More bad news out of the UK for Sony Ericsson as its flagship handset has been pulled from the shelves of both Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U. The two largest mobile phone retailers in the UK have suspended sales in response to a high volume of returns due to a reported “problem with the phone.” Sony Ericsson cites a software glitch as the cause of the problem and is expected to release a software update within two to three weeks to address the issue. In the interim if you absolutely must have the Satio, Orange and Vodafone are still selling the beleaguered handset with no problems being reported in their carrier-specific versions of the handset.

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Do you ever feel like you need a complete tech do-over? Your ancient laptop is grindingly slow, you still have an embarrassingly bulky monitor and none of your gear works together the way it should? Best Buy makes it easy to hit the reset button with a one-stop-shop PC Home Makeover.  For one low price, Best Buy offers up an HP desktop with LCD monitor, an HP laptop, a Netgear wireless G router AND an HP netbook. Plus, it comes with Geek Squad in-home installation. Bring in all of your old gear to any Best Buy retail store, recycle all that old junk for free, and walk away with an all-new setup. Keeping up with the Joneses has never been this easy.

Grab your tinfoil hat and rip the coaxial out of your TiVo privacy-freaks. Search giant Google has setup strategic partnerships with TiVo and DISH Network to analyze customer DVR data in a move billed to better “align advertisers with viewers.” Google TV will do what Google does best — mine data –  TiVo and DISH will be providing Google with “second-by-second viewing information on who’s changing channels and when, who’s fast-forwarding through commercials and anonymous information on viewers themselves.” We’re unclear as to how information can be both anonymous but about the viewer? The information will be used to more accurately target and price 30 and 60 second advertisement spots as the data will be able to indicate just how many people actually watched that Viagra ad, versus how many people fast forwarded over the bloody thing.

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Nokia has announced two new entry level 3G sliders, the Nokia 6700 slide and Nokia 7230. Both are set to launch in Q1 2010. The Symbian-powered Nokia 6700 slide features a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and Carl zeiss optics, 2.2 inch QVGA display, HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, an FM radio and  microSD expansion slot. Available in a rainbow of colors as shown above, the 6700 slide will retail for EUR 160 ($239 USD). Less flashy but equally attractive is the Nokia 7230, a slim slider that features a 2.4 inch QVGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD expansion lot, with Symbian S40 being the OS of choice. Look for the Nokia 7230 to retail for an affordable EUR 100 ($149USD). One more shot after the break.

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For us to say that RIM has a good track record when it comes to pushing out desktop software would be something of a lie, but over the past few months things have gotten steadily better (it was only two months ago BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac was finally released). The latest software to be released is an update to BlackBerry Media Sync. Now in its third incarnation, BlackBerry Media Sync 3.0 doesn’t exactly offer much in the way of new features save for one thing that should have been included all along: 2-way synching of photos for PC users. Here’s what else has changed:

PC to BlackBerry sync:
•          Add folders for syncing with option to optimize pictures for device
•          Smart memory management: optimizes photo size, allowing for storage of more pictures on device
BlackBerry to PC Import:
•          Media Sync alerts users when new pictures are available to import when device is connected to PC (via pop-up on the pictures tab)

Highlights of Music sync with BlackBerry Media Sync:
•         Sync Options include specific playlists or random music
•         iTunes & Windows Media Player compatible
•         Supports all media capable BlackBerry smartphones

We’ve been messing around with an advanced copy of the software for the past few days and have only two bite-sized thoughts to share: syncing pictures is incredibly slow, but everything else is noticeably faster.

Want to grab the update? BlackBerry Media Sync 3.0 will be available today at noon EST from www.blackberry.com/mediasync. Just make sure that you’re running Windows XP SP2 or OS X 10.5.5 or later.

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As if waiting weeks to receive a custom ordered Core i7 iMac wasn’t bad enough, Apple forums the world wide web over are filling up with reports of computers showing up with broken displays an/or simply not booting up. Giz seems to think that the packaging might be inadequate for the 27″ behemoths and the bumpy journey from China to Anytown, USA is what’s causing the issue, but one would like to think that Apple, the masters of packaging, wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake. Thankfully it seems that Apple is taking this in stride and being quite helpful to those experiencing issues, but this whole situation is probably stressful enough for some to reach for their cigarettes and… Oh, wait. That’s not a good idea.

