One of the advantages Google loves to tout about its Chrome Operating System is its ability to upgrade the platform from the Googleplex.
Chrome OS is a cloud OS, of course, so users don’t have to install any upgrades themselves. They can simply wait for Google to provision new versions to their Chromebooks when the company is ready to launch them.
And so it goes with the new Chrome OS version 13.0.782.108, which Google launched August 10. Speed freaks will appreciate that their Chromebooks will resume as much as a third faster.
As Louis Gray noted, the new build supports the Netflix Chrome application, which users of the Samsung Series 5 and Acer AC700 Chromebooks, (as well as the Cr-48 test build) may grab free from the Chrome Web Store here. I installed it and it worked fine:
Readers may also download the new Kindle Cloud Reader application from Amazon, or even print via the Print to Docs feature with Google Cloud Print.
Google said it has a little something for businesses and schools running Citrix desktop virtualization software.
That would be the Citrix Receiver Tech Preview, which will let users access Adobe Photoshop and other traditionally on-premise desktop application directly from their Chromebooks.
The Chrome OS team also fixed bugs and posted the following improvements to version 13:
- Chrome 13 browser support
- Allow auto-connect using 3G
- Remove/forget added VPN connections
- L2TP IPSec with pre-shared key support
- More SSH options in crosh
- 802.1x support
- Allow USB mounting of Android
I refreshed my Cr-48 with the build last night. It took about 20 minutes to upgrade. Well worth it for all of the above, in my opinion.