Xi3 modular PC reborn as Chrome desktop, promises independence from local storage

Chromebooks a tad too mobile for you? Sensing the market is at last ready for Google's web-based OS, Xi3 decided to ship the ChromiumPC, an updated version of the modular, Chrome-based desktop it trotted out as a concept last year. The computer (also known as the 5 Series) has a processor module and two I/O ones -- a design whose promise is that installing a different operating system should be as easy as swapping out that first board. And, cheekily, the company expects it to go on sale July 4th, a day when Chromium owners can "declare their independence from the built-in obsolescence of other computers." Got that, folks? Your mature operating system and local storage are useless. No word yet on pricing, so here's hoping Chrome isn't a moot point or anything by the time we find out. Full PR after the break.

Lady Gaga uses Chrome, and here's the 91-second film to prove it

One of the world's most (in)famous names has picked a side in the browser battles -- last night saw the debut of a new Google Chrome commercial, starring Lady Gaga and her "little monsters." Spanning a minute and a half of Gaga and her fans singing and gyrating their way through her latest single, the ad is intended to illustrate the power of the web and its creative new modes of interaction. To be fair, said interaction is mostly Lady Gaga saying "jump" and a crowd of YouTubers doing it without bothering to ask how high, but hey, the result is fun to watch. You just need to disable your sense of shame for all humanity and click past the break.

googlechrome (YouTube)