Tag Archives: google

Google Drive on its way? Dropbox Killer?

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Google Drive

There has been a lot of speculation lately of Google, launching its Google Drive. The online equivalent of storage. TNW is reporting through their sources, that the launch is imminent for next week. The question here is how much storage would be offered? Will it be a Dropbox killer? What will the pricing be like?

Dropbox is the market leader today! Almost everyone I know uses it. Is simple to use. Priced well, and works across multiple computers, keeping my files sync’d all the time. Effortless.

Barring Google (as a competitor) the technical innovations that Dropbox has managed to achieve, of which very few users actually know and care about, its the traction that is more important. There are others out there, with a mixed offering similar to Dropbox and offer higher or lower storage, at a price that maybe higher or lower than Dropbox. Can you off the top of your head (and by you I mean the ‘average’ Dropbox user) cite 4-5 competitors? For Google – see my comments below.

Couple of factors/viewpoints:

  1. Those already using Dropbox, see no reason to switch. Switching is easier said than done. The Argh! factor of having to upload all that data up again!
  2. Do you use it? When most of my friends and family opt for a solution, the first thing we do is ask amongst ourselves? Who uses it? If there are not many users chances are I won’t be bothered. Also, who is evangelizing within your group matters a lot! They carry influence.
  3. Dropbox to many has become the online equivalent word for online backup. Think tissue, think Kleenex. Think copier, think Xerox. Think online backup – think Dropbox (would be very hard, not impossible) to change this mindset.
  4. The 2GB and the “invite more of your friends and get more space” plays out perfectly in the market.
  5. If you’ve ever used other solutions, they are just not as simple enough as Dropbox. The damn thing just works – flawlessly! and the flawless multi-computer integration – different platforms is no less than a miracle!
  6. Price is an important factor, but it becomes secondary. May have tried to go the lower $ value per GB route, but have not taken off as one had assumed.
  7. For now, Dropbox = Cool = Reliable = Works!
  8. Who is the competition again? (that’s branding for you!

The Google Factor

To say, Dropbox will remain strong, is not correct either. They will definitely lose share to Google, should Google offer to roll out its much anticipated/rumored Google Drive (which offers 5GB of Free storage).

Pricing for Google Drive (for premium accounts) is rumored to be just about the same as Gmail’s Extended Capacity pricing:

20 GB ($5.00 USD per year)
80 GB ($20.00 USD per year)
200 GB ($50.00 USD per year)
400 GB ($100.00 USD per year)
1 TB ($256.00 USD per year)

Google Drive Leaked Image
If and this is a big if – Google matches the upgrade pricing of Gmail to that of their Google Drive, you will most likely see a mass exodus from Dropbox. That is to say, provided Google’s Drive Solution is rock-solid and multi-computer enabled.

In addition to this, Google will definitely offer the Google Drive to sync up with all Android phones and perhaps most likely with iPhones as well (something that Dropbox currently does not do).

All in all, Dropbox should be pretty okay. I think they will be forced to revise their pricing (which I doubt they will do, but more or less will increase your current hard disk storage space online).

Free Siri-Like Personal Assistants For Android Phones

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Introduction:

If you are a proud Android user who may just have been fascinated by the potential of the Siri app for Apple iOS5 like most, you are surely going to be interested in a guide that could just allow you to have atleast some features on your Android device that are..well, Siri-like. Hot off the heels of the announcement of Apple iPhone 4S, the announcement and on-stage demo of the all-new personal assistant with voice recognition features was an icing on the cake.

Yes, Siri has really made name for itself in such short timespan; yet, Android users must realize that they need not drool over iOS’s new voice-recognizing personal assistant so much-there are way too many alternatives available on Android! Definitely, you heard that right, folks. There is a wide variety of avid voice recognition options to choose from on the Android platform; although, none of those Android personal assistants able to out weigh Siri personal assistant in its potential and the way it delivers.

