Hardly a couple of weeks have gone by since Google's Chrome OS was rolled out in all its glory, when Dell jumps into the fray with an easy way to load the beta operating system on its nifty Mini 10v netbook. Dell gurus have slightly modified Google's Chrome OS to work specifically on the company's tiny, yet versatile Mini 10v.

All you need to do is download the ChromiumOS image file, load it on an 8GB USB thumb drive, and then you're off and installing it onto this little laptop with no hacking required. Of course, the Chrome OS isn't going to be completely stable, since it's not due to be completely finished until year from now, but this would be a magnificent way to get a feel for this upcoming juggernaut from Google.

This Dell Mini 10v has a remarkable story itself, widely hacked to run the Mac Snow Leopard OS with ease, although Apple has been breaking that compatibility with the latest updates to Snow Leopard. Still, for $279, the Dell Mini 10v could be a fertile playground for OS pioneers. And, if you don't have an 8GB USB drive, here's a "diet" version that'll fit on a 1GB drive.

Direct 2 Dell, via Geeky Gadgets