Mas afinal o que é o Chrome OS?
Basicamente um browser, Não haverá aplicações nativas deixando assim de haver instalações, actualizações, etc. Tudo corre sobre um único browser que recorrerá a web services (ex: gmail, google docs,..). Tudo se resume a um URL que de certa forma diminuirá consideravelmente o risco de vírus ou outro tipo de código malicioso..
Apenas corre aplicações WebBased – Se usa aplicações como o Photoshop, Eclipse, VisualStudio,etc, o Chrome OS não é o sistema operativo ideal para si.
HTML5 – Recorrendo à nova versão do HTML e outras funcionalidades do Google Chrome, o acesso a recursos (ex: storage) que normalmente usamos em aplicações nativas, será facilitado.
Todos os dados criados ou geridos pelo Sistema Operativo, serão guardados online. O SSD (Solid State Disk) apenas servirá de cache.
Login em qualquer netbook – Qualquer utilizador poderá fazer login no ChromeOS em qualquer netbook e assim aceder ao seu e-mail, documentos, etc.

Segundo Sundar Pichai – vice-presidente da gestão de produtos do Google, “o Chrome OS segue os mesmos três princípios que guiaram a criação do Chrome: velocidade, simplicidade e segurança.” e ainda que “..qualquer serviço online será suportado pelo Chrome OS”

O sistema operativo será gratuito e não haverá versões de testes como é normal com o Windows ou Linux. O Google referiu também que disponibilizará o código fonte para download em The Chromium Blog.

Uma vez que o sistema operativo é baseado numa versão modificada do chrome, o sistema é totalmente carregado e torna-se disponível em apenas 7 segundos ao contrário dos 45 segundos (em média) de outros sistemas operativos.

No caso do sistema operativo encontrar algum erro na inicialização, ele próprio identifica-o e procede à sua recuperação, sincronizando de seguida as informações do utilizador com os serviços mais usados.

Tecnicamente o Google OS funcionará com processadores X86 e ARM e o lançamento final do sistema está programado apenas para o final de 2010.

Terá o Chrome suporte para se poder imprimir :-) ? Parece que sim, mas parece que vêm aí também novidades nesta área.

A Adobe acabou de disponibilizar a versão de pré-lançamento do tão esperado “Flash Player 10.1 e Air 2.0 beta” que para quem não sabe, agora permite tirar proveito das plácas gráficas e com isso dar-nos uma maior performance nos conteudos baseados nesta tecnologia, como por exemplo, os videos do Youtube em HD que, coecidência ou não, brevemente serão também disponiblizados em FULL HD de 1080p.

Muitos destes conteudos, devido ao seu processamento elevado por parte do CPU, deixavam alguns utilizadores impossibilitados de os visualizar, como no caso dos netbooks e a performance deixava muito a desejar, o que se tornava incomodo visitar sites baseados em flash, ou até mesmo programas baseados no AIR da Adobe, como é o exemplo de muitos clientes de Twitter. Com esta actualização, o processamento é agora dividido com as plácas gráficas e com isso irá fazer tanto os videos, como os sites baseados em flash terem uma fluidez e performance elevada, e a juntar a isso irá ter também funções multi-touch, que enriquecerá e muito os sites e a forma como interagi-mos com eles.

Como demonstra o video, este novo flash 10.1 tem um performance bastante elevada e promete melhorar ainda mais com a maturidade das seguintes versões. A nivel de processamento, diminui drasticamente o consumo do CPU o que faz com que possamos continuar a usar outras aplicações ao mesm tempo sem que estas fiquem sacrificadas pelo enorme consumo gerado nas versões anteriores flash.

• Este pack está disponivel para download nas suas versões Windows, Mac (Intel apenas) e Linux, com os requisitos minimos de hardware:Nos Desktop’s: Nvidia Geforce: Series 8, 9, 100 e 200
• Nos Portateis: Nvidia Geforce, 8, 9, 100 e 200 e também ION e ION LE.

O suporte de aceleração por hardware (GPU) neste pack ainda está limitado apenas ao sistema operativo Windows. Os restantes sistemas terão suporte na sua versão final, incluindo para o webOS para smartphones, o que será uma mais valia para quem possui smartphones baseados neste OS. Por fora fica ainda o iPhone, já que ainda existem alguns desentendimentos quando à implementação desta tecnologia, entre a Apple e Adobe.

De fora fica ainda a versão de 64-bit, que faz com que os browsers nesta arquitectura impossibilitados de visualizar conteudo flash. Mas atenção, os utilizadores com Sistema Operativo 64-bit podem instalar esta versão, mas só através dos browsers de 32-bit é que é possivel ser usado)

Download: Flash Player 10.1

Many Windows users want to move over to the Apple Mac OS but fear that the switching process may be hard.

This article is not about why you should switch to Macs, but rather, how to do it and to show you that there’s really nothing to it. I’ll guide you through the general process of switching to an Apple computer with some practical easy steps to follow.

Ask yourself why you want to switch
First, you should ask yourself why you’d like to change operating systems. If your only basis for switching operating systems is by way of second-hand experience, such as a TV commercial or advertisement, then you should definitely try a Mac firsthand to see if you like it. You should ask yourself why you want to switch.

If you’ve already tested a Mac–maybe through a friend who owns a Mac or through an Apple Store demo –it’s time to sit down and think about why your good old PC should be shut down. What benefits can a Mac bring to your workflow? Would you be ready to switch from a platform to another and learn a ton of new things?

