Google unveils Chrome OS

Google plans to enter the operating system market with a lightweight OS aimed at netbooks, the company has announced.

Google Chrome OS will be released to developers later this year and expects netbooks running the OS to be available in the second half of 2010.

Google plans to enter the operating system market with a lightweight OS aimed at netbooks, the company has announced.

Google Chrome OS will be released to developers later this year and expects netbooks running the OS to be available in the second half of 2010.

"Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks," said Sundar Pichai of Google.

"Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010," Pichai continued.

Google already has one operating system, Android, which is aimed at mobile phones although at least one manufacturer has said that it will use Android for a netbook.

Chrome is the name of Google's browser and the Chrome OS is another announcement that will alert Microsoft, whose Windows OS is dominant in the desktop and portable PC markets at the moment.