[Via Engadget]

Read – Cracked Display

Read – DOA

How about some holiday discounts?  Yes, please. T-Mobile is offering some Black Friday weekend deals for new and existing customers. What are these magical deals you ask? Well, the Motorola CLIQ will set you back $149, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be priced at $149, and the Samsung Highlight will cost $49 — a $50 savings on all three handsets, two-year agreement required of course. The deals don’t stop there however; everyone, at least we hope, has someone in their lives who they care about dearly, someone they adore so much, that they would be willing to pay full retail price for cell phone to give that person as a gift for the holidays. Brings a tear to your eye doesn’t it? Well, if the thought of that special person doesn’t make you all misty then the idea of spending $300+ for a cell phone might just be enough to do it — and T-Mobile thinks it has a solution. Those of you who are on a T-Mobile Even More plan will now be allowed to purchase any phone at full retail price, spread the payments out into monthly installments, and gift that phone to a friend. Not a bad idea. Now, the number of people who can take advantage of this deal is obviously limited, as you will have to: have T-Mobile service, be on an Even More plan, have a friend you like enough to drop $300+ on, and have that lucky person also be on (or ready to switch to) T-Mobile. Nice job T-Mo, we appreciate the sentiment. ‘Tis the holiday season after all, and it is that thought that counts. No?

If you’re currently using every other Android device besides the Motorola DROID, you might have thought that Google was holding out on that navigation love. Luckily, and just in time for your holiday travels, Google Maps Navigation has just been made available for Android 1.6. Now your myTouch 3G, Motorola CLIQ  and T-Mobile G1 can better help you in getting around your in-laws’ town for turkey day with GPS voice navigation, automatic re-routing and Google’s new Layers feature for navigation. Unfortunately for Hero and Eris users, you’re left out in the dark until HTC and your respective carriers crank out that 1.6 Donut update for your phones. We’re crossing our fingers for you that it hits before Christmas.

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AT&T has been trying to pick up the pieces after Verizon launched an incredibly aggressive ad campaign against the former’s network. We’ve all seen the commercials, the lawsuits and just about everything else in between. Surprisingly, but appropriately, Apple is jumping into the mix to back up the network that is home to its iPhone in the United States. One of AT&T’s strengths is that its 3G network does voice and data simultaneously unlike CDMA/EV-DO, but Apple does a much better job in getting that point across in these new commercials. Any one of us that has been stuck in a situation where you needed to end a phone call because you had to access a website, email or app will know exactly what AT&T is talking about. Hit the jump for a peek at the new ads due to start running later today across many different TV networks.

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One of our favorite set-top boxes, Roku, has just announced that it is launching the Roku Channel Store. The good news for you couch potatoes is that the first 10 channels are free. The open platform for sharing content on TV will allow you to share pictures and video, and listen to Internet radio and podcasts. New channels available to add right now are Pandora, Facebook Photos, Flickr and TWiT (This Week In Tech). Plus, since this is an open platform, developers can jump on the Roku bandwagon to add in getting more channels out.

But here’s the best part: Anthony Wood, CEO and co-founder of Roku, says, “Now content producers and distributors – from single person shops to billion dollar corporations – can deliver their content directly to consumers without having to go exclusively through cable operators, satellite networks or TV affiliates.” Less restriction could mean more of the content you want without paying premiums. When is it available? Existing customers will get a free and automatic upgrade and new Roku customers will get the upgrade as soon as they get their box going. If you own a Roku box and are currently subscribed, let us know what you think of the new channels.

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We weren’t too positive about that last one as it was from a new source, but this new image comes from a pretty credible connect of ours and it seems to be more reasonable. Here’s what we’ve got for you this time:

iMacs starting at $1098, iPod nanos starting at $138, iPod touch starting at $178, MacBook Pros starting at $1098, Apple TVs starting at $208, Airport Express starting at $88, Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard going for $64 each, and a whole lot more! Again, we’re feeling pretty confident about this one and everything looks like it’s in the realm of what Apple would normally do for Black Friday.

P.S. Also note that the Black Friday deals are only on Apple’s Online store, not retail stores.

Thanks, Lindsey!

