Gingerbread on Sprint's HTC Hero

Well, like a lot of folks on the East Coast, I'm snowed in. And what better time is there to mod your phone? Owning one of the older Android phones, the HTC Hero (CDMA), I was excited to check out the performance improvements (and Chrome connection options) available in Android 2.3, otherwise known as Gingerbread.  While not perfect -- the GPS and camera still remain unfixed -- the alpha version of the mod has come a long way.  Much better than stock 2.1. Details after the break.

Let there be Ethernet!

Merry almost-Christmas! Those who've recently compiled a fresh version of Chromium OS (remember to sync repo) may have noticed a new connection option in the network manager, Ethernet. While part of me feels like it's always been there -- wait, has it? -- it's largely been rumored that Chrome OS would have no Ethernet option.  After all, the Cr-48 lacks to port entirely. I guess they were wrong.

Now who wants to turn some old desktops into thin-clients?

[I wanted to post a screenshot of the menu here, but Chrome OS's Ctrl+F5 screenshot option doesn't seem to capture the upper-level menus.]

Keeping up-to-date with the Google News extension

News about Chrome OS is exploding so fast that it can be hard to stay current. To keep on top of things, I've started using the official Google News extension. Once installed, users can right-click on the newspaper icon to access a wonderfully customizable options dialog. I set the extension to display 10 stories at a time in a pop-up, and created my own custom section for Chrome OS. Pics after the break.

Disabling Flash ads in Chrome OS

Chrome OS is speedy running on the Cr-48's Atom processor, except when you're bombarded by flash ads. But the popular plugin isn't only hard on your processor, it can take its toll on your battery life too. Good thing Chrome (and Chrome OS) has a way to stop auto-loading of plugins!  Follow the steps below to disable all Flash elements on a page until they're individually clicked on:

1. Open up Settings (the wrench icon)
2. Select Under the hood, then Content Settings
3. Select the Plug-ins tab, then enable Click to play

You can even disable individual plug-ins completely! If only the world used HTML5.

Chrome for a Cause

Just ran across a great article on Chrome Story, Chrome for a Cause - Contribute to Charity For Each Tab You Open. Google has launched an official extension that keeps count of the number of tabs you open throughout the day. Once the day has ended, users may then choose a charity to donate to -- each tab earning a small amount, funded by Google. The project does access each user's web history, but doesn't send any personally identifiable information.

There is no right-click

For all of those concerned that their Cr-48's touch-pad is broken, or just generally hating on the Synaptics driver, there's a much simpler explanation to your right-click woes. The Chrome OS pilot program notebooks don't have a right-click!  But don't fear, there are ways to simulate it.  Here's a breakdown of how to simulate key-presses that the Cr-48 doesn't actually have physical keys for:

• Right-click - Hold alt while left-clicking, or by tap both lower corners of the touch-pad simultaneously.
• Delete - Hold down alt and press the backspace key.
• Caps lock - Open System Settings (the wrench) and click the option for modifier keys.  Via the drop-down menu, you can change what the search key is mapped to.

Personally, I think the alt method for right-click is the simplest.  Thanks to JamesK, the Chrome OS Ninja, for telling me about it.

Taking pics in Chrome OS

Not having an account picture, one of the first things I wanted to do with Chrome OS was spruce up my online profile.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a bug with Flash permissions that's breaking capture apps like PicMeQuick. Good thing Jason Michalski found a workaround! Here's how to get the PicMeQuick app (or any SWF program) to play nice with Chrome OS, after the break.

Cr-48's heading to your city

I received my Chrome OS notebook out of the blue (well, technically a snowstorm), without a confirmation e-mail. Hoping that you might get one too? Check out the Cr-48 Shipping Tracker to see if any are headed your way. Maybe you'll be lucky!

Entering Developer Mode on the Cr-48

Just ran across an awesome page on Chromium.org, Cr-48 Chrome Notebook Developer Information. Apparently, you can enter Developer mode by removing the battery, peeling back some black tape, and flipping a switch. The article even has a few pictures for the squeamish.

Just received my Cr-48

Just received a Cr-48 (Chrome OS Pilot Notebook) from UPS today, totally unexpected. What an awesome surprise for the holidays!  I should have guessed when the box weighted about 6 lbs. and had no return address (other than the UPS store.)  The box inside the shipping box -- which I hope they carry over to retail -- was hilarious.  Pictures after the jump break.