Mid-range HTC Desire L goes official in Taiwan

HTC has officially announced the Desire L in Taiwan. The mid-ranger runs an undisclosed version of Android Jelly Bean (we suspect 4.1.2) with Sense UI coating and features Beats Audio enhancements.

It's powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU paired with 1GB of RAM, while at the front, there's a 4.3" Super LCD2 display of WVGA resolution (800 x 480 pixels).

The HTC Desire L measures 128 x 66.9 x 8.9mm and is quite light at 118 grams. The smartphone draws its juice from a 1800mAh battery. While the total internal storage is just 4GB, it's user expandable via the microSD card slot.

   
HTC Desire L official photos

HTC has equipped the Desire L with a 5MP f/2.0 autofocus camera with BSI sensor. It's capable of recording 720p video and is coupled with LED flash.

It's unknown whether the HTC Desire L will leave the Taiwan borders just yet. Pricing also remains anyone's guess at this point.

ZTE's Tegra 4 powerhouse has impressive spec sheet leaked

We already knew that ZTE will be the first to stick Nivida's Tegra 4 processor in a smartphone, but now we may know which phone that will be - the ZTE N988.

According to GSM Insider the N988 has taken a stroll through the Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center MIIT in China, where it apparently gained the necessary approvals to be unleashed on the general public.

The ZTE N988 is claimed to pack a 5.7-inch display with a 1280 x 720 resolution, 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM and comes running Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2.

Wafer thin

Round the back appears to be a 13MP camera and a single LED flash, and the N988 is reportedly a svelte 6.9mm thick and weighs a feather-light 110g - which would make it lighter than the iPhone 5.

Credit: GSM Insider

We've also been given a glimpse of the upcoming handset thanks to an image appearing alongside the leaked specifications, revealing the N988 will likely sport a design similar to that of the firm's flagship Grand S.

With such a large screen and powerful innards the N988 would see itself go up against the likes of the Sony Xperia Z, HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 as well as challenging the likes of the Galaxy Note 2 and Ascend Matein the super-sized phone category.

There's currently no word on a potential N988 release date or price, but ZTE said it expected its first Tegra 4 handset to be on sale by July 2013 - so watch this space.

Forget the figures – the Chromebook is still the future

I should start this by saying that I don't own a Chromebook. But the more time that passes, the more I'm convinced that I should. I've played with a few, followed the development since the embryonic rumour stages, and have generally been a fan of the Chromebook since its launch. I just haven't taken the leap yet. But the gap is closing.

I've been a Macbook user for about five years. Since moving over from Windows, I haven't looked back. That was a small jump in itself that brought plenty of benefits. And while the leap between my Mac and a potential Chromebook would be larger, I know the benefits would be greater still.

Today we reported some (unofficial) stats which show that just 0.02 per cent of overall web traffic is coming from Chromebooks right now. Obviously that's not an encouraging number, but it's hardly a surprising one either.

People just aren't ready to take a leap of faith. It's difficult to blame anyone - the market is rapidly changing shape and PC sales are in rapid decline. But while Microsoft tries to get a hold on the the changing times, Google has slipped free and taken the initiative. And the time is coming when the Chromebook approach will make perfect sense.

The browser is king

The biggest appeal of the Chromebook for me is also the feature that seems to terrify most people – an eternal reliance on an internet browser.

The Chromebook is, and always has been, pegged as ahead of its time. The idea of hosting and accessing all our programs and documents online gives many people the heebie-jeebies. "But what if I lose my internet connection?" you cry. "None of my data is be safe!" you shout.

But it's only scary until you really break down the facts. The truth is that most of our computer time is now spent in the browser, while I rarely find myself using my laptop without an internet connection.

Google's main mistake with the Chromebook was its timing in that not everyone has a decent internet connection. But we're moving closer to a point where almost everything will be done online, and when the Chromebook has 4G connectivity as standard it will be laughing.

4G will is key for the Chromebook to take off. The first 4G LTE versions of the Pixel are available in the US and hopefully we'll see this continue to grow. At this point, the issue of Internet connectivity will be no more of a problem than it is for our smartphones - but the benefits will continue to be huge.

Installation times? Boot-up times? All a thing of the past and with all the bloat trimmed away. The browser experience is a lot better now, and as we use native software less and less the Chromebook approach is starting to feel more and more relevant.

And if I lose my connection half way through my work then it doesn't matter. With everything syncing in real time, everything I do is stored on the Cloud. Problem solved.

