Can it still be called a desktop if it fits in your hand? My guess is no. This “palmtop(?)” is made out of laptop parts so that its form factor remains tiny. These computers are made out of 3 components: the processor module, the primary I/O module, and the secondary module. The processor module holds the processor and the RAM, the primary I/O has the ports and coms, while the secondary module has Ethernet, video, and power connections.

These mini computers were previously made to work with Windows, Linux, Unix, Ubuntu, and other open source-based OS. Now they will support the Chrome OS. The ChromiumPC’s price will be announced later this year, and it’s supposed to be available in the second half of 2011. It will be available in different colors, and yes, there’s even a chrome-plated version.

[via Businesswire]

It’s worth noting that customers will have to sign a 3-year contract to get these machines at this monthly price. This makes it sound a lot like financing to me. At that price, the overall cost of these laptops is significantly higher than a if you just bought them outright. The only real benefit is that troubleshooting warranty is included at this price. Overall, for businesses, it depends on how many computers you’ll end up buying and if it makes sense for the bottom line. It might work well for certain types of businesses and for people who don’t want to deal with the hassle of maintaining a laptop.

The Chromebooks include the Samsung Series 5, which comes with a dual-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 chip, a 1MP webcam, and a 16GB SSD. There’s an SDXC card reader and VGA out via an “optional” dongle. It will cost $429 for the WiFi version and $499 for the 3G version. The Series 5 has got a 12.1-inch screen with 1280×800 resolution, an overall weight of 3.26 lbs, and an improved trackpad, which was the downfall of the Google CR-48. Battery life is supposed to be 8.5 hours. The Acer model is cheaper, starting at $349, but has a 6.5-hour battery life and an 11.6-inch screen.

Look for them both on Amazon or Best Buy starting on June 15th.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Google]

The thinking behind this is to shave some pixels off the height of the non-browsing parts of the browser. The new mockups that we’ve seen include Classic, Compact, Sidetab, and Touch versions. The Sidetab capability has actually been hiding in Chrome for a few months now, but the Compact version would do away with the URL bar, hiding navigation inside the tabs themselves. This means more vertical pixels and less scrolling.

Since Chrome currently has only somewhere around 15% of the browsing market, you might think that this doesn’t really matter, but anything that the big G does can have an impact on interface standards. I personally use the URL bar all the time, so I hope that Google doesn’t make this the default mode.

[Conceivably Tech via DVice]

In the 5 minute-long clip, Google Chrome UX designer Glen Murphy puts his Chrome notebook through some basic paces – creating documents, editing images and whatnot. All the while, his computer keeps getting snatched and sent off to meet its maker. Seconds later, his notebook is replaced with a fresh one, and everything Glen was working on is restored, instantly.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While I’m sure that you won’t have a spare computer lying around if this were to happen to you, it does prove a good point. Cloud-based computing could definitely be a god-send for corporate IT teams. Imagine never having to re-image or restore a machine from backups, since everything you do is centrally stored. And if your home PC were to fall into a vat of liquid nitrogen or be grilled alive, you could get back to work as soon as you bought a new machine.

And if you’re still not convinced, and want to stick with your old-school laptop, that’s cool. You can still enjoy the video for the wanton destruction.

I found this hilarious, especially when I saw what he chose to represent Firefox. I use Firefox as my main browser, but it’s true that it can quickly become overloaded if you use too many add-ons or extensions. A fresh install is always nice when those memory leaks start to bog you down.

I do use Chrome sometimes, especially if I don’t want to open all of my saved tabs in Firefox, I’ve also noticed that it’s pretty fast, though in my unscientific tests, it’s not faster than Firefox. Still, Chrome and Firefox are getting more and more extensions and add-ons.

Which browser do you use most? And don’t say Lynx.

[College Humor via Presurfer]

The new XCM Cyberchrome case gives your PS3 a nice shiny chrome exterior. From what I can glean from these pics, the Cyberchrome is a complete replacement shell, not just a cover that snaps over your original case. And priced at $69.99 (USD), I’d imagine that was almost definitely the deal.

