next year to more than 50 million units, research group Gartner has said. The iPad is expected to continue to be the dominant product in this market.

Apple has sold more than 7 million iPads since the device launched in April.

The market is still evolving, but Apple has targeted the iPad primarily as a consumer device made for media consumption, rather than a business device.

Earlier this month, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion unveiled a 7-inch tablet aimed at business customers.

And Dell has touted the business applications for its tablet, which include healthcare. Dell expects to launch a 7-inch model by the end of the year.