Google Tries to Revive Chrome OS By Making It Look More Like Windows

From DailyTech: Even as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) heads in bold new directions with its user interface (UI) in the Metro UI powered Windows 8, Google Inc. (GOOG) is looking (unofficially, of course) to the veteran software giant for inspiration.

Google's Chrome OS project has been more or less a flop. While exact sales numbers are hard to come by, the project was only backed by two manufacturers -- specifically Acer Inc. (TPE:2353) and Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd. (KS:005930). Launching mid-summer in 2011, Chrome OS felt buggy and incomplete.

While it came packaged in a number of nice netbooks, the built-around-the-browser concept was hampered by the inability to connect properly to token-authenticated networks commonly encountered at coffeehouses. Coupled with poor publicity these issues led Acer to reportedly only sell 5,000 "Chromebooks" (Chrome OS notebooks) in 2011, according to Digitimes.
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But at CES 2012, Google seemed intent not to give up, working with Samsung to announce new models.

Now a bit more of its plans for a Chrome OS revital have come to light. Google is freshening up the mobile PC operating system with a fresh taskabar-enabled user interface, complete with a positively Windows-like right hand notification area and pinned program icons in the lower left hand span of the taskbar.

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