Show

Google's tablet UI concept pictures

Andrew Fairbairn
01 February 2010 - 19:20
70 Comments
Liked this (8)

Whilst Google's upcoming Chrome OS is being primarily designed for netbook computers, as we reported recently, it could be the ideal operating system to run on a tablet device - and this is an option that Google is considering. More information about how the new operating system could be optimised for such a form factor is revealed in documentation on Google's Chromium projects website.

With a supposed deal on the table for HTC to partner with Google and manufacture a Google-branded tablet computer running the Chrome OS, the search engine giant would be looking to perfect the user interface of the operating system to provide a good experience . The documentation on the Chromium website notes that tablet devices running Chrome OS would aim to have a screen size between 5 and 10 inches and would include an optimised touch UI (user interface) that takes up the whole screen, possibly using a "tabs only" system instead of separate windows.

It goes on to note that there would be "larger touch targets" and multi-touch gestures such as "upward dragging motions", along with "docking panels", a "high-res display" and "visual explorations". However, the interface would not be too dissimilar to the standard Chrome layout, with the main difference being larger controls such as tabs, the toolbar and other buttons. Further information reveals that the UI would be "ideal for portrait devices" and that toolbar components could be "autohidden to have full-screen content." There is also a suggestion that the tabs could be moved to the side when viewing in landscape.

View the picture gallery below for some of the images and more details of how Chrome OS might run on tablet devices.

All images are from the Chromium Projects website. As with most pre-release products, the operating system and UI are still under development so any designs may change in the future.

Thanks to Neowin member Silverskull for the tip.

Comments (70)

  1. Mike415 - 01 February 2010 - 19:21

    Thumb keyboard looks cool

  2. +Shadrack - 01 February 2010 - 19:31

    Mike415 said,
    Thumb keyboard looks cool

    Thumb keyboard? You must have huge hands!

  3. Julius Caro - 01 February 2010 - 19:37

    It looks practical to me. After all, on the iphone/android I type with just the thumbs. So they could split the keyboad to both sides.

    Of course i'd have to use it first, but it makes sense to me.

  4. Mike415 - 01 February 2010 - 19:37

    Shadrack said,

    Thumb keyboard? You must have huge hands!


    Check out the pic of the keys spaced outward with the blank spot in the middle

  5. +dead.cell - 01 February 2010 - 19:47

    Mike415 said,

    Check out the pic of the keys spaced outward with the blank spot in the middle

    Would really depend on how big the tablet actually is. Judging by the looks of it, I figured it was some attempt to being slightly more ergonomic so you don't have to actually have your hands so close together (try putting your hands closer together, not fun yeah?).

  6. seebaran - 01 February 2010 - 19:21

    Nice!!!

  7. thealexweb - 01 February 2010 - 19:22

    Make it chrome os compatible but please ship it with a new version of Android instead.

  8. vaximily - 01 February 2010 - 19:57

    thealexweb said,
    Make it chrome os compatible but please ship it with a new version of Android instead.

    Chrome OS != Android OS... noob.

  9. Yakuzing - 01 February 2010 - 20:11

    vaximily said,

    Chrome OS != Android OS... noob.


    He said to make the device compatible with Chrome OS yet ship it with Android instead. To let people choose, but let him get his choice by default xD
    maybe.

  10. vaximily - 01 February 2010 - 20:59

    Yakuzing said,

    He said to make the device compatible with Chrome OS yet ship it with Android instead. To let people choose, but let him get his choice by default xD
    maybe.

    Ah, misunderstood what he way saying. Thanks for the clarification! >.<

  11. DomZ - 01 February 2010 - 19:24

    The concepts/ideas seem very familiar when you think about an iPad (except for multi-tasking). I wonder what the Apple haters will have to say about this.

    Edit (DomZ, 01 February 2010 - 19:24):

  12. Mike415 - 01 February 2010 - 19:25

    DomZ said,
    The concepts/ideas seem very familiar when you think about an iPad (except for multi-tasking). I wonder what the Apple haters will have to say about this.
    This looks the least like an iPad out of all the tablets revealed lately.

  13. Julius Caro - 01 February 2010 - 19:42

    well, it's not hard for a touchscreen tablet to look like an iPad.

  14. +Euphoria - 01 February 2010 - 20:00

    Mike415 said,
    This looks the least like an iPad out of all the tablets revealed lately.

    Hahaha you are kidding, right? ...

  15. Mike415 - 01 February 2010 - 23:23

    Euphoria said,

    Hahaha you are kidding, right? ...


    I was actually replying to his original post that "it looks like the iPad" before he concept/ideas.

  16. Biglo - 02 February 2010 - 02:17

    Julius Caro said,
    well, it's not hard for a touchscreen tablet to look like an iPad.

    yeah i agree there all touch screens and a flat surface so designs would be similar.

  17. John Freeman - 02 February 2010 - 04:07

    DomZ said,
    The concepts/ideas seem very familiar when you think about an iPad (except for multi-tasking). I wonder what the Apple haters will have to say about this.

    At least this looks pretty, unlike that huge iphone.

  18. allfive6 - 01 February 2010 - 19:25

    not bad i guess question is do people really want this? I know it is not on my wish list.

    Edit (allfive6, 01 February 2010 - 19:25):

  19. Black Leopard - 03 February 2010 - 14:58

    allfive6 said,
    not bad i guess question is do people really want this? I know it is not on my wish list.

    Wow. I would so want this one.

  20. +metal_dragen - 01 February 2010 - 19:25

    Now that is a device I might be interested in owning. The iPad is just an oversized iPod Touch and doesn't really feel like it fills any sort of niche or creates a new market.

Please Log In or Register to post a comment.