ApplevsAndroid

We realize how important it is for all those of us who are Apple-deprived to understand that possession of an iDevice (iPhone, iPad, any i for that matter) is not a binding upon us. So then, if Android has got what you need, what is the point of drooling over, an otherwise, foreign platform (The sheer mention of Apple probably blindfolds most of us-childish)? In light of all this, let us give you a brief run through a few of the best alternatives to iOS5′s Siri app.

Google Voice Actions

If you are an Android user, Google Voice Actions won’t be news for you (Atleast we expect so). Siri for the iPhone 4S  certainly stirred a hornet’s nest and gave most people the impression that voice actions started and finished at the Apple iOS5-Well, we think otherwise. Google Voice Actions for Android is very much a Siri-like app for Android users that enables them to place their phone calls, get turn-by-turn navigation assistance, surf the web browser, listen to their favourite songs and so much more. Oh, and if you wish you may even get some handy information on the local weather and latest news alerts only just by a simple tap the Voice Actions icon and speak your heart out.

Download it here.

Google Voice Actions

Vlingo

Nevermind if you missed Google Voice Actions as an Android user, but Vlingo is the one app that we really expect Android users to have come across atleast once in their lifetimes-reason being, it has been on the scene for quite a while now. Vlingo’s text-to-speech and speech-to-speech is the striking feature of Android’s app. Yes, it does most basics right like text messages, emails, placement of phone calls,  search the web etc. Searching for the nearest locations for, say dine-in, had never been easier before (Or was it?). Also, other applications on your Android phone can even be launched by saying their names using Vlingo. Really an app which has been one of its kind, atleast in its time, Vlingo can even be told when to start listening to you and then prompt it to register your desired commands. Perhaps not deeply integrated, Vlingo for Android still has to be the most handsfree appthat comes closest to being the Siri for Android in regards to its advanced commands.

Get Vlingo here.

Vlingo

Edwin

Edwin comes across as another useful Android app that brings speech-to-speech and voice response functionalities to the table. Yet another positive is the fact that the commands spoken by the Android user are passed through Google Voice Actions and spoken back to the user. Besides these new amenities that this Android app offers, its main strength lies in the detail to conversation that it comes equipped with (My my, isn’t technology shaping up to dominate mankind the act?). Of course, that means that if you ask Edwin for details regarding exactly where you are it won’t shy; in fact, resukts obtained would even squeeze down to the block no. you reside in (Fetch that!). If necessary, this Android app even searches the internet or, say, prompt you to open up an application/do the favours itself at times. Major downside to Edwin app is that since it doesn’t don too wide a variety of commands, it simply fails to process when it doesn’t understand a command prompt. Yes, it will be annoying at times but the fact that the Android app considers you worthy of talking back to might as well keep bringing you back to it over and over again.

Download Edwin here.

Edwin

SpeakToIt Assistant

So you Android users thought that Edwin was the only real ‘talk back to me’ personal assistant app, think again (Oh how quick you folks are at jumping to conclusions). Relatively newer and richer in its functionalities in comparison with Edwin, SpeakToIt Assistant is an Android app that not only adds a flurry of customization and configuration options to personal assistant apps on the Android platform, but it also puts on your display screen a rather curvy default cartoon librarian avatar as your personal assistant (Hopefully, that does not sound misleading). The back and forth conversational abilities and a full-fledged list of commands add a whole lot more to this personal assistant app for Android. This means, there is a real smooth learning curve attached to the app, thus it works like a charm for most. Interestingly, you can always customize and create your own assistant avatar and milk as much information as you please. Of course, just like any other app in the world, SpeakToIt Assistant is another Android app in the list of many that does not come without a few hashes here and there. A few grammatical errors and rather unnatural voice does feel a bit off; however, if you can put up with such shortcomings this Android app is sure to keep you in the groove for a good long time.

Download SpeakToIt here.

