PC maker Dell announced this week that it is making an experimental version of the open source Chromium OS for the company's Mini Inspiron 10v netbook. The OS is available as a USB key image file, but Dell technology strategist Doug Anson warns the file should be used with an assumed risk, as it has minimal testing.

Some other limitations of the Chromium OS from Dell include lengthy -- up to 10 minutes, Dell says -- periods before the network connection manager find wireless networks, though connecting to wired networks is much quicker. Other components are likely to freeze up as well, Anson adds, urging users to be patient and be prepared to restart their systems. The 8GB image file can be transferred to a USB drive only by using a Linux system.

The cloud-based Chrome OS from Google is due to become available on some netbooks late in 2010. [via PCMag]