Making Chrome even more app-ealing

Making Chrome even more app-ealing: From sharing photos, to collaborating on documents, to enjoying online games, web apps make the web fun, useful and entertaining. Since the beginning, Chrome has been designed to allow apps to do more, faster. Today, changes in Chrome make it even easier to access your favorite apps and discover new favorites.

In the latest Stable release of Chrome, we’ve completely redesigned the New Tab page. It’s more streamlined, so it’s easier to access and organize your apps in different sections on the page. Watch the video below for a quick tour.



To add more apps to your New Tab page, click the Chrome Web Store icon. The Web Store also has a new look:


Apps and extensions are now presented in a wall of images that’s updated every time you visit the store. We hope this will help you quickly scan the store and find interesting things to try out. In addition, apps and extensions are easier to install—just hover over an image on the grid and click “Add to Chrome.”

Getting additional information about an app or an extension is just a click away. When you click on an app, extension or theme, you’ll see a panel featuring screenshots, videos and other relevant information neatly organized into separate tabs. The store also includes a brand new reviews interface that links to the Google+ profile of each reviewer. (To protect your privacy, we made sure to anonymize any reviews that you previously submitted.)


Along with the new look, a bunch of new apps have joined the store. I’m personally excited about My Robot Nation™, an app that lets you design your own robot and bring it to life with a 3D printer. There are plenty of new games to play, including The Godfather: Five Families and Fieldrunners. And for those of you still looking for a Halloween costume, check out the brand-new eBay shopping app.

We have many more features on deck, and we’re looking forward to making the app experience in Chrome even better soon.

Posted by Shannon Guymon, Product Manager

Google CR-48 Goodness - Google+ Invites

Image via WikipediaI've been away from this blog for so long now, I'm probably hopelessly behind in what I should have been sharing all along.  The CR-48 is still incredible.  I'm on the dev channel still, and in the dev channel we're working on Chrome 14 goodness.  The number of apps and extensions for this machine are becoming larger all the time, and the types of apps and extensions covers just about anything you can imagine.

I was lucky enough to score a Google Music invite, so I've been slowly uploading my 3000+ songs (my bandwidth isn't the greatest, so everyone in the family yells when I'm uploading) and it's great to listen to the music on my CR-48 (with the Google Music extension) or my android phone anywhere I go.

Another things that's been keeping me pretty busy, is finding a job.  Finally found one, but it took 4+ months, and 4 months is way too long to be out of work.  My creditors are not as patient as I'd like.  ;-)

Another great thing is Google+.  It's a great substitute for facebook, I really like it a lot more.  Since most of the people I'm following right now are other Chromebook pilots or tech-minded people, there is a lot of great information posted to read through.  And I also use it to bookmark a lot of information that I want to go through later.  If you'd like to try out Google+, here's an invite for you:  http://goo.gl/wrzFt.

Well, gotta go.  Hopefully I can spend a little more time here in the near future.  Leave me comments, or look me up on Google+.

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Google building Skype-alike software into Chrome | Deep Tech - CNET News

Image via CrunchBase

Google is putting a voice/video solution into Chrome that is open source. Users of GMails video and voice chat up to this point had to rely on a proprietary plugin, but that will all change when Google is finished integrating it WebRTC acquisition into Chrome. Read about the details here:

Google building Skype-alike software into Chrome | Deep Tech - CNET News

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Chrome OS Help

In anticipation of everyone getting new Chromebooks over the next couple of weeks, Google has made their Chrome OS page public.  Previously, this page was reached by those of us with CzR-48's by pressing the Help item in the wrench menu.  The page has changed a little bit to reflect the new name Chromebook instead of CR-48 and a few additions.

Check it out here:
Chrome OS Help

Samsung Chromebook: Hands-On Visual Tour -- InformationWeek

The first look at the new Samsung Chromebook.  Pretty sweet looking piece of tech.  I still think they're a little overpriced though.  I though Chrome OS based netbooks would come in at about the $200 price mark.  While the Samsung entry is pretty sleek (can you say Mac-book like?), I don't think the higher price($500) is justified.

