Category: Chromebase

The Chromium team within Google has publicly published a detailed list of every Chrome OS device and its status on being protected against the Meltdown vulnerability.  The list can be found here and I strongly encourage readers to visit the link and bookmark it.

The list is broken down into seven columns that provide details for each device.  The columns are:

• Public codename for the device
• Marketing name of the device
• Kernel version
• Architecture (x86, ARM, aarch64)
• Date of when automatic updates end for the device
• If Meltdown protection has come to the Kernel Page Table Isolation (KPTI) in Chrome 63 for that device
• Kernel Page Table Isolation (KPTI) will eventually be updated

The last two columns in this table are the key ones to pay attention to as you review it.  This tells you if your device is protected, will be protect, or at EoL (End of Life) and will not be updated.

AOPEN has announced a new Chrome OS powered tablet, the Chromebase Mini.  The 10.1″ tablet does indeed look like a mini Chromebase and is aimed at the enterprise and retail markets but with a price point consumers can afford.  If you haven’t heard of AOPEN, they have been working with Chrome OS for a long time.  Most of their work has been around digital signage that runs on the platform but they have also had commercial grade Chromebox devices for a while.

The Chromebase Mini has a 10.1″ display that renders in 1280 x 800, has multi-touch support and is powered by a quad-core Cortex A17 processor running at 1.8GHz.  It has 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage build it along with a Full HD Webcam that shoots at 2MP.

Through the Google Chrome Release blog, the company has announced a new build of Chrome OS is now available for devices.  The updated build is version 48.0.2564.92 (Platform version: 7647.73.0) for those keeping score at home and it is available for all Chrome OS devices.  While most updates to the platform focus on performance and security improvements, this update also includes a number of user experience changes and app changes.

• Improved Download Notifications
• Material Redesign for Video Player
• Adding Google Photos as a Default App
• Update Recovery Screens
• Cultural Institute Wallpapers for Chrome OS

The update is available now and will be pushed to your device in the coming days.  I have already upgraded my Acer Chromebook and this update is big.  It took several minutes to download unlike most updates which take just a few seconds.

The Chrome OS teams has released a bug fix and security update to the platform that all devices should see in the coming days.  The new stable build is version 47.0.2526.110 (Platform version: 7520.67.0) and while no details were given on what specifically was addressed, we can safely assume that it is a build all users should upgrade too as soon as possible.  The update comes about a month after the last update to the platform on December 15, 2015 which is about the normal cadence for releases.

In the announcement, Google states that all devices will be seeing the update in the next few days.  That means if you have a Chromebook, Chromebit or Chromebase, you should see the update regardless of manufacture or model.