Google has just unveiled its hugely anticipated, web-based operating system, Google Chrome OS. As expected, Google hasn't actually launched the operating system, but it has released the source code in its current state for developers to have a chance to start working on it. From now on, the code will remain open for third-party developers to build and modify. Google wants the actual operating system and the accompanying hardware to be ready for launch in time for the holiday season next year.

As Google stated when it first revealed that it was working on its very own OS, Chrome OS will be completely web-based. There will be no native apps for it, even the tools that will be built by Google and bundled with the OS will be web apps. In a simplified view, Chrome OS is just a specialized version of its browser Chrome running on top of an optimized Linux kernel.

Intel's plans for the future of personal computing include a 48-core processor that the Santa Clara, California-based chip maker has nicknamed “single-chip cloud computer.” The solution, revealed by the world's leading chip maker, is expected to enable a new perspective on the way computers are built and the way users will interact with future computers. Featuring 10 to 20 times the processing engines inside the company's current Core-branded processors, the new Intel chip is part of a research goal that will bring about an impressive number of scaling features.

More details were confirmed about the upcoming new Medal of Honor title, which is in development by Electronic Arts' LA Studio. The next Medal of Honor title, which the company claims will deliver the most authentic modern war experience, is slated for release in the fall of 2010 in time for the holiday buying season.

Microsoft has announced that Games for Windows Live will receive Games on Demand on December 15, essentially becoming a full-fledged game distribution platform. As implied by its name, Games on Demand will allow users to purchase and download titles from their PC.

While this concept is hardly new (think: Steam, D2D, Impulse), Microsoft said its offer won't just be a "cut-and-paste version of existing digital distribution services." Without citing any particular innovations, the company said it has worked to develop an integrated platform that "takes full advantage of the unique capabilities offered by the Live service."

Users of that hoary old web mail service Hotmail have a new reason to regret their devotion: Over the weekend, thousands of user names and passwords from the service were posted on a data-sharing service called Pastebin, with potentially hundreds of thousands of additional users at risk.

Over 10,000 accounts on Hotmail (still the largest web-based email service in the world) are immediately known to be affected.