We reviewed the Cr-48 back in December, finding a notebook with plenty of promise but falling short of the functionality that even browser-centric users are reliant on. Chrome OS’ premise is that mainstream users can do most of their work using cloud-based storage and apps.

However, the occasionally sluggish performance and underwhelming graphics of the Cr-48 soured first impressions. Google has apparently addressed some of these things in this new update; the full list is below:

• 3G modem activation fixes
• 3G connection to the carrier fixes
• Wi-Fi connectivity/Out of the Box fixes
• New trackpad and sensitivity setting adjusted
• Auto update engine and debugging improvements
• Power optimizations
• GTalk video/chat optimizations
• Audio CPU utilization improvements
• Improved on screen indicators: brightness, network status, update icon

[via TechCrunch]

There are a few drawbacks at this stage, one of which being that no log of data usage will be stored, unlike with the native Verizon CDMA/EVDO Rev.A connection. That might make it easy to go over your data limits each month. Full instructions here.

Exact details of the Android install are unknown, so we don’t know exactly what’s running and what isn’t at present. Since the Cr-48 lacks a touchscreen, control will have to be done via the trackpad; as we saw on the Toshiba AC100 that’s not ideal.

[via Android Community]

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
Android Community Google Cr-48 Giveaway Winners Announced! [WOWIE WINNERS]
Ben Heck cobbles up portable PS3 mod [WANT]
FCC Net Neutrality Vote Commented on by Verizon, Steve Wozniak, and More [WOZ]
Notion Ink sells out of Adam [IIINK]
Notion Ink Adam’s custom Mail’d email app gets video demo [MAIIIL]

SlashPhone
T-Mobile Ranked the Fastest Network Performance in Top 100 Markets
World’s Biggest iPhone Consists of 56 iPads Packed Together Lands in London
Palm Pre 2 Hit Rogers For CAD $99

Android Community
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play to be PlayStation gaming phone?
CasaTunes offers first Android app for controlling multi-room music
Android users can get app for annual ball drop in Times Square
Dell 7-inch Streak gets name-check on Vaja case site
RadioShack offers $99 Evo 4G and more this week
Viewsonic denies GTablet hardware defects; promises software fix this week
Notion Ink sells out of Adam as pre-orders snapped up
Android Community Google Cr-48 Giveaway Winners Announced!
HTC Desire HD Heading to Saudi Arabia
Sprint 4G Now Available in San Francisco and Surround Areas
Motorola Launches Tablet Teaser Site With Countdown
AOSP Based Gingerbread ROM Running on the DROID Incredible
Root Your Nexus S Easily With Superboot
iGloLEDset Android-controlled multicolor Christmas lights released [Video]
Notion Ink Demos Adam’s custom Mail’d App [Video]
HTC Desire HD Heading to Saudi Arabia
HTC Incredible HD AKA HTC Mecha Pictured?
Verizon Confirms Plans for a Motorola LTE Device in 2011