As for those who really need offline, the recent update that allows for offline editing of Google Docs is a way of solving this problem. But Google shouldn't go the whole hog; it needs to remain patient that the all-in-browser experience will soon rule supreme.

As someone who has moved from iTunes to Spotify, and from Microsoft Office to Google Docs, it seems that almost the entirety of my online experience is done through Google Chrome anyway. The next logical step seems obvious.

Paranoid Android

Google could potentially (as it's been rumoured) bring Android OS to the Chromebook now that Android and Chrome are working under the same roof - but there's no real calling for it to do so.

As long as we have nice seamless integration between the two then all will be fine, and Schmidt says that there will be a continued overlap. Sure,Chrome OS still has its faults, but Google will continue to weed these out.

And when it comes to design, the Chromebook Pixel was where Google showed it was really serious. The netbook packs a 12.85-inch display which, yes, is even sharper than the Retina Display MacBook Pro.

If Google can move forward placing as much emphasis on the design as the OS experience then it will soon be difficult for people to make excuses. Google could also address the tablet issue by offering a Chromebook with a detachable keyboard, for example.

But with the addition of a keyboard and trackpad, the Chromebook is more capable than a tablet right now. That said, the Pixel is far too expensive, and without the offline functionality it becomes more difficult to shell out a hefty amount. Bring that down and the Chromebook will catch a lot more eyes.

Take the plunge

Ok, so maybe this isn't the future for everyone, but for anyone who finds themselves doing most of their work and play within the browser like myself, the Chromebook seems to be becoming an increasingly appealing option, at least for a secondary device.

And if Google does pack up the Chromebook and put it down as a failure, someone else will take the same concept and just do it their way. Either way, it's still the first to threaten everything we know, and when the idea catches on we'll look back and wonder why didn't make the jump sooner.

One day we'll reach a point where going offline becomes the exception, not the rule. And that day isn't too far off.

Siri shares all your secrets with Apple for two years

Apple has confirmed that Siri hangs on to all your voice-commanded data for two years after privacy concerns were raised.

However, Apple says the data is anonymised after six months so Apple doesn't know exactly who asked what.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller explained to Wired: "Apple may keep anonymised Siri data for up to two years. If a user turns Siri off, both identifiers are deleted immediately along with any associated data."

Traitor

When you speak to Siri, it squirrels your voice data off to Apple so the company can analyse it - but associates it with a randomly generated identifying number rather than your Apple user ID or your email address.

After six months, your data files are disconnected from this random number, and after another eighteen months the voice file is deleted.

The company says it uses your voice data to test features and make upgrades - but if you've been telling Siri all your secret hopes and fears (or just revealing your otherwise-hidden love for fried chicken or something more embarrassing) then it may come as a shock to know that some Apple engineer could have listened in.

Siri is only just now approaching its second birthday, so everything you've ever confided in it is still accessible.

Surface 2 release date, news and rumors

We're fans of Surface on TechRadar, even if we think that Surface Pro is too expensive and Surface RT is too limited.

We already know that Microsoft is working on future models of its Surface tablet beyond the Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro that came out in January, thanks to job adverts revealing the kinds of experts Microsoft is hiring.

Microsoft Surface versions and release date

The latest rumours say that a new model of Surface, called Surface Plus, will be available. It could be a whole range of devices rather than just a new tablet. But what will Microsoft add to Surface to keep competing with the iPad?

According to the latest rumours, Microsoft's next batch of Surface tablets will include a 7-inch edition, which will go up against the Google Nexus 7 andiPad mini and which will be available before Christmas.

We heard back in November that a new Xbox Surface could be on the cards and this could also be the 7-inch ARM-based tablet we're hearing about in these new rumours.

Microsoft confirmed in its earnings call in mid-April that there would be smaller Windows 8 touch devices, though it was unclear whether the company meant smaller Surface tablets or ones from other vendors.

New Surface specification

We could definitely see newer technologies in a forthcoming Surface, including NFC and LTE as well as, potentially, wireless charging.

And we're still hoping that Microsoft will be one of the first tablet makers to use the new high-speed, low-power 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, especially as even the first Surface model has twin antennas.

Surface Pro battery life

A big problem with the existing Surface Pro appears to be battery life, with around four hours reported for most. That's about half the battery life of Surface RT and the iPad, but while you might not be too surprised considering the Intel Core i5 that the Surface Pro runs, we'd point you in the direction of the six or more hours that many Ultrabooks can reach.

