Last night (my birthday, July 7th), Google decided to announce what most of us geeks have seen coming for a while; their new Operating System (OS). The new Google Chrome OS shares the same name as the browser they introduced to the world back in September 2008.

This is going to be exciting for folks like me who have not purchased the iPhone and Macbook Pro combo, and probably never will. I say probably because they are both sexy products but, I am a control freak and I enjoy my Dell M1530 + Palm Pre combo….for the moment….Never say never, right?

If Google delivers what they promise, they are going to build a fast, reliable, browser based, operating system which will bring Software As A Service (SAAS) to the forefront where it belongs. Imagine a day when your entire computer can truly go with you, wherever you are….even if you don’t have it with you at all! Be sure to check out the official Google Chrome OS post and give special attention to the following section:

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.