Rich Notifications And New Messaging Service On Google Chrome OS Leaked

Developer François Beaufort posted something very interesting on Google+ earlier today. As you can see in the screenshot above, there appears to be a new feature for rich notifications on Google’s Chrome OS. A closer look will reveal notifications for messages, calls, Google+, and more. It even resembles a little of Google Now’s capabilities. Beaufort also pointed out a new app pinned to the launcher.

The icon is obviously something that we haven’t seen before on Chrome OS, raising more questions than answers. Others are speculating that this could very well be a new unified messaging system that Google will be introducing soon. It’s also worth noting that Beaufort was also among the first to point out that Chrome will be receiving natty Google Now-like notifications soon. What is your take on this? Should this compel you to try out a Chromebook?