As some of you might remember, we were talking a while back about the fact that Google was quite keen on launching a self-branded netbook (or smartbook, if you prefer that term), meant to support its first attempt to launch a full-fledged operating system, Chrome. Back then, we were speculating, based on rumors coming from some very serious sources on the Internet, that the respective portable computing system might be built around NVIDIA's Tegra 2 mobile computing platform.

And we might have been spot on with this one, since information from various sources appears to be confirming this theory. So, first of all, we've got an article from IBTimes claiming exactly this (and some interesting stuff on the side, but we'll talk about the respective details a bit later).

Then, sources close to NVIDIA also let us know that, apparently, the GPU's manufacturer CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, turned down a multi-million deal with Finnish cellphone (and now, netbook) manufactuer Nokia, regarding a major shipment of chipsets. We didn't know what this was all about, but now we're sure that Nokia wanted the Tegra 2 units for its own products; instead, NVIDIA decided to go with a much more important player. And who else is bigger than Google?

Anyhow, going back to the first source mentioned above, it's interesting to note that, besides the aforementioned chipset, Google might have also opted for a 64GB SSD unit, accompanied by 2GB of RAM memory. Furthermore, in order to keep up the pace with the most advanced Windows-based portable computing systems available out there, the device will apparently sport a 10.1-inch LCD HD-ready multi-touch display.

Additional information regarding this alleged future netbook by Google includes the presence of quite a few relatively standard connectivity options, such as WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth , Ethernet port, USB ports, webcam, 3.5mm audio jack, multi-card reader, etc. The estimated availability date is set around a year from now, during the holiday season of 2010, while pricing will apparently be under 300 US dollars.

Of course, aside from the data we've managed to obtain ourselves, everything else is purely speculation, so you should really take it with a pinch of salt, at least for the time being.



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