SlashGear
Pixel Qi & CPT partner to boost transflective display production; 7-inch due in Q2 2011
Apple TV to break 1m sales mark before Christmas
3DMark 11 gets an update to version 1.01
Pioneer offers new white CDJ-350 and DJM-350 DJ gear
Ben Heck cobbles up portable PS3 mod
Haxor hacks AirPlay to run on XBMC Linux rig
Evo 4G for $99 at RadioShack and more deals this week
Gynormous Kno dual screen and single screen tablets ship today
Apple prunes WikiLeaks app from App Store
Nexus One getting Gingerbread in coming weeks
Motz Tiny Wooden Power Speaker isn’t made by Geppetto
Smartfish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser mouse has an interesting design
Notion Ink Adam pre-orders sell out
Trendnet unveils new 450Mbps Wireless N access point
Acer, ASUS & Lenovo Sandy Bridge ultraportables to borrow MacBook Air display design?
T-Mobile HSPA+ 4G mobile hotspot due Feb 2011
Viewsonic GTablet sales yank blamed on Android/Tegra/Flash “user experience”
Apple takes on Adobe Flash with free iAd Producer tool
Porn ban “technically not possible” warn ISPs
SEC investigating ex-HP Mark Hurd over insider info & expenses allegations
Gmail Google Voice calls free through 2011 for US users
Apple TV HD download problems caused by Google DNS?
Apple shuttering OS X Download site on Jan 6 as Mac App Store takes over
No Hulu Plus or Netflix for Cable TiVo DVRs
SlashGear Google Cr-48 Giveaway WINNERS ANNOUNCED! [WIN WIN WINNERS]
Google Cr-48 Chrome OS notebook [REVIEW]
Over 1.5m Windows Phone 7 sales in first 6 weeks confirms Microsoft
EA 99 cent game promotion wins them 8/10 in the iTunes chart
Roku sales doubled as Apple TV brought halo effect to streaming media
Verizon LTE SIM-lock potential could dampen 4G fun
Microsoft to Announce an ARM Processor Compatible Version of Windows OS
Lonely Planet Gives Several City Guide Apps Away Free During 2010 Holiday Season
Unnamed Sony VAIO tablet PC Found at FCC
iPad is the New Christ
Amazon Likely to Break 8 Million Kindle Units Sold This Year
FCC Net Neutrality Vote Commented on by Verizon, Steve Wozniak, and More
PalmPad Tablet on the Horizon from HP, New WebOS Inside, Hardware Like iPad
Most Terrifying iPhone Cover EVER Released
Motorola Starts Countdown until Tablet, says “Ready to Skip a Generation?”
Israeli Hospital Using Apple iPad to Help Treat Patients with Help of Microsoft’s Chameleon
Two Top-Down Monster Murdering Apps Applying for Mac App Store Acceptance Soon
Tegra 2 Isn’t Enough [COLUMN]
Notion Ink Adam’s custom Mail’d email app gets video demo
Viliv X7 & X10 Android tablets and X70 Windows 7 slate due at CES 2011

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
Android Community Google Cr-48 Giveaway Winners Announced! [WOWIE WINNERS]
Ben Heck cobbles up portable PS3 mod [WANT]

SlashPhone
T-Mobile Ranked the Fastest Network Performance in Top 100 Markets
World’s Biggest iPhone Consists of 56 iPads Packed Together Lands in London
Palm Pre 2 Hit Rogers For CAD $99

Android Community
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play to be PlayStation gaming phone?
CasaTunes offers first Android app for controlling multi-room music
Android users can get app for annual ball drop in Times Square
Dell 7-inch Streak gets name-check on Vaja case site
RadioShack offers $99 Evo 4G and more this week
Viewsonic denies GTablet hardware defects; promises software fix this week
Notion Ink sells out of Adam as pre-orders snapped up
Android Community Google Cr-48 Giveaway Winners Announced!
HTC Desire HD Heading to Saudi Arabia

SlashGear
Pixel Qi & CPT partner to boost transflective display production; 7-inch due in Q2 2011
Apple TV to break 1m sales mark before Christmas
3DMark 11 gets an update to version 1.01
Pioneer offers new white CDJ-350 and DJM-350 DJ gear
Ben Heck cobbles up portable PS3 mod
Haxor hacks AirPlay to run on XBMC Linux rig
Evo 4G for $99 at RadioShack and more deals this week
Gynormous Kno dual screen and single screen tablets ship today
Apple prunes WikiLeaks app from App Store
Nexus One getting Gingerbread in coming weeks
Motz Tiny Wooden Power Speaker isn’t made by Geppetto
Smartfish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser mouse has an interesting design
Notion Ink Adam pre-orders sell out
Trendnet unveils new 450Mbps Wireless N access point
Acer, ASUS & Lenovo Sandy Bridge ultraportables to borrow MacBook Air display design?
T-Mobile HSPA+ 4G mobile hotspot due Feb 2011
Viewsonic GTablet sales yank blamed on Android/Tegra/Flash “user experience”
Apple takes on Adobe Flash with free iAd Producer tool
Porn ban “technically not possible” warn ISPs
SEC investigating ex-HP Mark Hurd over insider info & expenses allegations
Gmail Google Voice calls free through 2011 for US users
Apple TV HD download problems caused by Google DNS?
Apple shuttering OS X Download site on Jan 6 as Mac App Store takes over
No Hulu Plus or Netflix for Cable TiVo DVRs
SlashGear Google Cr-48 Giveaway WINNERS ANNOUNCED! [WIN WIN WINNERS]
Google Cr-48 Chrome OS notebook [REVIEW]
Over 1.5m Windows Phone 7 sales in first 6 weeks confirms Microsoft
EA 99 cent game promotion wins them 8/10 in the iTunes chart
Roku sales doubled as Apple TV brought halo effect to streaming media
Verizon LTE SIM-lock potential could dampen 4G fun

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

First there was Tom Yu!
then there was Anthony Domanico!
directly after that there was A.Plotko!
several hours later there was Tiffany Craun!
and finally there was Richard Heck!