We'll see what the market will support.  In the mean time, head over here to take a look at the pretty pictures:

Samsung Chromebook: Hands-On Visual Tour -- InformationWeek

Top 10 reasons Chromebook will forever change corporate laptop use | Enterprise Features

With just over 1 week to go until the general availability of the Chromebook (Acer and Samsung versions) running Chrome OS, there is this article to peruse listing the Top 10 reasons that the Chromebook is a great idea for corporate use.

Top 10 reasons Chromebook will forever change corporate laptop use | Enterprise Features

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Another step in the browser-based desktop revolution

Citrix announced that their Citrix Receiver will be available in the Chrome Web Store soon.  The Citrix Receiver will work with Citrix servers to allow your Chromebook (CR-48) to run enterprise applications natively.  This fits in very nicely with the Corporate lease option of $28/mo. for chromebooks.  Now you can outfit an entire sales fleet with Chromebooks, and the users can run your company's software right on the Chromebook via the Citrix Receiver application.  And if your company avails itself of Google Apps, you will find that collaboration on work documents and applications will lead to greater productivity.

Read the story here on the Official Google Enterprise Blog:

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Another step in the browser-based desktop revolution

Company Backing the Chrome OS Model

A story from a company which has embraced the Chromebook to get work done.  Hear how they have determined that Google Apps give them everything they need to run their business:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt579RU7Ot0&feature=player_embedded

Chrome OS 12 — AKA: The Shipping Version — Hits Beta

Chrome OS version 0.12.433.38, which is essentially the version that is expected to become the stable channel version, recently was promoted to the Beta channel.  Read this article at TechCrunch to see their opinion:


Chrome OS 12 — AKA: The Shipping Version — Hits Beta

Next-gen Chrome OS build hits Google's Cr-48 notebooks - Computerworld Blogs

As I've mentioned before, I'm on the development channel which has had the changes mentioned in this Computerworld Blog, but this article is a nice synopsis of what was rolled onto the Beta channel over the weekend.  Getting very close to a stable channel release, I would think.

Next-gen Chrome OS build hits Google's Cr-48 notebooks - Computerworld Blogs

Google Chromebooks: Aimed directly at Microsoft's PC upgrade cycle for $28 a month | ZDNet

Another article which examines the cost of the Chromebook in relation to the Microsoft money suck.  It describes how it is very attractive to use Chromebooks that are always updated with the latest version of the operating system, and that have a cost-free upgrade plan included.

Check it out:

Google Chromebooks: Aimed directly at Microsoft's PC upgrade cycle for $28 a month | ZDNet

Five Reasons why Google's Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer | ZDNet

Another very good article on why the Chromebook is a great platform, and how it fits into the enterprise:

Five Reasons why Google's Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer | ZDNet

Why Chromebooks do have a role in your enterprise - JavaWorld

Now that the Chrome OS pilot program has been in existence for about 6 months, news of Chromebook releases from Samsung and Acer were announced at Google I/O 2011, and the technical press has been filled with reviews and opinions about the necessity of such machines.  As readers of my blog know, I'm a big fan of Chrome OS and my CR-48.  I have 2 laptops, a netbook, a MacBook and my CR-48 in the house, in addition to 2 desktop machines, and I use my CR-48 almost exclusively.  I think that the ability to use this machine as much as I do is a testament to the fact that most people use the internet primarily, and other, non-internet functions are secondary.  There are those who claim that the Chromebook becomes a paper weight as soon as you loose internet connectivity, but by the time these machines hit the market, I believe that Google will have the off-line capabilities ready to go, or very nearly so.  And what this means is that you can continue to work on your documents and email until you reconnect to the net, at which time the work you have done syncs to the cloud.  Read the following article from JavaWorld to get their take on the Chromebooks fit in the enterprise.

