The look and feel of ChromeOS distances itself from the browser and is now much closer to a traditional, window-based operating system. Google also supplies 50 wallpapers with ChromeOS Dev 19.0.1084.17.
Other changes include file support for TAR, GZ and BZIP2, a media recovery tool, as well as an updated scratchpad app. The update is only supported by the Chromebooks Samsung Series 5 and Acer AC700, while Google's own Cr-48 will not get this particular version. Google noted that it simply skipped the Cr-48 with version 19, but will provide ChromeOS 20 for the device again. However, it is unclear whether the Cr-48 will actually get the Aura window manager.
Google is offering Aura as a hardware-accelerated UI for Chrome/ChromeOS that is designed to provide much richer graphics and animations than Chrome does today. The idea is to offer a competitive product next to entry-level Windows 8 systems and help a second generation of Chromebooks to be more successful than the initial product range. Rumor has it that fewer than 5,000 Chromebooks were sold last year.