In a two hour AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit, head of SurfacePanos Panay talked about the Surface Pro in detail and had to defend the battery details against Redditors who suggested Panay - and fellow engineers who also appeared to be participating in the chat - were giving guarded answers drawn from marketing speak.

They had a point. Exhibit A is a key passage about the battery life and size, and the compromise that has been made. "If you compare [Surface] to say a MacBook Air, you will quickly see that pound for pound in battery size vs battery life, you will find optimizations that puts Surface best in its class.

"That said we picked a smaller battery to be sure we were able to give you the same performance and to keep it thin. This kept the weight under 2lbs. While these tradeoffs are challenges as much as they are opportunities, we think given the performance and experience you will be getting, it is an exciting product."

Put simply, the 42Wh Surface Pro battery had to be small and, while it's good for the size, there are compromises as a result.

Commenter Wiseasss wasn't appeased. "In every paragraph you insist that the computer has 'no compromises', and then turn around and talk about the compromises you made. What exactly is the difference, in your mind, between 'compromises' (which you say this product does not have) and 'tradeoffs' (which you say it does)?"

Microsoft Surface power saving

His thoughts echoed many comments that suggested the Surface Pro's battery life made it poor value up against competitor tablets and Ultrabooks. But Redditor marm0lade could see that physical size was the restriction, and that's how it had to be.

"Do you not think they are squeezing every ounce of battery life that they can get? It's a power hungry CPU with a tiny battery. But you need that CPU to be able to run desktop apps (do actual work). I have the Samsung Ativ tablet, which is running the same CPU as the Surface Pro, and I get 7 hours battery life. It, again, has a bigger screen/body which allows for a bigger battery."

You'd hope Microsoft could pack a bigger battery inside the Surface Pro, but judging by its responses here, there is precious little that will happen in the short term - it simply opted for power over longevity. After all, if it had wanted to offer a more frugal Intel solution, it would have opted for the Atom chip being used by others such as the Asus VivoTab.

Some respite was provided by the Surface engineers, who were surprisingly positive when questioned about whether an external battery could be on the way for Surface Pro. "That would require extending the design of the accessory spine to include some way to transfer higher current between the peripheral and the main battery. Which we did..."

Commenters were immediately enthusiastic. Here's Skaarg: "That response 100% sold me on the Surface. I'd been debating between the Surface Pro and other devices such as the Vaio Duo 11, Yoga 11S, etc. but knowing that an extended battery or keyboard with a battery is in the works makes me much more comfortable buying this device."

Microsoft Surface future connectivity

Panay also provided more detail about new connectors found on the Surface Pro's bottom dock, writing, "Wow - I'm pumped you caught that! We haven't announced what they are for but they aren't an accident!" he continued.

The Surface Pro's lightweight nature has meant a compromise on battery life

"At launch we talked about the 'accessory spine' and hinted at future peripherals that can click in and do more. Those connectors look like can [sic] carry more current than the pogo pins, don't they?"

So as well as a powered keyboard dock (the like of which is appearing on many other Windows 8 devices, could we also see other peripherals appear such as a battery pack or full dock? Only time will tell.

Surface Pro storage issues

Storage space - or lack of - was also a bone of contention during the AMA. According to Microsoft recently, the base model Surface Pro with 64GB of storage only comes with 23GB of free storage. That means Windows 8 Pro and whatever other default programs and apps come loaded on the tablet will leave just 36 per cent of the drive open for users.

The 128GB model fares better, with 85GB (64.8 per cent) of the storage space left open for people to use. The Surface RT also went through some similar memory troubles. The 32GB Surface RT included just 16GB of storage when it arrived, and the 64GB version allowed users to work with 46GB of space.

Over the course of many tens of comments, Redditers were highly critical of the amount of space used up, comparing the device to others where free space was not as cited, but was still a smaller proportion of the storage space (the iPad or an Android tablet, for example).

Sag969 suggested they should have "cancelled the 64 GB model, sold the 128 GB model at $899 with no keyboard and the 128 GB model at $999 with a touch OR type cover" to alleviate the storage issues but still hit a reasonable price point.

Surface Pro ships with a pen, unlike Surface RT

An interesting titbit was revealed in the talk – that Office 2013 is actually pre-installed on Surface Pro - you just have to activate it. Asked if this was the case, the Surface team replied "Yes, that's exactly what it means :)."