Why Chromebooks do have a role in your enterprise - JavaWorld

Product Manager of Chrome OS for Business: "You Can Just Pay Monthly" | thechromesource - Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Forum

Image via WikipediaI thought this line of discussion regarding the monthly subscription service to own a Chrome OS powered device needed more exposure.
Read this interesting post about the plan from the head of the business unit that is involved in business:
Product Manager of Chrome OS for Business: "You Can Just Pay Monthly" | thechromesource - Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Forum

Chrome OS Subscriptions: (Possibly) A Step Forward | PCWorld

Image via WikipediaThis is something that I've commented on before in the many forums that I post to: I can totally see the hardware supporting ChromeOS being sold as a subscription supported platform.  You get reduced prices on phone hardware by signing a one or two year agreement, it's not much of a stretch to imagine that you can do the same with a netbook running the Chrome operating system.

Read more about it here:
Chrome OS Subscriptions: (Possibly) A Step Forward | PCWorld

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• Google To Sell Chrome OS on a Subscription-Based Model? (thechromesource.com)
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Google fixes Flash exploit in Chrome, but others have to wait | Technology | guardian.co.uk

Image via Wikipedia
It's so nice to be using a browser that is so safe and to have exploits being fixed before any of the competition.

Google fixes Flash exploit in Chrome, but others have to wait | Technology | guardian.co.uk

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New Development Channel Update Fixes Some Problems

Image by lewong2000 via FlickrThere was a new Development Channel release at the end of last week (3/17) which for me has fixed a couple of glaring problems.  The previous release had the annoying habit of continually restarting every time I would bring it out of sleep mode.  It had something to do with reconnecting to the wireless network in my house, which is a problem that has persisted since I got my cr-48.  I would need to disconnect and reconnect my wireless in order to get any data.  And then the release came that would make my cr-48 crash completely while trying to reconnect to the wireless.  So, I'm happy to report that this release doesn't crash my cr-48 on wake-from-sleep, and even successfully reconnects to the wireless occasionally.  This is something that still needs some work, but it appears to be getting close to completion.

Another problem is that the location aware features of the cr-48 crash the cr-48.  If you try to use any extensions or apps that are location aware, the crash occurs.  Some examples are the full-page web app from the weather underground, and Twitter if you try to use location stamping on your tweets.  This problem has been around for the last two releases on the dev channel, so hopefully a fix is forth-coming.

Overall, the CR-48 experience is getting better and better.  I have noticed an increase in the speed and responsiveness of the system, with quick redraws on loading of web pages.  Flash-heavy pages still seem a little choppy, and scrolling with the track pad while loading one of these pages is jerky at best.  Scrolling with the down arrow key is much better.  Speaking of flash, the newer dev channel releases include to different flash engines: one called pepper and the "regular one."  In order for most flash pages to work, the pepper flash needs to be disabled.

Cloud printing still works well for me, but the about:flags print preview page is still broken.  Luckily for me, most of what I print is pdf, so I can already see what the printed output will look like.

The last couple of dev channel releases have also seen the addition of a widget in the status bar that looks like a little square.  Much has been asked and answered on many blogs as to the purpose of this widget.  It is, in fact, a window changer that becomes active when you have multiple windows open.  It somewhat mimics the task of the "next-window" button in the top row of the keyboard, but unlike that button, it will not display crosh shell windows when used.  So if you have a crosh window open, you still need to use the "next-window" button to see it.

Oh, one more thing:  the slideshow url still doesn't work, so you need to use the trusty file:/// url to see any screenshots or image files that you may have.  It will be nice when this is fixed; a lot of users are complaining that screenshots don't work, when in fact it is the slideshow functionality that is broken.

As alway, anxiously awaiting the next update to see what goodies it brings!

Related articles

• New Chrome OS update finally fixes the Cr-48's touchpad issues (engadget.com)
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Google's Chrome untouched at Pwn2Own hack match - Computerworld

Image via Wikipedia

Google offers $20,000 to anyone who can crack Chrome OS, and no one even bothers to try. How many volumes does that say about Google's technology behind the operating system? This should easily boost Chrome OS as being a safe alternative to business.

