Chrome OS to get media player, one year away

Google's Matthew Papakipos, engineering director for the Chrome OS project, has revealed in an extensive interview that the operating system and the Chrome browser will have a media player that is the "equivalent of Windows Media Player." This is key for playing content when users are offline, such as when they plug in a USB flash drive and want to see JPEG photos, play MP3 audio or view PDF or video files. The player will support HTML5 audio and video, as well as Flash.

When users get a music file emailed to their Gmail accounts, they will be able to play back the file right in the Chrome browser. The media player framework will be fully integrated into the browser, Papakipos says.

Google sees the Chrome OS used in netbooks with long battery life users can carry around and perform daily tasks such as checking e-mail, keeping in touch through social networks and browsing the web.

The Chrome OS is still a work a progress, it seems, as Papakipos reveals that the team is still experimenting with some issues, such as how to maximize space on a widescreen, where a browser leaves dead space on either side of the content. He also revealed there is a team of more than 200 Google testers who use Chrome OS and how much time they spend using a new feature that's being tried out. The software is about a year away from a widespread release. [via Ars Technica]

By Electronista Staff