On the 128GB version, the drive is formatted to 119 binary GB of which 89 GB is available. 10.4GB of that is taken up by Windows, while there's 2.3GB of Office 2013.

7.8 of those can be freed up by using the built-in tool to move the recovery data to a USB drive.

The Surface team unsurprisingly suggested that the answer to a lack of storage lay with extending space via the memory card slot, plugging in an external drive or using SkyDrive adding, "Windows does provide tools that allow you to free space by easily removing applications you are not using as well as move the recovery image to a USB thumbdrive."

Surface RT remains a compromised experience

"We decided to ship a Pro 64GB sku as it provides full Windows 8 and enough storage for a number of large application installs. It also provides you flexibility to extend storage should you need. If you plan to carry more personal items with you locally, our 128GB may be the better option for you."

"Available disk space is a design choice and a tough one to make as an engineering team," said the engineer, saying it was the result of "a clear set of tradeoffs to provide the customer more space while providing them the tools out of the box".

"There has [sic] also been questions about why including the recovery image by default. Ideally, you will never need your recovery image, however this is a choice we would prefer the customer to make vs. having the customer need the recovery image not realizing they needed to create one themselves."

Microsoft Surface display issues

During the chat the Surface team also cleared up how it came to ship the Surface Pro after RT. And the answer is surprisingly simple: "We started the Pro 3 months after we started Surface RT :-) That is exactly when we staffed the team to go and bring this product to life."

The final point of interest from the AMA concerned the 1920 × 1080 ClearType display that comes with the Surface Pro. Primarily because Windows has been, well, a bit poor with 72dpi+ displays in the past.

As we've used an HD Asus Zenbook Prime with Windows 8 before, we can confirm that Windows 8 can play ball in this area, but the Surface Pro is reportedly not too good with this. But Windows 8 also can't scale differently on two displays, which is a problem for some.

About this, the Surface team said: "The Windows team is aggressively working on this feature to fix this for all high resolution Windows devices. We don't have a date yet to share, so sorry. But in the meantime here are some things I do to maximize my external monitor experience."

Surface Pro features an HD display

Ed from the Surface hardware development team also commented that DisplayPort on Surface Pro can drive an external monitor with resolutions up to 2560 x 1600p: "We wanted to give the most flexibility with monitors available today, and generally speaking most HDMI monitors are limited to 1080p." Microsoft has also published a separate engineering briefing on the Surface's display.

Naturally Microsoft will be working to fix these limitations, and it will be extremely interesting to see how Surface Pro performs in the market. After all, it's an extremely capable device by any metric, but while it isn't as powerful as many laptops, it is more expensive than them. It's also isn't as energy frugal and is more expensive than many tablets. Can Microsoft make it work? Or has the Surface RT just confused things? Roll on Surface 2.

While we wait for more Surface 2 information to leak or be officially announced, we've put together our Surface 2 wishlist...

Many users would like to see Surface get more powerful.

It's unlikely that we'll ever be able to run any desktop apps apart from Office on any ARM-based Surface, because they would reduce the battery life so much. But we'd like to see more storage, an even higher screen resolution on the already-impressive screen – and the active pen from Surface Pro.

After all, Windows RT has excellent handwriting recognition and you can write notes in both the desktop version of OneNote and the OneNote for Windows 8 app that's free in the Windows Store.

But doing that with a capacitive pen (or, worse still, your finger) is awkward, because you can't rest your hand on the screen while you're writing, and the ink isn't as smooth as with an active pen.

The digitizer for an active pen would put the price up and maybe use a little more battery life, so we're not that hopeful.

We'd like to see NFC in Surface Plus as well. It's not that you'd tap a full-sized tablet on an NFC reader to use it as a credit card or train ticket, but it would be ideal for pairing peripherals like a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard with Surface – given that Windows RT is one of the few tablet operating systems that can work with lots of different peripherals.

The fast charging in the Surface is why it needs a full power adapter, rather than just a USB cable, to charge from; you get a full charge in just a couple of hours.

We want to see Microsoft licence the magnetic power tip to accessory manufacturers so they can put it on chargers that work with lots of different devices or on external battery packs.

But we'd also like to see the same wireless charging the Nokia 920 has in Surface Plus, so you could put it on a charging spot rather than fiddling with the power cable at all.

Take it a step further and you could use your Surface Plus to wirelessly charge your phone as well. (Fulton Innovations, one of the companies behind wireless charging, has promised to demonstrate charging a phone wirelessly from a tablet at CES 2013, although we doubt it will be a Surface.)