See the original article here at ComputerWorld:

Google's Chrome untouched at Pwn2Own hack match - Computerworld

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Google Chrome 10: A Feature Breakdown - PCWorld

Image via Wikipedia

For those of you CR-48 owners that are still on the Beta channel, here is a good article that explains most of the features of the Google Chrome Browser version 10. The article pays particular attention to the new settings interface (tab-based) and what all of the features in the settings are used for.

Beta Channel users can find this article at:

Google Chrome 10: A Feature Breakdown - PCWorld

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• Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for Google Chrome (chris.pirillo.com)
• Google Chrome 10 Release Brings Tabbed Settings, Flash Sandboxing (macstories.net)

Hands-on: Chrome 10 Pushes the Browser Speed Barrier - Computerworld

Image via Wikipedia

An article at ComputerWorld hightlight the speed improvements in Google Chrome 10. We lucky CR-48 owners who are using the development channel have seen our Chrome version rocket to 11.0.

Read the article here:

Hands-on: Chrome 10 pushes the browser speed barrier - Computerworld

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• Google Chrome 10 Released; Gets Password Sync and is Really Fast (techie-buzz.com)

Another Update in the Development Channel for CR-48s

Image via CrunchBaseLast night (3/7) brought a new update to the Development Channel, and now we have the following version information:

Chrome OS 0.11.227.0 (Official Build) dev-channel x86-mario

Google Chrome 11.0.690.0

However, this release comes with more problems than it's worth, and from what I hear this morning the update has been pulled.

The problems were many:  Crashing on every restart, blank, white pages, inability to go to bookmarked pages and receive any data, plus many more.  A new functionality was added to pre-render web pages and according to on of the moderators on the Google Groups group for the pilot program, you need to disable this in order for pages to load correctly.  You do this by going to the about:flags page and selecting Disable from the drop-down in the Pre-rendering group.  Problem is, a lot of people can't even get to the about:flags page to change this setting.  It takes several reboots, closing all tabs, a couple of crashes and, well, you get the idea.

On a good note, with the upgrade to Chrome 11.0.690.0, there is a very noticeable speed improvement.  Pages draw much  more quickly, and there is no lag in any of the websites that I normally use.  Reminds me more of the commercial that Google did early on for Chrome that show it being faster than a speeding projectile and other things.  Also the track-pad is much better behaved.  Scrolling in all directions is smooth and controllable.  Another new feature is the window cycle button in the top of the window by the battery monitor.  If you have several windows and panels open, pressing this button will cycle through them all.

So, if the rumor about the update being pulled is correct, then hopefully the next release will fix the problems for those of us who got this upgrade.  When  that happens, this will be a great little machine.   Snappy, responsive and with some really great features.

Application Review - Chromey Calculator

While looking for a calculator application to use on the CR48, I found a number of the usual types of calculators, and most were very usable.  But then I came across the Chromey Calculator.  For pure nerd-appeal, this has got to be one of the best.  As you can see from this screenshot

the calculator lets you do a number of interesting things.  Entering "distance to the moon in miles" will return the value of that which you can then assign to a variable (denoted by the @ symbol) for use in further calculations. Basic and advanced math functions are supported as well as some statistical functions and trigonometric functions.  You can retrieve any numerical value that you can think of and use it in your calculations.  Want to find the speed of a body falling off of the Empire State Building?  Get the height of the building and the constant for acceleration due to gravity, plug it into the formula and you've got your answer.  Not sure what the formula is?  You only need to enter a phrase to lookup the formula you need.
Lots of fun to just poke around and find some interesting data, like the distance to Betelgeuse in Light years (641.8) or the diameter of the Milky Way (100,000ly) and great for balancing the checkbook
Check it out in the Google App Store.