SpeakToIt Assistant

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Chrome Extensions to Enhance Your Google Plus Experience

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Introduction:

We are sure that you need no introduction to Google Plus; in fact, you are most probably loving it as much as anyone else on the face of this earth (If you’re thinking I’d be inviting you for the awesome conference call, think otherwise). There is no denying the fact that the Internet is a hub of innumerable distractions (no reference to any PG rated material here) so the use of an efficient web browser is key to maintain focus and save some valuable time in life. Although Firefox remains the preference of most, Google Chrome has certainly been amped up in regards to the many extensions it has put on offer that prove very handy in  improving browser productivity and help people organize their stream. Enough rambling for now, now let us present before you the best of Google Chrome Extensions for the all-lovable Google Plus that will definitely entice your user experience.

Google Chrome Extensions

1. Google+ Ultimate for Google Plus

Google+ Ultimate is a really useful extension for most. The usability and design of the application add to the functionality and thematic scheme of things. Yes, the extension contributes a great deal in customizing the look of Google Plus; in fact, that is the hallmark of this application in a nutshell. The first and foremost tweak made with the extension is the addition of a Brushed metallic look in the background, besides Grain and Solid Color. Perhaps, this sounds a no-use on paper; yet, it enhances the readability and contrast thereby proving to be a lot more compact that the other basic shades. The addition of fixed floating Google and Google+ navigation bar is also a handy one: it frees you of the duty to to scroll up and down to view the notifications and shares everytime. The size of media shares in the stream has also been decreased down to more ‘facebook-like’ embeds so as to free up a good amount of space.

Google+ Ultimate

2. Stream Filter BETA for Google Plus

This very extension for Google Plus will fulfil your need to avoid noise control on Google Plus. Yes, I shall be generous enough to explain noise control for you, only briefly though (Assuming here that the reader isn’t much of a noob). Well, with so many people swarming in on Google Plus and flooding your stream with all sorts of posts from all sorts of people. Now then, would you like to filter posts that do not suit your likes? Stream Filter does just that and allows you to control what you view in your stream. Keywords of choice can be conveniently included as well as excluded. In addition, the posts that are filtered can always be tracked following their disappearance.

Stream Filter

3. Stay Focusd

So, are you one of those many people who find it nearly impossible to cut down the time they spend on what are known as the time-wasting websites? Meaning thereby, less work and more time wastage (You bloody basket!). Now if you are of the view that you are too old to be scolded over issues like these, Stay Focusd provides an alternate solution to help your cause. Stay Focusd, as the name suggests, helps users a great deal in staying focussed on what’s more important ie. work and at the same time avoid being distracted. This, it does by allotting a fixed time for you to spend on those ‘time-wasting’ websites so that once you are over the time limit, it automatically blocks access to those websites for the remainder of the day. Sure, it works very well as long as you are fair and honest about it yourself, it’s only just computer technology afterall (Too bad it can’t BEAT you to it).

Stay Focusd

4. Minus One for Google Plus

We can’t term this as a Facebook rip-off simply because it is not even present on the Facebook social network; although, it would make for a great addition if it really did make an appearance. Anyway, Minus One comes across as a really simple; yet, a very interesting extension for Google Plus. In actuality, what this gives you is a Minus One button with which you have the freedom to ‘Minus One’ or, in other words, dislike people’s posts. Don’t like a comment and want the one posting to know its useless? Go tell him on his face; in fact, let the world know that with the Minus One. Only downside to the usabilty of the extension is that for all those who wish to view the ‘Minus Ones’ nee d to have Minus One installed to their systems as well. Nevertheless, a great extension to have.

Minus One

5. RSS Share for Google Plus and Google Reader

If you are regular about sharing posts on Google Plus, RSS Share is one peach of an extension for you to make use of. What it does really well is, it allows you a golden opportunity to stay up to date with ongoing events and web pages, plus share them all with a single click. The extension helps to read all your Google Reader materials. Plus, mark them as read or unread as you wish. In addition, Tree view of feeds adds to the neatness and tidiness of the layout. So then, use RSS Share for Google Plus and save the valuable moments in life (Excuse me for making that sound like a public service message).

RSS Share

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A quick review of Facebook’s New Features

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A quick run down of the new features of Facebook. If you’re a Facebook fanatic then you must’ve noticed these changed in a couple of weeks but if you’re a Google Plus fan like me, then you better checkout these new features.

