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
Showing posts with label Laptop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laptop. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
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
Top 10 reasons Chromebook will forever change corporate laptop use | Enterprise Features
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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:
Monday, May 16, 2011
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
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
Check it out:
Google Chromebooks: Aimed directly at Microsoft's PC upgrade cycle for $28 a month | ZDNet
Monday, March 21, 2011
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!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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.
Friday, January 14, 2011
An OS Update On My Google CR-48 Notebook!
Last night, while working on my Google CR-48 notebook computer, I noticed that the wrench icon had changed. There was a little orange dot (at least it looked like a dot) below the wrench. So I opened the menu and found that by clicking on the About entry that a new version of the Chrome OS had been installed, and I only needed to restart my notebook for the changes to take effect.
So, I restarted immediately. And what did I see? Nothing obvious, but I did realize quite quickly that the issues with the track pad seem to have been resolved. I can now smoothly scroll up and down using two fingers and the right click capability of tapping with two fingers seems much more accurate. This fix is huge for me since it's been a pain to scroll when reading long web pages or editing documents or spreadsheets. I had found a work-around that I described in an earlier post, but having the track pad work as designed is much preferred.
I don't know yet what else has been fixed. I'll do a little research and experimentation to see if I can find anything else. Until then, I need to do some real work. Back later!
So, I restarted immediately. And what did I see? Nothing obvious, but I did realize quite quickly that the issues with the track pad seem to have been resolved. I can now smoothly scroll up and down using two fingers and the right click capability of tapping with two fingers seems much more accurate. This fix is huge for me since it's been a pain to scroll when reading long web pages or editing documents or spreadsheets. I had found a work-around that I described in an earlier post, but having the track pad work as designed is much preferred.
I don't know yet what else has been fixed. I'll do a little research and experimentation to see if I can find anything else. Until then, I need to do some real work. Back later!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My Google CR-48 Chrome OS Experience to Date
Image by lewong2000 via FlickrOkay. I gave you a link to a quick overview of what Chrome OS is and how and why it was developed. You can install the Chrome OS on a desktop machine, a notebook or a netbook computer. But the purpose of this blog is to talk about my experience with the Google CR-48 notebook since I was lucky enough to be selected for the Pilot Program and received a CR-48 to use an evaluate the Chrome OS as a platform.So today a little about Chrome OS on the CR-48. Since the OS is very small, boot time is very short. From a completely powered down state to ready to use is a scant 14 seconds or less. The user interface, which is in essence the Chrome browser, is sleek and fast. Support for Flash is included and the OS handles almost all file types flawlessly. The browser-like interface is tab-oriented, and as you may have read in the Chrome OS comic, each tab is a separate process so that anything that happens in one tab is isolated from the rest of the interface. This is great for security and safety.
Since the basic premise of the Chrome OS is that everything should live in the cloud, it's important, actually necessary to have an internet connection when using the CR-48. WiFi is the preferred method, and Google has also arranged a 100MB/mo. contract for each CR-48 with Verizon Wireless. So you have no reason not to be connected so that you can use your notebook computer.
The interface has a wrench icon in the toolbar area which is used to do such things as open a new tab or a new window, or an incognito window (no history, cookies, etc., making you unknown. It's also the way the OS does the "guest" user login.), or editing functions like copy/cut/paste. You'll also find the tools entry where you manage extensions and browsing data, open the javascript console or the task manager. There are entries for history and download managers, and an options entry. The options entry is where you can configure some very basic settings for the OS, like home page, wireless and cellular connections, languages, timezones, users and more. There is just enough here to customize the interface to your liking, but not so much that it is cumbersome or confusing.
The user interface itself seems very snappy, using the latest version of WebKit and a highly optimized javascript engine, and pages draw quickly and accurately. A little further down the road, I'll provide some links to interesting speed tests and demonstrations that highlight the speed of the engine.
Once you get the CR-48 up and running and configured to your liking, it's time to add extensions and Web Apps to provide the functionalities that you are most likely to use. In upcoming articles I will journal my experiences with some of these extensions and web apps, explaining why I chose them, what I think of them, and whether or not they have made it into my list of currently installed apps/extensions.
Thanks for reading. Please leave comments if you see something you like or dislike, and share with your friends who may have a bad case of CR-48 envy.
Friday, January 7, 2011
My Thoughts on the CR-48 Hardware
Image by toprankonlinemarketing via FlickrWell, there's been a lot written already about the CR-48 hardware specs and people's feelings about that hardware. Google's Chrome OS notebook computer is a rather nondescript black notebook, weighing in at about 3.5 lbs. It feels great in the hand with its slick rubberized surface which discourages most fingerprints.
For connections, there's a video out, a USB port and an SD card slot. Add one headphone jack and there you have it. Just enough to make if functional, but not a lot which is understandable given the nature of this machine.
Opening up the notebook causes it to immediately boot up, a process which takes about 12 - 15 seconds. After initial user set-up and wireless or Verizon connections made, you're ready to go. The display is bright and the viewing angle is quite good, although blacks tend to flare a bit when the angle increases.
I love the keyboard. If you haven't heard, the keyboard has a few interesting changes. The caps-lock key has disappeared and in its place you'll find a search key, which opens a new tab in your browser (which is the entire user interface in the Chrome OS). The function keys have all been replaced with keys that provide functionalities like going forward and back in your browser, switching windows, muting or adjusting the volume and screen brightness. The keys are chiclet style with great tactile feedback. As a touch-typist, I found that I could type very easily and the absense of the caps-lock key didn't effect me at all.
The trackpad has been probably the most criticized part of this notebook. I'm not sure I understand the problems people are having; I think it's more a case of getting used to the way the thing works. Swiping with your finger moves the cursor. Two finger swiping from top-to-bottom scrolls the window. You can configure the touchpad to use tap-to-click, or you can physically depress the whole touchpad to click. That is pretty cool. Right clicking is achieved by using a two-finger click. I think the most problematic part of the touchpad is the two-finger scroll, but I found a tip in another blog that works well for me. Placing your thumb in the lower left corner of the touchpad and then using your index finger to swipe up and down on the touchpad will also activate the scrolling like the two-finger swipe.
Sound from the speakers is acceptable, and the built in webcam and microphone work as expected. Finding web apps or extensions that utilize the webcam is a little hard, but more on that later.
Being that this is a cloud-based operating system, there is really no need for a hard disk, so there is none. There is 16GB of on-board memory which should be sufficient for a slew of pictures or media files. Just need a way to get to them (and more on this later).
WiFi works well; I had no problem connecting to several networks. I've heard that WPA2 security doesn't work, but I haven't tried that out. If someone could clarify that for me, I'd appreciate it. The 3G connectivity to Verizon wireless (courtesy of the free 100MB data plan that Google arranged for the pilot program) also works very well.
The construction feels solid, with the hinge being firm with no looseness or wiggle. All lines are clean and parts match up well.
So, to summarize, I like the hardware. Once I got over the scrolling issue, I find I have nothing to complain about. If something should come up, I'll post it here.
If you were lucky enough to get a CR-48, let me know if you agree with my assessments. Everyone else: Since you won't be able to buy this exact product this might not mean much to you, but having an understanding of the hardware will make any further posts more understandable if there is a hardware aspect to the issue I'm discussing.
Next, we'll look into what Chrome OS is, and how it's trying to change the way we view computing.
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