We’d like to thank everyone on behalf of SlashGear, our friends at Android Community, and our friends at Google! We hope you had a rock and roll electronic good time entering the contest, finding us on Facebook, pumping up the links up on Twitter, all that fun stuff, and hope that you’ll stick around while we wind up the cranks and get the cannons ready for the next folly, because we’ve got more giveaways around the bend!

Get entering as fast as you can!

To enter this contest, you’ve only to do a couple things: first, sign up as a fan of our SlashGear Facebook page, then two, share the link to this competition on your Facebook wall with a post saying why you’d like to have a Cr-48 notebook for your very own.

We’ll draw the first SlashGear winner at random on Thursday December 16 2010 at midnight PST, the second on Friday December 17 at midnight PST, and the third on Sunday December 19 at midnight PST. Unfortunately, due to the terms of Google’s pilot scheme, only US entrants can be accepted. Good luck! ALSO remember that if you don’t win the first time, you’ll still be eligible for the next!

Rules:

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check). Winners of the SlashGear Cr-48 giveaway are ineligible to win the Android Community Cr-48 giveaway, and vice-versa.

Prize consists of three Google Cr-48 notebooks to be shared between three winners. There is no cash alternative. Should this prize become unavailable, SlashGear and Google reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
Google Launches Nexus S Into Space to Test Sensors at 30,000+ meters [BYE BYE]
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg named TIME’s Person of the Year 2010 [ZUCKERBERRRRRRRG!]
FBI backdoors in OpenBSD claims covert coder [RUH ROH]
Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon cleats & Pro Combat Uniforms debut [GEEEEAR]
Fossil watch concept uses Bluetooth to pull info from your smartphone [LOOK FAMILIAR?]

Android Community
GMail Creator Predicts Android Will Eventually Kill Chrome OS
Honeycomb Won’t Require Physical Buttons, Home and Navigation Built into the UI
Google Launches Nexus S Into Space to Test Sensors at 30,000+ meters
HTC LTE handsets coming H2 2011, Mecha anyone?
Broadcom outs new Android platform for mass-market smartphones
O2 Dell Streak Froyo update releasing today
Andy Rubin at D: Dive Into Mobile Interview Video Available Now
Swiftkey Updated, 5 new languages and HD skin included

SlashGear
CrucialTec ultra-slim Optical TrackPad wants your finger
Apple GPU supplier Imagination promise “cinema quality 3D” after ray-tracing acquisition
Gigabyte and SOYO AMD Zacate mainboards leak
Quik Pod gets longer and works with DSLR cameras
Sanyo PLC-HF1500L large venue projector has 15K lumens
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg named TIME’s Person of the Year 2010
HTC LTE smartphones inbound for second half of 2011
The Convergence Con [COLUMN]
Notion Ink Adam pre-order status slips to mid-January 2011 [Update: only 50 customers affected]
Smartphone Coasters hold your smartphone up on the cheap
Silicon Power debuts tiny microSD card reader
Fossil watch concept uses Bluetooth to pull info from your smartphone
Verizon iPhone sales will come mostly at AT&T’s expense says analyst
MIC Store unveils 3-in-1 iPad Camera Connection Kit
Urbanears Tanto headphones get better
Broadcom outs new Android smartphone platform
AirPlayer opens Macs to AirPlay streaming from iOS [Video]
XFX outs new HD 6970 and HD 6950 video cards
FBI backdoors in OpenBSD claims covert coder
Apple TV 4.1.1 update fixes picture problems & download errors
VIA EPIA-P830 Pico-ITX board promises 1080p HD in tiny footprint
Three pushes true unlimited data on refreshed The One Plan
Pioneer BDR-206MBK BDXL burner is $199 world’s first
Novatel MiFi 4082 WiMAX mobile hotspot clears FCC
Toshiba denies Apple Retina Display plant investment
Facebook for Android updated: Chat and push notifications
AMD Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 get official
Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon cleats & Pro Combat Uniforms debut
Facebook Maps the World via Social Networking Relationships
HP ENVY 17 3D Laptop Hands-On and Unboxing [FEATURED]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