 

POSTING

On top of your news feed there is the new publisher, a box where you post your status updates or share links. Some of the changes to this publisher box are:

1) Public – This was ‘Everyone’ before, now its called ‘Public’ (thanks to G+), it actually removes the confusion where everyone thought that ‘everyone’ means all of your friends, though what it really meant was, ‘Everyone including your non-friends’. Once you select a setting for a post, it will remember that and will use the same setting for the next coming updates as long as you don’t change it yourself. A good improvement regarding the security settings of Facebook.

Public and Friends Settings

2) Geotagging – does what it says, would tag your current place. If you want to add your current location either from your desktop computer or from your mobile device. It can be changed from post to post and you have the option of sharing either just a city/country or a complete address.

Geotagging in facebook

3) Tag friends – This is not a new feature but now it can be done more easily than before,  it worked like 4sqaure on mobile, you can tag your friends with check-in or by adding ‘@’ before their screen name. Now, you click on that little people icon with + on it (Google Plus has had its effects on Facebook) to tag friends. This will only tag people that you are friends with, unlike Google Plus where you can tag other people too. Keep in mind that tagging someone else will show your post on their wall too, for that check out our short tutorial ‘How To activate ‘Profile View’.

Tag your friends in posts

4)  Tag any Page – Whether you’ve ‘liked’ a page or not, you can tag it using the ‘@’ sign in your status update or any other content that you want to share. A drop down tag menu will appear as soon as you press @

5) Links – ‘How do I share a link?’. Answer to that question is that just copy/paste that link in the publisher box and it will show the preview below it. Once it has shown the preview, you can choose to remove the link from the text area and type/tag your message. This was actually a trick which worked in the previous layout with ‘Update Status’. Now it has become simpler, cleaner and more Google Plus-ish.

Preview Box and Page Tagging

6) Videos – There is no more a video button, just click the ‘Photos’ link, then ‘Add Photos’ and you’ll see an option to select the video file.

Add Photos to facebook

PHOTO VIEWER

8) The photo viewer is now white (and the “x” to close the light box has been moved farther out depending on the size of your screen!)

9) Last but not least, the ‘Privacy Settings’ has undergone biggest changes since the last update. You can view the new settings by going to the ‘Privacy Settings Page’.  We suggest you to go through the settings, especially the ‘How Tags Work’ one. Turn on the ‘Profile Preview’ and ‘Tag Review’ and Turn off the ‘Tag Suggestions’ and ‘Friends Can Check You Into Places’ for extra security.

How Tags Work in Facebook

 

Apart from that, you can now ‘Limit the Audience for Past Posts’, which will effectively change the settings for all the posts to ‘Friends’ from ‘Everyone’ status.

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Transfer to Google Chrome without worrying about Your Add-ons on Firefox

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I know that before Google Chrome’s entry into the market, Firefox was one of the most and reliable browser used out there. The one reason among all the reasons behind that, was the Add-on feature in firefox which let the user take out something more than just from its simple use. Add-ons makes browsing more easy and fun, and hence it put a question in minds of Firefox lovers that will Google Chrome give them such experience as Firefox does.

Well you don’t have to worry about all your Add-Ons on Firefox, because simply similer to the Firefox add-ons, we have Google Chrome Extensions, available on Google Chrome Webstore and they contain extensions from blogging to shopping. Today we bring you some of the extensions on Google Chrome, that you had as Add-ons on Firefox and you might start missing them once you are on Google Chrome.

Adblock+

It allows you to block/disable ads on a webpage.

Stumble it

Just stumble any page you are on, using this extension.

Gmail This

More intuitive, efficient and useful is what this extension is. It makes you go straight to a new email composing on G-Mail with the link of the webpage you are on, added already.

Lnkify

If you are on a webpage that has a long URL, well you can use this extension to shorten your URL and convert it into a hyperlink.

Socialize 

It lets you submite the page you are on, to any Social Bookmarking websites.

Video Downloader 

This add-on was one of the widely used on Firefox. It lets you download videos from any Video sharing website easily. This Downloader will also help you convert some video formats.

