Google Fuchsia release date, news and rumors

We expected to see Google announcing Google Fuchsia or Google Andromeda, a merger of its Chrome and Android operating systems, in October 2017.

Obviously, that announcement did not happen. Sure, there are Chromebooks like the Pixelbook that can run Android applications through the Google Play store, but Andromeda, referred to internally as Fuchsia in Google, goes beyond that.

We hope that Google Fuchsia will take control as Google's singular, a unified operating system for phones, tablets and laptops.

Whether you're backing up the full version of Google Docs, using Google Drive completely or finding your favorite application in the Google Play Store, you can do whatever you want from whatever Google Fuchsia device you want. Even better, you can continue from where you left it in any application from any other Fuchsia device.

And, even when a Reddit commentator has discovered evidence that Google is working in a mode & # 39; AltOS & # 39; who can announce the eventual release of Fuchsia: we are still in the early days of Fuchsia. It is likely that it will be a while before we see the operating system running on laptops and Google phones. And, who knows, maybe we'll see something about Google Fuchsia in Google IO 2018.

Cut to the hunt

• What is it? An Android operating system-is with Chrome, multi-device [19659008] When did it come out? A previous version is already available on the Google Pixelbook
• How much will it cost? Probably not, as with Android and Chrome

What is Google Fuchsia?

Again, Google Fuchsia is a hybrid operating system that is still in full development. The entire Fuchsia OS consists of two different but connected user interfaces (UI): a call centered on the phone & # 39; Armadillo & # 39; and a traditional desktop user interface known as & # 39; Capybara & # 39; internally, according to 9to5Google . [19659002] So far, we know more about the mobile version of Fuchsia than the laptop, but ArsTechnica was recently able to run Fuchsia on a Google Pixelbook in a terribly early state. In addition, 13-year-old independent developer Noah Cain created a functional version of the Fuchsia & # 39; s Capybara design, 9to5Google reported more recently.

& # 39; Fuchsia will achieve much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in Windows 10 and iOS to MacOS Sierra Continuity, respectively, but in a manner very similar to Google. & # 39;

Division of the operating system into two separate UIs based on the hardware with which it is being used is a classic move inspired by Microsoft. Windows 10 and scale depending on whether it is being used with a desktop computer, phone, tablet or game console. In fact, the only unifier of Windows 10 is its kernel, the root code that controls most of the operating system.

In the case of Fuchsia, that kernel is known as & # 39; Zircon & # 39 ;, and is designed to be constantly upgradable in an additional way. be safe from the applications that access constantly, add an additional layer of security and eliminate situations in which applications become incompatible with operating system updates.

Whether in mobile or desktop orientation, Fuchsia is loaded with the Google Material design found throughout its Android and Chrome OS products. Shadows are a big focus in design aesthetics, using a new graphics processor based on Vulkan known as & # 39; Escher & # 39; to do the job. The result is an interface with more depth than traditional operating system products.

Fuchsia is also very heavy focused on a card-based interface, in which each application it opens appears inside one of these cards; In addition, you can place several applications on a single card. This guides the user on the available tasks instead of the applications. Those applications are expected to look the same on different devices due to a new cross-platform mobile application development framework, developed by Google, known as Flutter.

Beyond that, Google Fuchsia revolves around the Google Assistant to access and work more deeply with its applications and information to provide even more actions and insights. Google has referred to these applications and pieces of information as & # 39; entities & # 39 ;, according to a GitHub developer page, and all are accessible by the Google Assistant in Fuchsia. We've even seen a recent demo that further illustrates the ingrained Google Assistant in Fuchsia.

Finally, Fuchsia wants to be the best operating system between devices to date. To achieve this, Fuchsia uses a new tool known as & # 39; Ledger & # 39; by the GitHub community. Ledger, once you sign in to a Google account on a Fuchsia device, will automatically save your place in all applications installed on all Fuchsia devices.

In short, Fuchsia is Google's attempt to get the best of Chrome and Android in a single operating system that is more efficient both while using it and when it is not, not to mention between those states or between devices.

Release date of Google Fuchsia

Since August 2016, the release date of Google Fuchsia has been rumored several times, only to be false. These rumors have generally arisen before the big event of Google IO developer in California or, in the case of last October, when we know that a large version of hardware is imminent.

In February 2018, it was revealed that the former head of Google's Android security platform, Nick Kralevich, had left the Android t
eam to "define security" in the department of Fuchsia. Describing it as a "new experimental operating system", Kralevich does not imply any specific launch window, however it shows where Google is choosing to put its most crucial resources.

This should help frame our expectations for when we should expect to see Fuchsia on ready-to-use devices: probably not before 2019. However, that does not mean that Google Fuchsia will be absent in 2018, as Google may decide to do preview this year in preparation for a conventional release in 2019..

In any case, keep it blocked on this page as we get closer to a possible release date and, therefore, we may have some new information for you.

(Image: © GE)

What could Fuchsia mean for Android and Chrome – and Windows and MacOS?

From what we're hearing, it seems that Fuchsia is Google's response to Microsoft and Apple's unified platforms with one of its own. By turning Android into one of the two largest smartphone platforms and popularizing Chrome OS and its extensible web-based productivity programs in the classroom and workplace, Google has become a major player in all platforms

sound of this, Fuchsia will achieve much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in Windows 10 and iOS-to- MacOS Sierra Continuity, respectively, but in a very similar way to Google. It is easy to wait for access to the inimitable search and tracking of Google data at your fingertips: Google assistant and "entities", anyone? – that it would be better than Microsoft and Apple, and an interface that changes depending on the device from which it is accessed.

Will this finally mean the end of Android and Chrome? In name, most likely, but its principles will almost certainly remain alive: there are too many solid foundations to build on them. Just look at the material design language found in these early compilations of any of the Fuchsia versions.

The final result, which will probably be seen in a preview later this year and on devices purchased in 2019, will be just a platform for Google to worry about. With Fuchsia, Google will be able to send new updates and features to all versions at once, simplifying support as well as user understanding.

With that, Google will become a much more formidable enemy for Microsoft and Apple, and that appealing an option for Android and Chromebook users everywhere. Who knows, maybe it's enough to take people from the other side of the Microsoft and Apple fences.

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report