All of you Verizon Windows Mobile fanatics who are suffering from Android envy can cheer up. Verizon Wireless has just announced that it will be releasing the Samsung Omnia II, on December 2nd for $200 on contract (after $100 mail-in-rebate). Let’s review some of the specs, shall we? The Omnia Deuce II has a snazzy 3.7″ WVGA AMOLED touch-screen and will be running Windows 6.5; add to that Wi-Fi, EV-DO Rev. A, a 5.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Xvid and Divx video support, microSD card slot, and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI — a pretty nice package. How about it? Is this the handset you’ll be hoping to get for Chrismakwanzakah?

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Thanks to a China Mobile press release, the details that we leaked back in August about Dell’s Android-powered Mini 3i are now confirmed. According to both sources, the Mini 3i will pack a 3.5” nHD (640×360) display, Quadband GSM/EDGE, 3 megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus, flash, and video capture, Bluetooth, GPS navigation, and microSD expansion (up to 32GB). Dell’s first serious smartphone venture will be available to China Mobile’s 500 million strong subscriber base in “Red Passion” and “Oiled Bronze” variants later this month. Full press release after the break.

China Mobile Becomes First to Sell Dell Mini 3i Smart Phones

The Mini 3i, in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze colors, will begin arriving across China later this month

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator, serves more than 500 million subscribers

China Mobile will soon become the first mobile operator to sell the Mini 3i, a sleek and slim new multi-touch smart phone from Dell designed to leverage the power, flexibility and applications of China Mobile’s new OPhone and Mobile Market platforms. Available in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze colors, the Mini 3i will begin arriving through China Mobile’s nation-wide channels (its authorized stores) by the end of this month and Dell direct to follow.

The Mini 3i runs China Mobile’s flexible OPhone open source platform, and includes the latest in popular entertainment including pre-loaded 139Mail e-mail, Fetion chat and digital maps for navigation. A large 3.5-inch widescreen creates a big-screen experience, making photos and videos bigger and more intense. The Mini 3i is also compatible with a range of consumer applications, e-mail platforms, and office productivity software.

“People today want to carry their lives with them – they want to discover, capture and share new content as they roam around the world,” said Michael Yang, vice president and general manager for Greater China Consumer of Dell. “We believe Dell’s year-long development collaboration with China Mobile will amplify those experiences better than anyone else in the industry.”

“This signals an important milestone in the long term partnership between China Mobile and Dell,” said a China Mobile spokesperson. “We are excited for Dell to be among the first manufacturers to introduce new technology based on the OPhone platform. We look forward to working with Dell as it brings innovative new products and services to add value to our customers’ lives.”

The Mini 3i is the result of a year-long collaboration with China Mobile and further illustrates Dell’s ongoing investment in smarter and more mobile products. China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile service provider with more than 500 million subscribers, teamed with Dell earlier this year to develop a new product for the rapidly growing base of mobile broadband users in China, embedding 3G technology in the Dell Mini 10 netbook.

With the recent launch of the OPhone platform, industry analysts are estimating that the current base of 180 million mobile broadband users in China will continue to grow at a rapid pace. The Mini 3i is specifically engineered to give those customers a smart phone that delivers fast, easy and fun access to the internet, e-mail, chat, music and video.

Popular Mini 3i Features:

• Entertainment: Access to China Mobile’s Mobile Market suite of services, games, productivity tools, wallpapers, ringtones and applications. Discover China’s popular Internet sites including 51.com, Kaixin and Renren.
• Customization: Personalize MP3 ring tones, icons and shortcuts. Run widgets on the home screen: sports, stocks, news and weather tickers.
• Navigation: GPS navigation.
• Search: Search contacts, appointments and e-mail from the home screen.
• Camera: 3 megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus, flash, video capture and photo-editing capabilities.
• A 3.5 inch, widescreen (16:9), 640 x 360 display that’s ideal for viewing photos and videos.
• Popular Messaging: Support for the wide range of messaging platforms and services, including e-mail, IM, MMS and SMS.