Top 10 Chrome OS extensions

Image by lewong2000 via Flickr

The great thing about the Chrome OS is the ability to load web apps and extensions that aid you in the way you use your computer.  I found a slideshow this morning that highlights some of the most popular/useful extensions that you can use with Chrome OS on your CR-48.  Check them out, and let me know which ones you like!

Top 10 Chrome OS extensions

Google ups speed of Chrome 10 - Computerworld

Users of the development channel on their CR-48s have been enjoying version 10 of Chrome for over a week now, and this article explains the speed gains that version brings to users.

Google ups speed of Chrome 10 - Computerworld

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Google Accelerates Chrome OS Update Pace

A new development channel update to the CR-48 arrived yesterday. This is the second OS update in the last week, so I guess the pace has picked up a little. The blogger in this story seems to have not gotten any of the intermediate updates because he was still on a 0.9 version of the Chrome OS. I haven't been on that version for several weeks.

From the Google Groups forum for CR-48 users, it sounds like the only change to the OS is a fix for some sync problems that some users were experiencing.  I think the trackpad is better at scrolling up now than it was before, but I seem to see improvements to the trackpad with every update.  I think it's a placebo type of thing for me.
Check out the story here:

Google Accelerates Chrome OS Update Pace | ConceivablyTech

Related articles

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FYI: 2 Factor Authentication Doesn't Work with Chrome OS

Google announced their 2-step authentication for logging in a couple of days ago. However, if you're a CR-48 user, you probably want to forgo using it until the bugs are worked out in sync.

FYI: 2 factor authentication doesn't work with Chrome OS - Chromium OS discuss | Google Groups

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New Update in Developer Channel Cures Some Ills

Image via WikipediaLast night (2/10), a new developer channel update was pushed to my CR-48.  That would be the second update this week (gotta love the development channel) and it has fixed my major complaints with the last update that I wrote about on Monday (2/7).  But don't get me wrong, it wasn't real evident at first. Here's why:
The update downloaded and installed, at which point I restarted the CR-48.  First thing I did is check out Google Docs and a couple of other sites that were causing me problems since the last upgrade.  Everything seemed to be working flawlessly again.  So, I started Grooveshark, and lo and behold, still no music.  Very disappointing as this is one of the reasons I love the CR-48.  Having a machine that plays my music while I work is very important.  So, I thought I'd also checkout the webcam functionality which has been borked since the last update, and it also was still non-functioning.  Okay, I thought.  Wait for the next upgrade.
This morning I'm checking out a couple of Chrome OS forums, and I see that someone has started a thread about the update from last night.  And there in that posting is the answer I was looking for!  In the about:plugins page (which I only visited briefly when I first got the CR-48) you can look at the details of the plugins by clicking the Details link.  This shows that there are two versions of the Shockwave Flash plugin installed: 10.1 and 10.2. The poster in the forum said that to enable media and web cam and all sorts of other things that were broken in the last update that you only needed to enable the 10.2 plugin and disable the 10.1 plugin.  I did this and found that everything I was missing was now fixed.
Flash sites seem faster, music plays from sites like Grooveshark, Hulu works again, and the web cam and microphone are working again from Flash sites.
Gotta love the development channel!

Related articles

• Switching to the Dev Channel in Chrome OS (thechromesource.com)