I don’t know why it doesn’t look as shiny in the photo below. Maybe they’ll be offering both a shiny and a matte chrome version. But I think it’s just the way it photographed. We’ll just have to wait to find out.

You should be able to pre-order the Cyberchrome shell any day now over at Extreme Mods or Renchi. Or, you could just head over to TotalConsole right now, where they already have them listed as “in stock.”

The retro-styled LG Serie 1 television doesn’t just look like an old set, it actually uses good old CRT technology. No schmancy flat screens here, just a old-fashioned 4:3 aspect ratio cathode ray tube for you to watch your reruns of I Love Lucy on.

The set features a 14-inch diagonal screen, complete with rabbit-ear antennae and chrome legs. It even has old-school knobs for changing channels and adjusting volume. However, this set has a modern digital tuner, composite video for your retro video game console, and a wireless remote so it’s not completely antique tech.

For extra fun, you can flip the television between full color, black & white and sepia tone modes:

The sets are available in the orange color shown above (model 14SR1EB) and a dark brown (model 14SR1DB). At this point the LG Serie 1 Retro Classic TV is currently only available in Korea, where it currently retails for 249,000 KRW (appx. $216 USD).

[photos: EarlyShop]

So shiny! I wonder if they’ll get smudged by fingerprints and stuff. The cases are made of hardshell plastic and have rubber guardrails for shock absorption, and impact and scratch protection.

The cases also have “fluorescent pop lining”, which you obviously won’t see when your iPhone is in the case, but it’s still nice to look at, a refreshing difference from all the bling on the outside.

The case comes in black, silver, gold and copper and is compatible with the iPhone 3G & 3GS only. You can get a Chrome Slider Case for $35 (USD) at Incase. Each purchase comes with an S-Stand (shown above). Pimp cup not included.

[via Acquire]

As TechCrunch‘s Jason Kincaid said, you’ll only need three things to run the OS in your system. First you’ll need a Google Account ID, e.g. a Gmail account. Second, you’ll need the disk image itself, which you can either download via torrent (clicking that link will download the torrent file) or at gadget site gdgt. Finally, you’ll need VirtualBox, a free cross-platform virtualization program, although I see no reason why commercial alternatives like VMWare Fusion wouldn’t work.

If you’ve tried creating virtual machines before, the steps for installing Chrome OS are pretty straightforward. Just select Linux as the operating system and Ubuntu as the version, then choose “use existing hard disk” when asked which boot hard disk to use, next, next, next… and voila! You just installed the Chrome browser the hard way. Check out the full article at TechCrunch if you want a more detailed walkthrough.

These Xmas Declaration ornaments are perfect for sending a bold political statement with your holiday tree this year. Each shiny plastic ornament is modeled after a hand grenade, and is guaranteed to not actually blow up your tree – unless you decide to fill yours with black powder.  The ornament hanger that looks like a grenade’s safety pin is a nice touch.

They come in sets of six over at Suck UK for £20 (appx. $32 USD) , and a portion of each purchase will result in a donation to Ctrl.Alt.Shift‘s fight against global injustice.

It’s so fast that it left most of a browser’s functions at Google’s labs: plug-ins don’t work so it can’t play Flash videos. There’s no History, no Bookmarks, no Preferences, no Find, and you can’t even open a link to a new tab. But it’s fast.

If you want to try Chrome on your Mac, you can download the application at said developer’s blog; the compiled app is for Intel Macs on Leopard only (10.5 and up). Don’t delete your current browser yet because Chrome is sure to have lots of bugs. But it’s fast. Perfect for blog speed-reading.

Created for Spain’s DAB Light Works, the bulb-shaped Dear Edi (a nod to Thomas Edison) lamp is actually made from metal, not glass. A small cutout at the bottom of the hanging fixture lets its bright directional light source cast a dramatic beam onto the surface below.

The fixture hangs from your ceiling by a metallic fabric cable, and the “bulb” is available in either a shiny chrome or bold black anodized finish. Depending on your preference, you can choose from an intense halogen light source, or go all modern with a 3-watt LED lamp.

I definitely wouldn’t complain about a set three of these hanging over my kitchen island. For more information on lighting by DAB, contact their U.S. distributor, Global Lighting.