To take part, all you have to do is sign up as a fan of the SlashGear Facebook page, and share the link to this competition on your Facebook wall with a post saying why you want a Cr-48 notebook. Remember, Google is pushing their cloud apps in a big way with Chrome OS, and the Cr-48 is all about cutting ties and going mobile.

We’ll draw the first SlashGear winner at random on Thursday December 16 2010 at midnight PST, the second on Friday December 17 at midnight PST, and the third on Sunday December 19 at midnight PST. Unfortunately, due to the terms of Google’s pilot scheme, only US entrants can be accepted. Good luck!

Rules:

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check). Winners of the SlashGear Cr-48 giveaway are ineligible to win the Android Community Cr-48 giveaway, and vice-versa.

The winners will be announced on SlashGear and contacted via email; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Google and SlashGear.

Prize consists of three Google Cr-48 notebooks to be shared between three winners. There is no cash alternative. Should this prize become unavailable, SlashGear and Google reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

In my column last Friday I started a debate about the fate of netbooks as I predicted the death of the netbook category. I appreciate all who commented on that column for contributing to the discussion. I ended the column pointing out that if the definition of the netbook is no longer valid, then what are we to call the Chrome OS notebook?

First of all, Google is being very intentional in not calling it a netbook. Yet, by the original definition of a netbook and by the definition held by many others, that is exactly what this device is. So why isn’t Google, Intel or others who are a part of this Chrome OS notebook calling it a netbook if, by the accepted definition, that is exactly what it is?

I believe the reason is for Google and many others this 12-inch notebook running Google’s Chrome browser operating system represents where computing is heading in the future. This new world of computing is executed within the browser where there is no longer a need for localized software that needs to be “installed” and then executed by the OS.

At the Chrome event I attended last week the point was made on stage that “everything” you can do with local software can be done in the cloud through the browser. In concept that is true to a degree and will most likely become even more true in the future.

After using the CR-48 for several days and trying to accomplish normal and everyday work tasks I concluded that the entire experience is way to early to judge or to compare. So that leaves us to think about what it could be rather than what it currently is.

Can it be a Notebook?

Those of us who use PCs everyday are still used to relying on a handful of local applications on a regular basis. Using your email client, instant messenger, collaboration software, photo or video editor, word editor of choice, etc is all a part of how you the consumer have customized your computer to do all the things you want it to do.

For this world to exist in a Chrome OS notebook, every single software application that exists today – and every future one that may be developed – would need to be available as a browser-only application as well. Let’s take e-mail for example.

It is absolutely correct that it’s possible to check my e-mail online through the browser. That, however, does not mean that it is my preferred way to check or respond to e-mail. In fact, the online experience with my Exchange server pales in comparison to the email application I use by choice. Many of the applications I use are because I have selected them as the ones most important for my computing experience. None of those applications can be accessed or used through the browser only.

Now, perhaps the point can be made that mainstream consumers do the vast majority of their computing tasks online through the browser, like e-mail etc. However, the success of a browser-only computer will come down to consumer choice being available for the applications they prefer. It will again come down to how much software or “apps” are available.

Lastly, one of the more interesting things if this world comes true is that it won’t be unique to Google or their Chrome OS notebook. If the browser becomes the software platform on which computing takes place, then anyone who make a browser can compete. Maybe even more importantly, the Internet becomes the platform on which computing takes place and that raises an entirely new set of interesting questions.

What do you think the Chrome OS notebook is?

Video destruction after the cut

There’s also death by burning – including a craftily toasted marshmallow – and the liberal application of ice cream to the 12.1-inch ultraportable. All very tongue-in-cheek, but it does give Chrome UX designer Glen Murphy an opportunity to highlight how handy it can be when all your documents are safe on some remote server.

