Google launches Chrome OS operating system

Google has announced a new operating system that will pit the search giant against Microsoft and Linux, The Telegraph reported.

Chrome OS is to be launched as a trial programme that users can register for online and will eventually be offered pre-installed on a range of computers made by major manufacturers such as Acer and Samsung.

Although the initial plans are for a trial programme that will only be available on a small scale, in due course Google's new operating system could be offered as a standard option when consumers buy laptops or PCs.

Writing on the Google Blog, Linus Upson and Sundar Pichai wrote that the "The test notebooks exist only to test the software they are black, have no branding, no logos, no stickers, nothing. They do have 12.1 inch screens, full-sized keyboards and touch pads, integrated 3G from Verizon, eight hours of battery life and eight days of standby time. Chrome notebooks are designed to reach the web instantly".