Google this week apparently let slip a "chromeos" folder in the same directory where its nightly Chromium browser builds are stored, causing a stir of speculation on the Web that the company had leaked an early look at its upcoming Chrome OS. As it turns out, that's not the case.

What the folder really contained was the Chrome browser that will be included with Chrome OS. So it's not quite what was originally reported, but still something Google didn't mean for you to see. The search giant has since removed the folder, but not before blogger Jonathan Frederickson managed to snag a copy and toss it up on RapdShare.

"It's the Google Chrome Web browser, yes, but it's the version that will be included with Chrome OS," Frederickson clarified in his blog. "Because of the fact that Chrome OS is most likely just he Web browser running on top of Linux, they had to include the clock, network connections manager, and battery meter in the title bar. [But] it's just the browser [and] TechCrunch's article was very unclear and a bit misleading on that subject."

Bummer, but for those of you still interested in giving it a spin, you should probably download the files sooner rather than later in case it gets pulled. Oh, and you'll need Linux in order to install it.

Image Credit: Jonathan Frederickson