back to article Chrome OS code suggests Chromebook Pixel could be real

The video that leaked last week purportedly showing a new, high-resolution Google Chrome OS device called the Chromebook Pixel prompted lots of debate, with many skeptics decrying it as a hoax. But Reg reader Jan-Willem Aldershoff claims there's strong evidence that such a device may indeed be in the works, based on analysis of …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Meh

    Well, it's still a little late.

    If this article was dated 10 years ago, that would of been fitting. However, since the world has been deprived of high res LCD for, well, forever...this doesn't seem that amazing. Sure I'll take one, but don't expect me to think they are pioneering anything.

    1700 lines? They still need to go up at least 500 or so to get true appreciation from me.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Here is the problem with the Chromebook....

    Eadon wants one, but cannot afford one, as his paper round does not pay enough.

    I can afford one, but do not want one, as I refuse to pay for the tools that Google want to use to spy on me.

    Average Joe may buy one, but if he does, he will take it back when he realizes he cannot run office on it, use Photoshop on it, Skype his daughter from it etc.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Here is the problem with the Chromebook....

      LibreOffice == Office without the ribbon junk.

      Photoshop works just dandy with Wine. Even has it's own installer in the shape of Winetricks.

      Skype is free in the app store.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It may be useful

    as a remote interface to my desktop PC. If it is cheap enough.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    Android.

    A high DPI, touchscreen device from Google would make the most sense if it were going to be made to be Android compatible. A Chromebook-Android hybrid could finally make 2013 the year that Linux starts to take over the desktop.

    1. Anonymous Coward 101
      Thumb Down

      Re: Android.

      "A Chromebook-Android hybrid could finally make 2013 the year that Linux starts to take over the desktop."

      Give us peace.

      1. jason 7
        Trollface

        Re: Android.

        No you have to see the funny side.

        Yes linux may finally get the desktop/laptop exposure it's always wanted. However, it just wont be the crappy distro/KDE/Gnome/CLI clusterf*ck version of it that the linux fans always dreamed about.

        Now thats worth £220 of my money to make that happen and I did.

  5. Khaptain Silver badge

    LArge Screen TVs

    I can imagine that they are actually preparing for the new 4K TVs and whatever other high definition home TV screens will be available in the near future.

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: LArge Screen TVs

      Either way, if it is an affordable laptop with a decent screen size/resolution and can run some non-Google Linux distro then I am interested.

    2. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: LArge Screen TVs

      That was my thought - 'Link' suggests the high DPI support could be for a screen (a TV or high-res tablet) connected to the Chromebook.

  6. JDX Gold badge

    resolution up to 2560 by 1700

    What's the bloody point on a web-only device? So that most websites will look messed up (loads of sites are still fixed-width ~1000px)? What is the benefit other than matching Apple?

    1. Silverburn

      Re: resolution up to 2560 by 1700

      Apple fixed this on their retina displays by offering a control panel for "2 for 1" style upscaling of pixels for certain onscreen elements. The benefit being you can maintain stuff like font sharpness, while maintaining the physical size of "touchable" elements.

      I imagine Google will do something similar.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: resolution up to 2560 by 1700

        OK, and still - what is the point? I'm not sitting here using my 1280x1024 screen thinking that text is blurry or hard to read.

        Given that Chromebooks are cheap computers geared to web browsing, it just seems a weird direction to go in.

        1. Mark .

          Re: resolution up to 2560 by 1700

          I have a similar feeling regarding 10" tablets (e.g., Nexus 10's resolution) or 5" phones (Galaxy S4 rumoured to be full HD). For web browsing, there seems little point. For watching videos, you can't even fit a single Blu-Ray quality file into a 16GB device (and streaming would quickly eat up most people's monthly data allowance) so either people watch lower resolution anyway, or have high resolution encoded at low quality which defeats the point. For playing games, there's the issue of the extra strain on the GPU (which are typically far below PC graphics cards) - and I think games on mobile devices are far more restricted by storage space (high end meshes/textures take lots of space, typically these games require about 1GB, so you can't install too many of them - leaving most games to have much simpler graphics).

          Meanwhile, laptops designed for productivity get stuck at 1366x768, unless you spend a lot more money...

          At least this is a laptop though - maybe Google do intend to push Chrome more into productivity use (albeit with HTML5). Even now, it does support offline applications. Perhaps it'll give a kick to laptop specs in general, for those wanting to run Windows or (GNU)Linux.

          1. cbf123

            high res text

            The high res devices make a huge difference for web browsing...the text looks beautifully sharp.

            1. JDX Gold badge

              Re: high res text

              Not to me it doesn't. I've played with a retina iPad... and of course the iPhone... and while it's pretty I don't then return to my PC and notice how crap it looks.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: high res text

                Funnily lots of reviewers have commented* that owning a retina tab made them dread their older screens, one of the reasons I wanted to wait for retina computer screens to become available before getting a new tablet. Couldn't resist though when the Nexus 10 came out. Find my two 1280x1024 screens at work look really dull now, though I've got to say my laptop's 1920x1200 is still ok.

                *

                e.g.

                "expect to find lower-resolution panels suddenly less appealing." http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-tablets/apple-ipad-with-retina-display-review-50009645/

                "The next morning the strangest thing happened. I was [...] reading a (Kindle) book on my [non-Retina] iPad, and for the first time ever I could see the pixels. I mean I obviously had seen them before, but now I was noticing them every time I looked at the screen." http://fishbowl.pastiche.org/2012/03/26/the_eyes_have_it/1

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Nice play on words.

    via Wikipedia: The LINC (Laboratory INstrument Computer) was a 12-bit, 2048-word computer. The LINC can be considered the first minicomputer and a forerunner to the personal computer.

    Evolution and Innovation demonstrated.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    LOVE THIS

    Got the samsung chromebook. Best investment ever. Dont do anything non-net based anymore anyways. Time for something even better! Thanks Google!

    1. Fuzzy Duck
      Thumb Up

      Re: LOVE THIS

      agreed - had mine 4 days and loving it - and i'm a mac user. apple simply need a better value, simpler laptop and not a bloody tablet.

      once skype runs on this chromebook i'll be sorted.

      it is what it is folks.

  9. jason 7
    Happy

    Yep everyone I've shown my Chromebook to really likes it. Several on order or purchased.

    1. JDX Gold badge
      Happy

      Isn't anyone going to call SHILL SHILL

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