Impressive as the Touch Cover is, we'd like to see a wider range of keyboards to click onto the Surface; how about a gaming keyboard with custom buttons?

Talking of Touch Cover, it ought to be possible to have indicators on the Caps and Mute buttons to see when you have them turned on.

What we really expect is to see more colours of Touch Cover, perhaps using the same designs as the Artist Edition mice Microsoft produces.

Most of the rumours about Surface Plus suggest that it will be a range of devices with different size screens.

If what we're hearing about the scale of the manufacturing capability Microsoft has invested in is true (including the suggestion that Microsoft is putting together its own logistics service based in the far east to ship Surfaces around the world, which would explain several job postings on the Microsoft careers site for worldwide logistics experts), it makes sense for Surface Plus to be more than a single model.

Assuming that comes out in autumn 2013, we'd expect to see the first Surface Plus models at the same time – perhaps a 7 or 8" tablet optimized for web browsing and reading ebooks to compete with the iPad Mini.

That could finally make sense of Microsoft's joint venture with Nook makers Barnes and Noble.

Another rumour suggests an Xbox-branded gaming Surface to go with the new Xbox that we might finally see in 2013, perhaps with upgraded graphics so you can play more powerful games (which might help explain the senior imaging engineer position Microsoft is recruiting for to "develop the best video quality" and "improve overall display quality").

That would take advantage of the Xbox SmartGlass remote control app in Windows 8 and RT, as well as the Xbox LIVE integration.

To keep the price down, it might come without Microsoft Office.

There's even a rumour that Surface Plus could include something that's not a tablet at all: a 13.6" touchscreen Ultrabook. That would fit in with making Microsoft a 'devices and services' company, as well as showing the OEMs how to make quality versions of the full range of modern PC form factors that aren't weighed down by crapware, all with the same custom high-resolution, glare-free screen from the Surface.

We already know that Microsoft is working on future models of its Surfacetablet beyond the Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro that comes out in January, thanks to job adverts revealing the kinds of experts Microsoft is hiring.

The latest rumours say that Surface Plus will be a whole range of devices rather than just a new tablet. But what will Microsoft add to Surface to keep competing with the iPad?

Many users would like to see Surface get more powerful.

It's unlikely that we'll ever be able to run any desktop apps apart from Office on any ARM-based Surface, because they would reduce the battery life so much. But we'd like to see more storage, an even higher screen resolution on the already-impressive screen – and the active pen from Surface Pro.

After all, Windows RT has excellent handwriting recognition and you can write notes in both the desktop version of OneNote and the OneNote for Windows 8 app that's free in the Windows Store.

But doing that with a capacitive pen (or, worse still, your finger) is awkward, because you can't rest your hand on the screen while you're writing, and the ink isn't as smooth as with an active pen.

The digitizer for an active pen would put the price up and maybe use a little more battery life, so we're not that hopeful.

Adding LTE to the next version of Surface is more likely, now that 4G services are rolling out in more countries than just the US.

And we're still hoping that Microsoft will be one of the first tablet makers to use the new high-speed, low-power 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, especially as even the first Surface model has twin antennas.

We'd like to see NFC in Surface Plus as well. It's not that you'd tap a full-sized tablet on an NFC reader to use it as a credit card or train ticket, but it would be ideal for pairing peripherals like a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard with Surface – given that Windows RT is one of the few tablet operating systems that can work with lots of different peripherals.

The fast charging in the Surface is why it needs a full power adapter, rather than just a USB cable, to charge from; you get a full charge in just a couple of hours.

We want to see Microsoft licence the magnetic power tip to accessory manufacturers so they can put it on chargers that work with lots of different devices or on external battery packs.

But we'd also like to see the same wireless charging the Nokia 920 has in Surface Plus, so you could put it on a charging spot rather than fiddling with the power cable at all.

Take it a step further and you could use your Surface Plus to wirelessly charge your phone as well. (Fulton Innovations, one of the companies behind wireless charging, has promised to demonstrate charging a phone wirelessly from a tablet at CES 2013, although we doubt it will be a Surface.)

Impressive as the Touch Cover is, we'd like to see a wider range of keyboards to click onto the Surface; how about a gaming keyboard with custom buttons?

Talking of Touch Cover, it ought to be possible to have indicators on the Caps and Mute buttons to see when you have them turned on.