Once you’ve found the motivation for switching, the actual process will be easier.

Choose a model
Now that you’ve made up your mind that you want to buy a Mac, you have to determine what model you’d like to go with.

Desktop or notebook?
First, you have to choose between a desktop computer or a notebook. In the Apple world, this means you have to choose between iMac/Mac Pro (desktops) or MacBook’s (which comes as a MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air).

You should consider your needs and what you’re going to do with your new computer to help you make the decision.

Look to friends, family, or Apple Store employees for guidance, but the best way is to just head over Apple.com and, with some patience, read the descriptions of each model to help you determine which one fits you.

Online store or retailer?
This is a personal preference. Whether you’d like to go out and buy it from a retailer, or simply wait for it to arrive at your house is up to you. The quality of the service will still be the same.

Declutter your workspace
You heard that right, you have to do some extra work to start your new computing life. Mostly, you have to trash all the files, paper and junk that are hanging around on your desk and hide those cables. Macs don’t like clutter.

Forget about your old operating system
Now, don’t get me wrong: you shouldn’t forget everything; you should just forget how you worked on Windows (or your previous operating system). The way you used to browse files in Explorer, the Start Menu and the taskbar will be different; that’s neither a good nor a bad thing, but rather, a different thing.

Be open to learning new things, new ways to use a computer, and a different way of doing certain computing tasks. However, although the Mac OS is different from other operating system interfaces, the basic computing concepts are still there.

Get some basic knowledge
This is essential: you’d better learn the basics of the Mac OS before switching from Windows to Snow Leopard. One of the best places to go to, even before you get an Apple Mac, is the Apple Support section. There is also a host of video tutorials on the site as well about Mac Basics. You can also look to YouTube for Mac OS tutorial videos.

A good practice is also purchasing magazines about Apple products and posting on Apple-related forums. In this way, you’re getting ready to the switch in the best way possible: knowing what you’re going into.

Clean up your previous PC
Before the switch, it’s always good practice to clean up your PC: delete the old stuff you don’t need anymore, run a virus/malware scan, and uninstall programs.

Why do this? Maybe you’ll still need your PC in the future, and you can think of this as a purging or spring-cleaning session: in with the new, out with the old.

This is also a preparatory step for backing up your important files.

Choose the files to backup
Obviously, you’d want to back up some files from your PC: it could be work stuff or maybe your digital music library. It’s always a good step to have a back up in case something in the importing process goes wrong.

Choose which files you want to keep: backup files you know you’ll need, everything else can be deleted.

Backup solutions
To back up your stuff, you can use an external hard disk or an online service.

For online solutions, you can use services like Dropbox or Box.net. There is a good comparison table of online back up solutions on Wikipedia that you should check out if you’re going this route.
Set up the Mac OS

Set up the Mac OS

The installation process of Mac OS is very simple and straightforward: it will only require you to type your account name and password, choose a time zone, and other minor stuff. No additional knowledge required.

Play around
Here comes the fun part. Once you’ve installed Mac OS and have logged onto your new account, a new world will open to you: the system is now yours.

Now it’s time to play around; learn to launch applications in the Dock, get used to the menus in the menu bar, and assign shortcuts to Exposè and Spaces.

Choose a Web browser
There are dozens of browsers for the Mac OS, but usually the choice is between Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. Safari is Apple’s default browser – it’s one of the fastest browsers available right now and has an elegant and uncluttered interface.

On the other hand, Firefox is one of the most popular browsers out there thanks to its decent speed and extensibility. I highly suggest that you use Safari (well, mostly because it’s the only one who comes preinstalled in Mac OS, so you’ll have to begin with Safari) for the first month and see if it fits to your needs.

Then, if you really can’t stand it, you can try other alternatives like Firefox or Opera.

Install some must-have apps
Now that you know the basics, you’ll want to try some 3rd-party apps for the Mac.

Here’s a list of seven apps you should consider installing.

1Password: With 1Password, you can save logins, passwords, secure notes, bank accounts. If you need to secure your data, 1Password is the way.

Dropzone: an application that sits in your Dock waiting for you to drop stuff over it. Once you’ve dropped something onto it, it allows you to perform a large variety of actions like "Zip & Email" or "Upload to Twitpic". Dropzone greatly enhances the Mac OS Dock.

NetNewsWire: an RSS reader that integrates with Google Reader. In my opinion, this is the best available on Mac.

Tags: as the name suggests, Tags lets you tag stuff. The cool thing is, you can tag everything on your Mac, from mail messages to videos.

Caffeine: a menu bar app that prevents your Mac from going to sleep.

Adium: a multi-protocol instant messaging app that supports MSN Messenger, Gtalk, Facebook, Twitter and much more. A must have communication tool.

Tweetie: the best Twitter client for the Mac. Supports multi-accounts, searches and has a stunning UI and smooth animations.

Consider using an alternative application launcher
If there’s one great innovation in the Mac OS, it’s that you can launch apps and open files in a matter of 1 – 2 seconds. Thanks to the Apple’s Spotlight, Mac OS lets you search and open stuff quickly.

However, if you want to try out an alternative to Spotlight, you should go and download Quicksilver, a stylish application launcher used by thousands of Mac users. It’s extensible, stable, and lightweight.

Learn, learn, learn
Even after two or three years of usage, you’ll still have to learn many things about Mac OS. Read blogs, tutorials, download and test new apps, refine your workflow.

That’s why Mac users love their Mac: surprises never end.