Google Pagerank

Use this extension when ever you want to check the Pagerank of any website you are viewing

Twitter Now

Twitter Now is a Google Chrome extension that provides an interface to the basic functionalities of Twitter. This extension which lets you tweet straight from your browser

Share on Tumblr

With this Add on you can directly share your posts or any content which you see on the web on your Tumblr account. Along with this, you can also use the extension Tumblr Dashboard.

Dictionary

This is a very helpful extension for the users, mainly bloggers and students. This extensions helps you easily search for a term or anything you wish to find the meaning of.

Google Translate

This one is an extension that I think overpowers all the previous ones. You can simply translate a whole webpage fromany language it is in, to English. This is quite a handy extension.

Delicious Bookmark

This extensions lets you access your bookmarks easily with just a click and also to save your bookmarks if you want to.

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You Can Clone Your Circles on Google+ [How to]

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In addition to all the other cool options on Google+ there is an interesting option that lets you duplicate or clone your circles.

Google+ was said to have lost traffic few days back. What can be the reason behind that? I think it has something to do with the settings and options of Google+. The settings and options Google+ provides are far better than Facebook, in my opinion, but the problem here is, that they are hidden. Nothing is revealed to the users in any media by the way. Even on Facebook, the users took four years to get a grip over the privacy settings and other options.

One interesting option that Google+ provides you is very handy. Similar to the lists we make on Facebook, we make Circles here on Google+, and its pretty easy to transfer a friend from one list to another on Facebook, and this option is hidden here on Google+. I know you would have thought that this option is not even present on Google+, but no, Google has tried to clear every problem for their users.

On Google+, we can duplicate a Circle, and make another new circle with all the people that were there in that circle, or else you can also copy some bunch of people from that circle to another. A point that I would like to add here is that I know you can transfer people from circle to circle, but that is only individually. The method that I am drafting down here lets you transfer more than one person at once, from a circle to another.

1. Open up Google+, and go to Circle’s tab.

clone goole+ circle

2. Now select the circle you want to copy, or transfer people from. Now click on ‘View Circles in Tab’.

clone goole+ circle

3. Now select the people you want to transfer to the new circle, or if you want to transfer all of them, you can select all, by expanding the options by clicking on ‘More Actions’. Now just drag down those friends on the ‘Drop here to create a new circle’.

clone goole+ circle

4. That’s it, now name the new circle and your friends are transferred.

clone goole+ circle

If you face any problem while working it out, be sure to ask us in the comments below.

We covered how-to guides related to Google+ just for your help, so that you don’t get fed up of its services. If you have missed the previous how-to guides, well here they are:

Sync Your Google+ Posts to Twitter, Facebook and Identi.Ca

Google+ Notifier Saves the Day by Popping up Notifications on Your Desktop

How To Enable Google + Sms Notifications

Disable +1 Personalization on Non-Google Sites [How To]

Disable Photo Tagging Option in Google Plus [How To]

Hide Your Friend Circles on Google+ [How To]

Now You Can Add Other Social Accounts to Google+ Profile [How To]

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Sync Your Google+ Posts to Twitter, Facebook and Identi.Ca

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Some more from the world of Google Plus while experiencing its magic with every new update and application. Along with all the extensions that I shared with you readers, I found out a Google+ user, who is now working as a system and will help you synchronise your Google+ posts to Twitter, Facebook and Identi.Ca. This new bot is known as Agent G+ as it truly acts as an agent.

Let me tell you, how to get a grip of this new bot, and to remind you, it works without any extension or software, after you once get authenticated with Agent G+. Now to get authenticated, just visite Gplus Sagg, and there, on the top-right, you will see ‘Sign in Twitter‘ and ‘Sign in Facebook‘ as well as ‘Identi.ca‘. For now I will go for twitter, and you can check out the others on your own. When you click ‘sign in twitter’, it will open up a new window and ask you to enter your username and password. On the next page an authorisation confirmation to Agent G+. After you authorize it, a code will appear( just like the one in the picture below) with some instructions.

sync google plus with twitter

So now just copy your code, and paste it on Google plus in a new post. Tag ‘Agent G+‘ alone and no one else in this post update. And for that, ofcourse you would have to follow or circle Agent G+. In a few seconds, your code will be reviewed and you will be confirmed as a user of Agent G+. Now refresh the Agent G+ website and you will a confirmation like the one in the picture below.

syng google posts with twitter

After this, now whenever you post a new post on Google Plus, just tag ‘Agent G+’ in it. Agent G+ will itself share your post on Facebook, Twitter and Identi.ca, sparing you the use of some extension all the time.