Beta vs. Development Channel

I've seen some posts since the last update about users of the new Google Chrome CR-48 notebook computer wanting to return to the Beta channel because the latest update broke a number of things that people like to use a lot.
So, let's recap what the Beta and Development channels are and some facts about them. When you select the wrench icon in the tool bar you are presented with a menu of choices.  One of those choices is "About Google Chrome."  Selecting this will bring up the settings window with an open dialog with some information about the installed versions of Chrome OS and Chrome browser.  There is a link to "More info..." which will change the view to a presentation where there is more information about a number of things, such as WebKit version and javascript engine version.  There is also a dropdown here where you can select the Beta channel or the Development channel.
If you select the Development channel, you will be given a warning about the development channel being where things are newest and therefore more susceptible to breakage. If you then press the "Check for update" button, your CR-48 will find the newer version in the development channel and begin the download/update process.  When this is completed (which can take a while since some updates are large) you will be notified that the CR-48 is restarting, and when it does, you now have the latest development build installed.
Now here is where you might decide that you are not real happy with the development build because something no longer works.  Well, there is some good news!  Almost...
You can switch back to the Beta channel by going through the same steps listed above. The almost is mentioned because you won't actually revert to an older version of the OS. You will only get a new version of  the OS when the version in the Beta channel is newer than what is currently installed on your CR-48.  So, you will be stuck with what you have until the bugs are ironed out and a new build is completed and tested and moved into the beta channel.
So, is there no hope if you are completely disgusted with the current build?  No, not really, but you have to be prepared to do more work.  Look in the Google Chrome forums for instructions on how to revert the CR-48 to the factory build.  It will involve downloading an image onto a USB drive and burning that image into the CR-48's memory.  I haven't tried that, and while the instructions are step-by-step, I don't know if it's something a non-techie individual might be tempted to do.

So, if you like cutting edge builds and want to be the first to try out new features, go ahead and grab the update from the development channel. Just be aware that there may be some bumps along this road and be prepared to accept them.

Let me know if you have questions!

Related articles

• Switching to the Dev Channel in Chrome OS (thechromesource.com)
• Where Can I Download The Different Google Chrome Builds? (ghacks.net)
• "Stable, Beta Channel Updates" and related posts (googlechromereleases.blogspot.com)

New Development Channel Update Brings Some Misery

I mentioned in a previous post that there was a new update available on the developer channel. Problem is, there's problems there.
This version of the OS brings problems with media content.  MP3's no longer play.  Grooveshark music displays a "Cannot play" message for all music.  Some video content will not play.  (I found I can still view hulu content.)
All of the flags in the about:flags page have been reset to the defaults, so you have to go in and change things back to whatever you had them set to previously.  So, for instance, if you had enabled advanced file system support so that you can read your usb and sd drives, you will need to reenable it.
You can now drag and drop the app icons around in the new window views to customize that view.  And the sync settings now come up in their own dialog from the settings window.
I've also noticed that I'm getting crashes more frequently.  The good news is that whereas these crashes used to take down all of my tabs, it is now confined to the tab that causes the exception.
So, while there are a couple of pluses in this last update, the loss of the ability to play different media files is a big buzz-kill.  Hopefully, Google follows this release up pretty quickly with something that works a little better!

Google fixes 9 bugs in Chrome, including sandbox-escape flaw - Computerworld

Google has fixed a number of bugs in the Chrome operating system. And as a result there is an update in the development channel of the CR-48 notebook.

Here is a screenshot of my CR-48 after the update:

Read about the bug fixes here:

Google fixes 9 bugs in Chrome, including sandbox-escape flaw - Computerworld

GSM on Cr-48 - Hexxeh's Blog

Image by Yaisog Bonegnasher via Flickr

It's possible to use GSM on the Google Chrome CR-48. The instructions make it look very simple. If you have a SIM card from a GSM based phone, you can insert it into the CR-48's SIM card slot, switch into developer mode, issue a couple of command-line commands and you're done. The instructions come with the usual disclaimers and warnings. If you're the adventurous type, try it out.

GSM on Cr-48 - Hexxeh's Blog

Working With Documents in the Cloud

Image via Wikipedia


A couple of tweets today highlighted how moving to the cloud might be a little confusing at first.  I saw someone comment that the CR-48 wasn't useful because they couldn't open all types of files.  Questioning this, I found out that the problem was with a Microsoft .doc file.  The poster needed to work on this file and clicking on it in the content browser after downloading it off the web resulted in an "Unknown file type" error.
The fix?  Upload it to Google Docs, and be sure to select the "Convert to Google Docs format" option when specifying the upload file.  After the upload is complete, you can open the file within Google Docs and edit to your hearts content.  And then when you get to work, you open Google Docs, and download the file in .doc format, and all of your changes are there.  It's like magic.  No matter what computer you go to, the latest changes are there.  And, if you've set up Google Cloud Print, you can print the document from your CR-48, or your Android phone (anyone know off-hand if google docs works on iPhones?).