Dell Mini 3i OPhone Specifications:

Form Factor: Tablet/PDA
Dimensions: 58.35 x 122 x 11.7
Display: 3.5” nHD, 640×360
Bands/Modes: Quadband GSM/EDGE
Weight: <105g (grams)
Bluetooth
GPS
Micro SD (up to 32GB)
Connector: Mini USB

Oh yes, we’re back at it! To show our appreciation for making BGR a part of your daily lives, we’re giving away (5) AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9700s. They will be retail units in AT&T boxes but will also be unlocked. We’ll also keep this short and simple: drop in a comment, win a BlackBerry. Here are the official rules…

• To enter, please leave a comment below telling us why you think you should win a brand new BlackBerry Bold 9700.
• This giveaway will run for one week, until Sunday, November 29th, 2009. We will announce the winners sometime shortly after that.
• Please make sure to leave only one comment as leaving more than one will automatically disqualify your entry.
• This is open to anyone over the age of 18, worldwide. (If you are outside of the U.S. and packages shipped to you are subject to an import tax, you will be responsible for that, but we’ll cover shipping.)
• Also be sure to use the email address you’d like to be contacted at if you win. Email no worky, no prize.

That’s it! Good luck.

What’s that sound we hear in the distance? It’s probably cash registers at AT&T going wild as today, the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 is publicly available for sale. The device was offered up to Premiere customers starting at the top of the week, but since general availability is this morning, we have to ask… are you going to hit an AT&T store and grab RIM’s finest? Or maybe you’re on T-Mobile and snagged one already? Let us know in the comments!

Mac aficionados that also enjoy a pack of Marlboros every now and then might want to keep their smoke as far away from their computer as possible for it appears Apple doesn’t take kindly to the habit. Yesterday, Consumerist ran a story about two customers that were denied warranty repairs to their MacBook and iMac by Apple (both had purchased extended AppleCare warranties) simply because the machines were exposed to second-hand smoke. Both appealed to the office of Steve Jobs to no avail. The strangest thing, however, is the explaination that one received from someone at Jobs’ office: the nicotine released from cigarettes is classified as a bio-hazard by the Operational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and as such, Apple employees are within their rights to refuse to work on a machine that has been in contact with the chemical. The only suggestion Apple offered was to take the computers to be fixed somewhere else on their dime. Obviously these two cases are an anomaly, but the question still remains: should Apple be able to walk away from its obligation as set out in the AppleCare agreement because of a little bit of smoke? Just to be clear, there is nothing in the AppleCare fine print that even comes close to singling out smoking as being prohibited.

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This is just too weird not to post. CNET UK has reported that the Internet has a weight, and by taking the sum total of all peripherals, computers, etc. you can actually formulate a number. So what do the intertubes weight? 498,438,559,990 kilograms to be exact. About 570,937,778 computers are connected to the Internet and are being estimated to weigh in at 22.83 billion kg, while 175,480,931 servers are said to weigh in at 1.75 billion kg. The reported weight also includes 6.075 million kg in iPhones, 6.8 million kg in BlackBerrys, and 87 million kg in cables. Somehow virus’ made the list with a weigh of 287,524 kg — huh? Now, we’re not sure how accurate their estimates are but they describe their report as both “precise” and “scientific.” We’ll let you guys scientifically hash out how precise the numbers are in the comments.

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Motorola has announced that its brand new handset, the Crush, is available as of this week from U.S. Cellular. Going for $79.95 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract, Motorola is positioning the Crush as an affordable phone with a high-end design. Having said that, we can’t help but think only Motorola would think placing the lock and power buttons on either side of the earpiece is “high-end”. Having said that, the Crush has the following features: 2.8″ 240×400 WQVGA touchscreen display, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD support for cards up to 16GB and EV-DO Rev. 0 connectivity. Is anyone going to check this bad boy out, or does your heart yearn for something else?

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It might not be fancy or scream “look at me”, but Verizon’s now-available BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a smartphone that gets the job done. Kitted out with a 2.5″ display, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS and 256MB of flash memory, the Curve 8530 is also the first full-QWERTY BlackBerry from Verizon to feature RIM’s new optical trackpad and OS 5.0. Other than that, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Bluetooth, support for microSD cards and dedicated multimedia keys round out the rest of the phone’s features. Of course at $99.99 on contract there are a lot of better smartphones that are similarly priced, but for BlackBerry lovers fond of Verizon and always looking to save a bit of coin, you can’t really go wrong. Plus it comes in two colors: Black and Smoky Violet (imagine the color of your grandmother’s ugliest pant suit). Yay?