An Engadget tipster, meanwhile, sent them in some rather more useful teardown shots (we’re guessing they were motivated by actually wanting to reassemble their Chrome OS notebook afterward). If you’re looking on in horror and thinking that you could’ve put a Cr-48 to better use, then stay tuned to SlashGear; we’ve got some interesting news later on today.

According to Kessler, “the build quality on the Cr-48 is mostly great, all rubberized plastic but the damn battery doesn’t sit flush with the bottom.” Google has purposefully left the 12.1-inch notebook generally unmarked and logo-free, targeting it solely at pilot users while commercial variants from Acer and Samsung are expected in mid-2011.

Previous leaks have suggested that Google ordered around 60,000 Cr-48 notebooks from OEM/ODM Inventec, though the search giant has warned that stocks are limited and not everybody who applies will be successful. The online application process is in part a test to see how web-centric your daily PC activities are, important given the cloud-nature of the Cr-48.

Kessler isn’t the only person to have received a Cr-48, with a quick Twitter search turning up at least two others claiming to have taken delivery today.

[Thanks Tony!]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
iPad 2 Launching in the “Next 100 Days”
AT&T Branding Appeared on Nokia X7 Leak Pictures
Samsung Announces Winners of Bada Developer Challenge, Winner Apps Free for a Month!

Android Community
Pre-ordering for Notion Ink’s Adam from tomorrow, December 9
Parkmobile Android app lets you pay for parking
Angry Birds Android ads make Rovio $1m per month
Motorola’s Honeycomb slate poses [Video]
HTC Knight (aka EVO Shift 4G) pictured in accessory update

SlashGear
Peel Fruit turns iPhone into show-suggesting universal remote
Notion Ink Adam pre-orders open December 9
bada Developer Challenge pays out $2.7m; 5m bada phones sold by end of 2010
IE9 anti-tracking protection measures detailed after FTC privacy pan
Verizon 3G browsing outage fixed; “technical glitch” blamed
TI OMAP4440 processor debuts: 1.5GHz dualcore, 3D 1080p and more
Barbara Kruger computerized chess set isn’t impressed by your bishop [Video]
Nokia focusing on UI dynamics for MeeGo; needs to “regain the imagination”
Speck outs DustJacket cases for iPad and Kindle 3
iPad Lock and Security Case will protect your iPad from pilferage
OnLive launches game spectating on iPad along with Windows 7 apps
Garmin creates free geocaching community called OpenCaching
PNY offers GTX 570 video card with cool game bundle
Spotify US launch in question as labels refuse licensing deals
Nica Sunrise Bluetooth headset looks like a hockey puck
Akatsuki Venus probe overshoots: next chance in 7 years
Lian Li unveils new PC-X500FX computer chassis
Samsung Gloria 10-inch Windows 7 tablet with sliding QWERTY due early 2011?
Google grabs 60,000 Cr-48 notebooks while Acer conservative on Chrome OS demand
Some Nexus S handsets will use Super Clear LCD not Super AMOLED confirms Samsung
AT&T branded Nokia X7 leaks again
iOS 4.2.1 Untethered Jailbreak gets video demo
CAPS LOCK ISN’T DEAD reassures Google on Chrome OS keyboards
Microsoft is “credible” in smartphone space claims WP7 manager; iPhone a “boulder”
BlackBerry PlayBook “best platform for the application” says Lazaridis; no QNX phones until dual-core mobile CPUs
Google Latitude for iPhone prematurely peaks into App Store
Google Chrome OS Cr-48 notebook detailed

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

There’s also an integrated Qualcomm Gobi 3G chip, for use with Verizon’s network while in the US. The carrier will bundle 100MB of free data with every Chrome OS notebook bought in the US, for 24-months, or for an extra $9.99 there’s a day’s worth of unlimited access.

If you’re happier getting online in a more ad-hoc way, there’s the usual dual-band WiFi b/g/n, plus there’s a webcam and an “oversized” trackpad. Google reckons the Cr-48 will boot in just 10 seconds, resuming from sleep almost instantly.

The Cr-48 won’t be available in retail; instead, Google is throwing open the doors to a test-drive program, offering business, education, developer, non-profit and individual users to take their web-centric lives onto Chrome OS. You can find out more details and apply here, if you’re in the US, though the search giant does warn that it only has a limited number of units to offer.

We’re expecting out Cr-48 review unit in later this week, so expect full coverage soon!