Subscribe via RSS Feed

Hacked iPad Runs Google Chrome OS

By | October 1, 2010 | 14 comments
Share |

The iPad has been hacked numerous times to run pieces of code never meant for the device, such as Flash or even Windows 95, but so far, the hacks were limited in term of added capabilities. A coder who downloaded the Chrome OS source code on the chromiumos.org website managed to tweak the source of the Google operating system to work on an iPad, and compiled it. The result? A Chrome OS powered iPad, a hack that most engineers in Cupertino must be cringing about.

A video has been posted on YouTube by user Hexxeh, a seasoned coder who regularly compiles custom builds of Google’s operating system. Dubbed “ChromePad”, the hacked iPad seems to be running the Chrome web browser flawlessly, and seems to be responding to user inputs. The video doesn’t show much more, but getting to that point is already quite an accomplishment.

Chrome OS was never meant to run on Apple hardware, but since the source code of the operating system is open, with some work anyone can recompile it to make it work on the hardware of their choice. As for the actual, official Chrome OS powered devices, Acer will be the first manufacturer to launch a Chrome OS netbook, scheduled to be released later this year.

email

About dag: Certified geek

  • familiarcat

    Why was there a pointer icon everywhere he touched? Might just be a fake.

    • Leo

      because the Chrome OS was not designed for touch screen application, he probably just hacked it so that wherever he touched, the cursor clicked.

  • Bob

    Great, screw the iPad, having it run on iTV will be even better.

  • Thorbjørn

    Looks like a full screen VNC client to me…

    • None

      You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, idiot.

      • Dave

        lag time might be a clue; seemed pretty high. Not that that couldn’t also be caused by lack of optimization. Or maybe iPads are always slow; I wouldn’t know.

    • http://Www.praz.tk Anonymous

      Yah and although I have never used chrome os I don’t think it has a vnc client.

  • Lucas

    Fake that’s a full scree iteleport vnc app!

  • iPad Flash Guru

    DO NOT JAILBREAK YOUR IPRODUCT. You risk way too much. If you want flash, just download a cloud computing program that lets you run a virtual pc right on your ipod touch or whatever you’ve got. Some good ones are citrix and always on pc, but always on pc has been getting better reviews and has a better price for what you get. Theres a guy in the office with citrix and hes always comlaininng… he just bought always on pc yesterday : ) gotta love it.

  • Chad

    this does look like a full screen RDP/ VNC/ citrix app running on a regular iPad.
    Where is the technical details on how he did it…

  • Hans

    Def a fake. Mouse pointer gave it away. Fscken noob..

  • Johnnyboy

    The vid is fake he is using a remote desktop application on his iPad!

  • kingsley

    its not even an ipad…

    • Retarded

      It’s a first gen iPad, ret***