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How To Install Chromium OS on a Netbook

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Google’s Chrome OS powered netbooks are finally available in the market but there aren’t many takers because they are too overpriced and are quite limited in their use. One can easily buy a Windows powered netbook at a cheaper price or a laptop for around the same price. There are some who would like to try Chrome OS out but are put off by the price. Fortunately there is a solution available where one can easily use Chromium OS on a netbook without paying the price. Chromium OS is the slightly less polished version of the Chrome OS which is easily available over the net. If you are looking for Chrome OS you won’t be as lucky as it’s only sold on the ChromeBook.

Stuff you need

  • One netbook with compatible settings (the system has not been perfected yet as Chromium OS wont run properly on all machines). Please check this list out to see if your netbook is supported.
  • One USB Stick with a minimum of 4 GB to run the installation. (USB Stick required  because you can’t burn Chromium OS to a CD). In case if your netbook doesn’t support booting from CD you can opt for Plop Boot Manager Live CD and then boot to the USB stick from there.
  • Hexxeh’s Vanilla Chromium OS Build  (Download it via torrent or their home page)
  • Linux Live CD (this is only required if you want to dual boot your system with Chromium OS.) the Linux CD will be used so you can dual boot your Chromium OS. It will not be installed on your system though.

 

Chromium Image

Downloading Chromium

Please do remember that the Hexxeh Chromium build you download is unofficial.  There are two builds of Hexxeh’s Chromium: Flow and Vanilla. I would recommend Vanilla as it’s more stable and does not have any major stability issues. Download Chromium from the Hexxeh Chromium page and follow the instructions.

 

 

Image Editor Windows

Step One: Prep your USB Drive

In order to get Chromium OS to work we need to test it first. Make sure your USB drive is formatted as FAT32 and that there is no data left on it. Formatting is a  piece of cake as it involves right clicking the drive and click on Format. Copy the Chromium OS build to your desktop and then write the image to your USB drive. Windows users can opt for Windows Image Writer while Linux users can use their terminal to type the command “ sudo apt-get install usb-imagewriter”. This will bring up the USB-ImageWriter program where you can select the image file and write it to the USB drive. Once you have done that you have a ready bootable USB drive.

 

Step Two: Testing Chromium on Flash Drive

Insert  your USB drive in the netbook and start it so that you can test Chromium on your Flash Drive. If your BIOS settings don’t allow for the system to boot via Flash Drive then it’s time you make the changes. Go to your BIOS settings on startup by pressing the Delete key (or whatever lets you access your BIOS) and find the setting for Boot Priority. Make sure that the “USB drive” option is the number one choice. Then go and reboot the machine so that you will be able to boot into Chromium OS. Once you boot from the USB you will be able to see the Chromium OS startup screen.

Then you have to log on to a wireless network so you can enter your Google user name and password. Please do consult the guide to make sure your Wireless card is support by the build.  If for any reason it doesn’t work then you can always try another build. Once your credentials are accepted you will boot directly into Chrome and you can see all your Chrome settings, bookmarks and extensions. Please keep in mind that the OS has not been installed on your system and it’s merely on your Flash Drive.

 

Step Three: Install Chromium OS

This is the stage where you choose to install Chromium OS on your netbook. You can choose to install it as the solo Operating system or to keep it as the second operating system on your netbook. Please do remember that a dual boot system will take a long time but is a good backup in case if you decide you don’t want to go for Chromium OS.