Living and working in the Cloud.  It doesn't get any easier (or more convenient).

Related articles

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• New Google Docs Tools to Try (freetech4teachers.com)
• Wireless Printing From Gmail Coming Soon to Android and iOS (mashable.com)
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Google updates chrome with 3d hardware acceleration support- The Inquirer

The Chrome Browser continues to grow. One of the things moving to the browser is the Chrome Instant, which the CR-48 already has, which loads the url as you type it in the omnibar, as opposed to just presenting search results. This is fantastic for commonly visited web sites.  And of course, the Web Store, which has been available to CR-48 users from the beginning is now available in the Chrome Browser.  Check out the stories below.

Google updates chrome with 3d hardware acceleration support- The Inquirer

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Features - Chrome OS

Image via Wikipedia

Here are some of the features of the Chrome operating system that make the CR-48 experience so enjoyable. And finding the apps that you like and that add the functionality that you need day-to-day just enhances that experience.

Check it out:

Features - Chrome OS

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Pwn2Own 2011: Google offering $20,000 for Chrome sandbox exploit | ZDNet

Image via Wikipedia

Google is very confident that their Chrome OS is very secure. It'll be interesting to see if anyone is able to hack it. If not, it will go a long way towards making its adoption an easier decision for many business people.

Pwn2Own 2011: Google offering $20,000 for Chrome sandbox exploit | ZDNet

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• Google Offering $20,000 for Successful Cr-48 Hack (thechromesource.com)
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Installed App Review - Grooveshark

Sorry I've been absent for a while. These snowstorms that keep rolling through are keeping me busy.

So today I want to start talking about some of the apps that I've installed.  While my reviews won't be great in-depth analyses, you will be able to determine if an app is something in which you might be interested.

This is a screenshot of Grooveshark running on my CR-48.  It's currently playing a radio station of Classic Rock music.  The sound on the CR-48 is pretty good, and through earplugs it sounds really good.  Grooveshark allows you to search for music, see what others are listening to, create playlists and mark songs as favorites.  To enable all of these features requires you to create an account, but for a free music service you can't go wrong.  Grooveshark has all of the usual music player controls plus more.  And with the easy carry size of the the CR-48, there's no reason that this can't be your all-in-one device.

Music, phone calls over Google Voice, Google Talk for video chats, etc., etc.  What a great machine!!!

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Cloud Printing from the Google CR-48

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Printing has come a long way!

One of the developments in the Chrome OS operating system is the use of something called "cloud printing."  What this is, basically, is registering your printers with Google's print servers.  It's a great concept; you can register your printer at home, the printers at work, anywhere you can run a chrome browser you can register those printers for cloud printing.
On the CR-48 anything you want to print can then be directed to any of the printers that you have registered with the cloud. So, you're on the road working on a spreadsheet and when you're done you want to print it at work so it's ready for that early meeting, no problem.  When you select a printer from your list of registered printers, you'll also be able to set any of the options on that printer that you would normally be able to set.  Multiple copies, 2-sided, collated, color/b&w, no problem.  You can manage the print jobs by using the option menu and looking "Under the Hood" for the button to "Manage printers...".
At present, only printers connected to Windows machines are configurable from the Chrome options menu, but if you have Linux or MacOS you will have to do a little command line work to make the magic happen.  Here is a link to a blog with information on setting up cloud printing in Linux and MacOSX.   But it's worth the extra effort in the flexibility it provides.  On Linux systems there is also a PDF printer driver, so you could conceivably select that as the print device and actually create a PDF file on your linux machine's local file system.  Very sweet.
Have any questions about printing in the cloud?  Let me know.  It's worth you time to get it configured and working for you.

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