• Engadget, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 3:14 PM

Google's forthcoming Chrome OS operating system -- previewed recently to mixed reviews -- just received a serious nod from Engadget. After prepping a USB key so it could boot to Chrome OS natively, the tech and gadget blog exclaims, "What we're seeing with Chrome OS is actually on par performance-wise with our crazy expectations for a stripped-down OS." The highly-anticipated operating system "boots in mere seconds and loads Web sites with the best of them," according to Engadget.

"The build we're using, courtesy of @hexxeh on Twitter, who made all this possible with some great instructions and a masterfully-built chromiumos.img, was also able to log into the apps pane -- something we didn't pull off on our virtualized rig. We wouldn't call this our main Linux jam just yet, but even as we strut cockily back to our 'big people computer,' it's hard not to feel the love for something this simple and swift." Indeed. While many critics insist that Chrome OS is destined to remain a niche product, such stellar reviews spells trouble for Microsoft and Mozilla.

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