What we really expect is to see more colours of Touch Cover, perhaps using the same designs as the Artist Edition mice Microsoft produces.

Most of the rumours about Surface Plus suggest that it will be a range of devices with different size screens.

If what we're hearing about the scale of the manufacturing capability Microsoft has invested in is true (including the suggestion that Microsoft is putting together its own logistics service based in the far east to ship Surfaces around the world, which would explain several job postings on the Microsoft careers site for worldwide logistics experts), it makes sense for Surface Plus to be more than a single model.

We've been predicting for a while that there will be new versions of Windows and Windows RT every year; the first update seems to be going by the codename Blue.

Assuming that comes out in autumn 2013, we'd expect to see the first Surface Plus models at the same time – perhaps a 7 or 8" tablet optimized for web browsing and reading ebooks to compete with the iPad Mini.

That could finally make sense of Microsoft's joint venture with Nook makers Barnes and Noble.

Another rumour suggests an Xbox-branded gaming Surface to go with the new Xbox that we might finally see in 2013, perhaps with upgraded graphics so you can play more powerful games (which might help explain the senior imaging engineer position Microsoft is recruiting for to "develop the best video quality" and "improve overall display quality").

That would take advantage of the Xbox SmartGlass remote control app in Windows 8 and RT, as well as the Xbox LIVE integration.

To keep the price down, it might come without Microsoft Office.

There's even a rumour that Surface Plus could include something that's not a tablet at all: a 13.6" touchscreen Ultrabook. That would fit in with making Microsoft a 'devices and services' company, as well as showing the OEMs how to make quality versions of the full range of modern PC form factors that aren't weighed down by crapware, all with the same custom high-resolution, glare-free screen from the Surface.

Microsoft says with E3 coming, it looks forward to 'sharing more shortly'

Microsoft may have let slip when it will reveal the new Xbox, or at least some Xbox-related goodies.

During its investor earnings call today, outgoing Microsoft CFO Peter Klein talked up the popularity of Xbox and Xbox Live before saying, "with E3 only a couple of months away, we look forward to sharing more shortly."

Klein spent more time talking about Xbox Live than actual Xbox hardware, so it's hard to tell whether his words were a veiled hardware or software reference, but they were nonetheless very intriguing.

There's been expectation that the Xbox 720 would have its own launch event, and this could certainly still be the case, but perhaps Klein wanted to leave with a wink towards where and when we'll see the upcoming console or features that will be integral to it.

The possibilities

We might also see the so-called Xbox Mini and/or a host of new Xbox Live features at E3, so the CFO has definitely given us a reason to pay attention during the conference (not that we weren't going to already, but you know what we mean).

Klein spoke about the Xbox being at the center of the company's living room strategy, with Xbox Live serving as a way not only to play games but to access a host of entertainment options.

"Consumers continue to be drawn to Xbox Live," Klein said. "It now has 46 million members, up 18 percent from the prior year. Clearly, there is a lot of momentum."

With recent rumors we've heard that the new Xbox will be able to take over a TV signal and become a sort of set-top box, Klein's comments could point at just such a feature.

TechRadar will continue to keep its ear to the ground for all the latest Xbox 720 news, and we'll be at E3 en masse, so stay tuned for all the latest.

Stats point to Chromebook failure

Some first usage figures for the Chromebook have surfaced, suggesting that Google's netbook has failed to resonate in the post-PC age.

NetMarketShare reported that during the first week of monitoring Chomebook web activity, only 0.02 per cent of overall traffic came from the Google OS system.

The Chromebook first began shipping in June 2011, with talk that it would see off Windows and shake up the post-PC market. But it looks like the device might have hit at the wrong time, with the netbook category ailing rapidly.

But wait…

However, this might not be the whole story. Stephen Baker, industry analyst with the NPG Group in the US, told PCWorld that despite these poor figures the Chromebook still owns over 20 per cent of clamshell notebook sales below $300 (£195/AUS$290).

"In terms of sales volume, we have been extremely impressed with how the new Chromebooks are doing at retail," he said. "It's selling at a pretty decent rate for a product that retailers have been reluctant to support."

So is it or isn't it? The Chromebook's internet-only approach has been very divisive, with the popular belief that the device is still too ahead of its time. Perhaps when we finally find ourselves in a world of constant internet access, the Chromebook might not seem such a bad idea to a lot of people.

We've contacted Google to ask them to comment on this information and will update as and when we hear more.