Speaking with Ars Technica in an extensive internet, Google’s Matthew Papakipos, the engineering director for the Chrome OS project, revealed that the operating system and the Chrome browser would include a media player. He said it would be the “equivalent of Windows Media Player.” The player will support HTML5 audio and video, as well as Flash, and will be integrated with services on the web.
For example, a GMail user can view an attached video file directly in the Chrome browser because the media player framework is built-in. Google’s Chrome operating system allows users to perform every day tasks such as checking e-mail, using social networking or just browsing the web. It is meant to provide long battery life for netbook users in particular.
The inclusion of a Chrome Media Player is then a necessity for users to be able to perform simple multimedia tasks offline. The operating system is still a work in progress by far, as Papakipos reveals that the team is still experimenting with many issues, such as ways to make use of dead space on widescreen monitors (the areas to the right and left of a web page that are blank, and may be quite large amounts of space depending on screen size).
Result for: engineer
Karsten Nohl of Germany, an engineer and encryption expert, announced at the Chaos Communication Congress this week that he had broken the 64-bit A5/1 encryption algorithm currently used to secure and encrypt GSM phone calls made in most of the world’s countries.
If the algorithms are cracked, then outsiders could theoretically listen in on any phone conversation of their choosing, which would lead to extreme lapses in security and privacy. Nohl says: “This shows that existing G.S.M. security is inadequate. We are trying to push operators to adopt better security measures for mobile phone calls.”
The GSM Association, the group behind the algorithms, has called Nohl’s “hacking” illegal. “This is theoretically possible but practically unlikely,” added Claire Cranton, an association spokeswoman, via NYT. “What he is doing would be illegal in Britain and the United States. To do this while supposedly being concerned about privacy is beyond me.”
GSM is the most widely used standard in the world, with about 3.5 billion of all 4.3 billion wireless connections in the world using the standard. Rival CDMA, is used mainly in the United States and in small use in other countries such as China.
Some experts agree with Nohl’s findings and believe everyone should upgrade their systems to the newer 128-bit A5/1 encryption algorithm, which is still considered completely secure.
Result for: engineer
According to TechCrunch, Google will be holding a Chrome OS event tomorrow at their headquarters, showing off the “technical background information” of the operating system as well as demoing a few of the features.
Additionally, Google will be giving a full “complete overview” presentation for the OS which should launch in the Q2 2010.
Google VP of Product Management Sundar Pichai and Google Engineering Director for Google Chrome OS Matthew Papakipos are the featured speakers, which will include a press Q&A afterwards as well.
We will update after the event.