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So far, all of the Black Friday leaks we’ve seen haven’t been all that friendly to smartphone lovers, but according to our sources, Wirefly will be picking up the slack come Friday with the following deals:

Verizon BlackBerry Storm2: $0.99 for new subs / $29.99 for existing VZW customers (Friday only) followed by $9.99 / $49.99 until Monday

AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9700: $0 / $29.99 (Friday to Monday)

Sprint Samsung Moment: $79.99 / $99.99 (Friday to Monday)

If none of those phones catch your fancy, there are still some savings to be had as Wirefly will be waiving activations for AT&T and Verizon phones until Midnight on December 1st.

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Alright, here we go… We’ll be giving away three of the five Motorola DROIDs in our stockpile in this particular contest, and here is what you will need to know if you’re interested in entering:

We realize that a lot of you have been waiting for an iPhone competitor and that Apple’s device gets a decent portion of the spotlight (you can debate whether it is warranted or not in the comments), but since this is one of the first real alternatives for some people, we thought it would be great if we could help shine some light on the passionate and excited DROID-lovers out there. We’re looking for the best, funniest, strangest, most daring, and even dumbest videos possible featuring you or your friends, and the reasons why you think you deserve to win.

You could go to an Apple or AT&T store and read them the riot act on why you think the DROID is better than the iPhone (removable battery, the network, QWERTY keyboard — whatever) and capture this on camera, you could show us your current phone situation and plead your case, you could shave a BGR and Motorola logo into your head on film — we’re not joking. Whatever you want to do, we are willing to look at. Within reason.

We’ll pick the three most amazing videos we receive and post them in a follow-up post. Here are the official rules:

• To enter, please submit your video by uploading it to a video sharing website like YouTube, Vimeo, whatever your choice is. You may password protect the video if you would like, just be sure to give us access.
• Please email the link to your video to droidvideo at boygeniusreport dot com — if you email us an actual video attachment, we will delete it and not count it.
• This contest is open to anyone in the U.S. over the age of 18 years old.
• By submitting a video to the BGR DROID giveaway contest, you assume all responsibility and liability for your entry and indemnify BGR.
• This giveaway will run for one week, until Friday, November 27th, 2009. We will announce the winners sometime shortly after that.
• Feel free to talk about your submissions or ideas in the comments!

While WIND Mobile might never launch thanks to parent company Globalive’s illegal ownership structure, that didn’t stop its CEO Ken Campbell and his entourage from celebrating the completed renovation of one of its retail stores. It’s a departure from the typical Bell, Rogers or TELUS location to say the least. BG thinks it looks like a “New York subway car in white lacquer” and Andrew said it’s nothing but an “Apple store with mahogany”, so naturally we’re curious to know what you think. So hit the jump, check out the pics and give us your thoughts!

P.S. Anyone noticing the huge table cut-out where the Microsoft Surface might one day be installed?

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[Via CrackBerry]

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We’ve just received a full spec list for the very blurry Motorola Motus and it’s pretty interesting. Why, you ask? Besides AT&T 3G support, the specs are pretty similar if not identical to the Motorola CLIQ. Our connect didn’t flat out tell us that the handset would be hitting AT&T, but hey, we can dream right? Here are the full specifications for the Motorola Motus:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100MHz)
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
• 256MB RAM
• aGPS
• Wi-Fi
• 3.1″ capacitive 480×320 display
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Weight: 133g
• 1400mAh battery
• microSD slot
• Qualcomm MSM 7201A CPU
• MOTOBLUR

Last but not least, we’ve been told the Motus is not a slider but a unique “flip” phone. That’s all we’ve got for now, but we’ll keep you updated as always.

Thanks, Daddy G.!

Looks like Virgin Mobile Canada is ready to break its iPhone hymen. Yesterday they announced that they will be offering both the iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS in retail stores in “the coming months.” Oh Sir Richard, how we love thee. We suppose you want details, but we don’t have any — the press release is a blistering 31 words and 198 characters long, hell if they had been a bit more succinct they could have just tweeted it — as Virgin Canada’s website has yet to be updated with the news. We’ll continue to follow this one as it develops.