[via DesignZen]

This polished chrome joypad comes to us courtesy of China’s Dream Cheeky, makers of all sorts of fun USB gadgets and gizmos. The shiny metal controller features an 8-way directional pad, four game buttons, start/select buttons and shoulder triggers. The back of the controller is covered with rubber, giving you a better grip than if the entire thing were slippery metal.

It plugs into the USB port on any PC (there’s conflicting info on Mac compatibility), and offers shiny gaming goodness for your computer games. They’ve also got a nifty chrome USB hub, if you don’t have a spare port to plug this thing into. Now all I need is a version that’ll work with my PS3 or Xbox 360 and I’ll be really happy.

No word yet on pricing or where you can pick one of these shiny things up, but while you’re waiting, check out the other cool stuff over on the Dream Cheeky website.

XCM’s Smart Face Plate snaps onto the top of your PS3, giving it a new facade without major surgery. Just remove a couple of screws from the top of your PS3, slide off the old cover, and slide on the new one. In less than a minute, your console will have a whole new look.

While I prefer the mirrored chrome look shown in the photo, the plate also comes in white, yellow, green and (for some odd reason) black finishes. You can find the Smart Face Plate over at Extreme-Mods for just under $20.

This chrome Xbox 360 shell wraps your console with a gorgeous surface that’s so gleaming that you could use it as a mirror (a bendy circus mirror for sure, but a mirror nonetheless).

The case has just started shipping, and should be available for around $60 from Extreme-Mods any day now. If that’s not enough chrome for you, there’s a matching chrome hard drive cover for $25 and an LED lighted controller replacement shell for about $30.

The Choppers plan on offering over a dozen different plating options, including gold, rose gold, white gold, platinum and more. (Can I get mine plated in Illudium Q-36? Please?)

If you’re interested in giving your iMac its own shiny metal ass so it can tell you to bite it, head on over to this contact form. Now if they’d only work some of their wizardry to get rid of those annoying URL watermarks all over their photos so we could see what they really look like. Thanks to Alex over at Computer Choppers for the updated photos!

[via BornRich]

The chrome calculator belt buckle lets you add, subtract, multiply and divide, all from the convenience of your waistline. If you just have to be able to do math while you’re sitting on the pot, you can pick one up from BeWild for about $10 bucks.

[Nerd Approved via GeekAlerts]

I’m particularly enamored of the fiery Red Ronin case as well as the luscious emerald Green Tanto.

In addition to the intense primary colors, the Evolve case series comes in chrome, black and clear variants among others.

The cases offer complete coverage of your entire Wii console, including replacement feet and screw covers. Talismoon even includes the tools you need to swap out the shell.

You can find the complete series from ConsoleShop for $39.99 each.

Rather than using hands or digits, the Audocron uses a series of beeps and flashing lights to indicate the current time.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

In automatic mode, the chrome plated metal clock offers up a chime on the half hour and hour. Otherwise, you can switch to manual mode, which tells the time with a series of “dings” upon your touch. Different tones indicate hours, ten minute intervals and individual minutes.

So if you’re looking for a truly unconventional clock, you can pick up an Audocron from ThinkGeek for just $19.99.

Designer Markus Duevel is the mind behind the Urban Fidelity Planet Speakers. Duevel has been responsible for the design of acclaimed high-end speakers with which cost as much as $25,000. So it’s a pleasant surprise that the Planet speakers cost between $1295 and $1395 a pair.

On paper, the speakers sound as impressive as they look. The high-efficiency horn loaded tweeter, combined with the chrome reflection sphere should produce a massive sound image. While the 5.9″ woofer may not substitute for a standalone subwoofer, the speakers are designed to produce exceptional bass with extremely low distortion.

Each speaker cabinet has a pair of floor acoustic ports, which should help optimize low frequencies, even though the woofers are relatively small. The maker also claims that by mounting the speakers on top of the cabinet, they reduce distortion that can occur in typical side-mounted speaker configurations.

But lets face it — even if they didn’t sound good, they look amazing, and would surely be a conversation piece in any room.

[via MoCo LoCo]