Beware of Fake Google Chrome OS Screen shots which displays a remarkably xfce-like desktop, with Google colored the wrong way. The first Chrome OS shots look real though there are plenty of reasons that arouse several suspicions.
The prankster happened to be an employee of a parts supplier for Acer, one of Google partners for Chrome Operating systems. He was privy to a brief demonstration of a Private Developer Beta by Google where they showed a full installation, which took about 10 minutes. The desktop to desktop reboot took about 25 seconds after the installation was done.
The desktop is pretty small where at the bottom of the screen is the Chrome Bar, which is the system’s dock or start menu. The glowing blue icon, which looks like the center of the Chrome logo, opens the main menu and hides when the app is not in use or activated. It can be activated with the Windows key, similar to the Start Menu, though Chrome-loaded net books could well have a dedicated Google key or Chrome key.
The prankster has admitted that the Chrome OS screen shots are fake. Besides, they were published the following day of the announcement made by Google. The fake Chrome OS Screen shots could easily be mocked up in an existing Linux app as they do not neccessarily look they were taken in an acer conference room.
Also the description in the leak is quite long, so you can judge for yourself that it is a fake Chrome OS screen shot. Anyway, this is a tiny aesthetic preview of an early build of Google’s Linux desktop environment and it is not exactly how the Google Chrome OS works and performs.
The prankster also admits how was the last to leave the room and the Google Rep seemed to forget his privacy. He happened to have a Mini-Cam with him and took these medium quality shots taken in less than 10 seconds. The rep also mentioned some of the Linux aspects including the option to have a status bar on the Chrome Bar for software developers. The Google Chrome OS installation was performed on a Acer Extensa 4620Z laptop to show it can install quickly on laptops from late 2007 to early 2008. Presently, Google has not completed compatibility tests with some laptops and netbooks.
Hey just a thought, you would probably get more readers if you interviewed controversial people for your blog.