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Not too much to say here other than an OS update for the Verizon BlackBerry Tour 9630, 4.7.1.61, has started to trickle out. Although it’s already available to download from Verizon’s website and through BlackBerry Desktop Manager, we’ve been told that a handful of users will receive on-device update notifications throughout the night with general OTA availability tomorrow. No change log has been released. Let’s just hope that it’s not much longer until OS 5.0 drops for your beloved tuh tuh tuh TOUR (yeah, we remember).

If there was ever a contest for blurriest photos taken post-haste, this image of a Motorola CLIQ look-alike, rumored to be called Motus, takes the cake. There isn’t much to be said or gathered about the Motus so far, except that it looks like a CLIQ with a flat keyboard and no D-pad for navigation. Said to be coming out in Q1 2010, rumors also peg this device as packing Android 1.6 and a 5 megapixel camera, so it’s not as if anything terribly special is going on. Unfortunately, the image is far too blurry to really make out the left side of the keyboard and what the bright yellow spot is. Maybe image stabilization should be standard on camera phones now.

Thanks, Vitala!

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Sony Ericsson has us scratching our heads just one day after we spent some time with its new XPERIA X10 smartphone. During our lunch meet-up, SE told us it was hoping to work with U.S. carriers in getting the X10 into the pockets of Americans on the cheap. We’re still hoping that SE will make this happen, but a new rumor would see the X10 retail for a whopping $879 when it hits the market during the first quarter of 2010. We know that SE is hoping to get back on the relevance map and turn a profit while it’s at it, but a sky-high price tag on a device that failed to knock our socks off probably isn’t going to cut it with consumers.

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Well kids, Google has just released some serious information about the much anticipated Chrome OS at today’s webcast, so grab some popcorn and buckle up, ’cause here we go. Google Chrome OS has a radically different approach to computing, and assumes that most of what you want to do on your computer involves your web browser and internet connectivity — and when we think about it, are they so wrong? Those of you who were expecting an Android type interface are going to be sorely disappointed, as the Chrome browser, in a nutshell, is Chrome OS. So let’s just get this out there right now: this isn’t going to be an OS designed for video editing, Photoshopping, or 3D modeling. This is a lightweight conduit for access to online information and utilities. No doubt all of this has piqued your interest, so hit the jump to check out the full story.

Google has said flat out they designed the Chrome OS with three things in mind: speed, simplicity, and security, so we are going break down some of the finer points they touched upon under these pretenses.

Speed

Several times Google engineers stated that turning on your Chrome OS powered netbook should be like turning on a television; hit the power button and within a couple seconds you should be browsing. They have been focusing on this and working hard to improve upon it. Currently Chrome OS’ cold boot time is 7 seconds to the login window, with an additional 3 seconds for user login making for a total boot time of 10 seconds. Not bad. Google is hoping to have that time shaved down even further by the time they are ready for release.

Simplicity

Your information is stored in the cloud. No user bits are going to be stored on the modest solid state hard drive that all Chrome OS netbooks are going to come with. While this may be a terrifying prospect to some, it does afford Google some flexibility to rework the traditional computing work flow. There are no application updates to be installed, no backup solutions needed, and no maintenance operations to perform. When you login to the could you can be sure that your Chrome OS netbook is up to date, patched, and ready to go. The main interface, to the shagrin of many we’re sure, is also very simple in that it’s a Chrome browser window. You can customize shortcuts and favorites, but the foundation UI isn’t going to blow anyone’s socks off with eye candy.

Security

This was really getting hammered upon. Security is accomplished in two main ways: architecture setup and the cloud. First and foremost there are three partitions setup on the Chrome OS’ SSD drive, a root partition (which is read-only and holds the OS), a user partition (which by default is encrypted), and a swap partition. When you boot Chrome OS it checks the integrity of the OS and if it finds that your OS has somehow been corrupted or compromised by maleware, it simply re-downloads a fresh copy of the OS from the intertubes. All on its own. Again, your information is in the cloud and the system is technically stateless, so the OS can be restored at point in time without any detriment to user data.

We know that a lot of you have some burning questions and want to see the UI in action, so have a couple videos queued up. Go ahead, we know you’re curious.