Instructions for Fresh Installation

  1. Boot Chromium OS from your Flash Drive.
  2. Then enter “Ctrl+Alt+T” which will bring up the command line. Then type “install”  and then press Enter.
  3.  If you are asked for a password  enter “facepunch” without the quotation marks.
  4. The installation process will take place after which you can remove your USB drive and boot directly into Chromium.

If you want to do a dual boot then you need to follow these instructions. Don’t go for a dual boot unless you really need it.

 

Dual Boot

 

This is how a hard drive should be partitioned.

 

  1. Back up all your data, use the Linux Live CD and boot into it. if you already have Linux on your drive boot into that.
  2. Insert you Flash Drive with the Chromium OS into your drive.
  3. Partition your hard drive and make two partitions. One  ”C-ROOT” partition, which holds the root OS, and a “C-STATE” partition, which will hold your  settings and other data. Run the  Gparted program which is available in the System > Administration on your Linux Live CD. You will notice your USB drive on the source menu in the upper left corner there. Select it and note the size of the C-ROOT and C-STATE partitions on your thumb drive. You’ll also want to note the partition reference for each, which will be something like /dev/sdb2.
  4. Select the netbook’s HD from the drop down menu and click on your main partition which should have plenty of space.
  5. Go to Partion> Resize/Move, then shrink it so you can get at least 3 GB of empty space, and hit the Resize/Move button. Then, click on your new “unallocated” free space and go to Partition > New.
  6. Make sure that you mirror your partitions on your flash drive. Make sure that your partition on your netbook HD is the same size as the C-ROOT partition on your USB drive.  If the Partition is 900 Mb then make sure the partition is also 900 MB on your hard drive.
  7. Choose Ext2 under your file system, click on unallocated space and create a  new partition. The new partition should have Ext3 as its file system. Hit the apply button and voila you have a new partition.

Once you are done you should note down the partition references which should be like /dev/sda3.

 

Copy the Chromium Files

This step involves transferring partitions from the flash drive to the HD. Open the terminal and type

 

 

sudo dd if=/dev/C-STATE_USB_PARTITION of=/dev/MACHINE_SMALL_PARTITION bs=4096

sudo dd if=/dev/C-ROOT_USB_PARTITION of=/dev/MACHINE_LARGE_PARTITION bs=4096

 

Actual Examples: (be sure to replace sdb1,sda5, etc. with the actual partitions for your machine!)

 

sudo dd if=/dev/sdb1 of=/dev/sda5 bs=4096

sudo dd if=/dev/sdb2 of=/dev/sda6 bs=4096

Update or Install the GRUB Bootloader

This is the part where you boot in Chromium OS. If you are using Windows then use the following commands,

sudo grub

 

> root (hd0,0)

 

> setup (hd0)

 

> exit

Then run

 

sudo update-grub2

 

This will then give you the option of booting either into Windows or Chromium.

If you have Linux installed on your system you can run the Terminal window and run “grub-install-v” to see which version of GRUB you have. If your GRUB version is a legacy one (prior to v1.99) then you need to boot into Linu and run:

 

sudo update-grub

If you are running GRUB2 (1.99 or later), you will have to add  Chrome OS’ entry manually. Type “gksudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom”  to edit your GRUB configuration file.

If you have an Intel graphic card add this line to the end of the line:

 

menuentry “ChromiumOS” {

 

insmod ext2

 

set root=(hd0,x)

 

linux /boot/vmlinuz root=LABEL=C-ROOT rw noresume noswap i915.modeset=1 loglevel=1 quiet

 

initrd /boot/initrd.img

 

}

 

Use these lines if you have an Nvidia Card

 

menuentry “Chrome OS NVIDIA” {

 

root=(hd0,x)

 

linux /boot/vmlinuz console=tty2 init=/sbin/init boot=local rootwait root=LABEL=C-ROOT rw noresume noswap i915.modeset=1 loglevel=1 apci=force single

 

initrd /boot/initrd.img

 

}

When you reboot, you should get the option to boot into Chrome OS.Voila you have a Chromebook on your hands and you will be able to save a pretty penny. If you find this article helpful, you can always subscribe to our RSS Feed or follow us on Twitter, Facebook  and Google + for more.