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Chromebook

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Re: Chromebook

#201

Post by glhaynes »

drm237 wrote: post #106
kenjackson wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And those people don't know what Google Docs are either. And when they get an Excel document where charts don't render correctly, or comments are screwed up, or pivot tables don't work against their datasource, they'll be POed. Or when all their friends are playing WoW and they realize that this device doesn't play it. Or when they want to Skype with their grandkids they realize, they can't do that. Or when they take…

All of your points also apply to the iPad.

True. But, iPad has the psychological advantage of an entirely different form factor. That makes it easier for people to understand that it's a different sort of device. Whereas people will be more apt to feel "robbed" if their laptop can't do the things that their friend's laptop can do. Not necessarily saying it's rational.

Re: Chromebook

#202

Post by kenjackson »

ctdonath wrote: post #162
kenjackson wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me be clear. I'd love this device for free. Or like I said, even $100 I could see it being a fair price. But when you price at the same price of a netbook that performs really well (the new ASUS Eee Pcs are pretty darn impressive beasts for a $289 machine), with all of its limitations, it just doesn't make sense. This needs to be more like a Kindle. A device you get even if you already have a laptop and an iPad.…

At $20/month it's pretty much disposable. How much more "free" do you want? Apple has shown the "walled garden" works, despite anguished cries from geeks. People want a machine that just turns on (fast), just works, just does most of the things they want to do without any worries about installation/updates/debugging. Give them enough zero-headache capability and they'll adhere to it despite what lacks.

At $20/month it's pretty much disposable. How much more "free" do you want?

In college I only bought ramen... on sale.

I had a schedule for when all the clubs at the school had free dinners.

I was mad when the taco stand increased their bean burrito price from 89 cents to 94 cents.

In college, I'd consider it a fair deal if you paid me to use the computer, and I'd put a Google sticker on the back of it.

Although it does seem like college kids are a lot richer nowadays.

Re: Chromebook

#203

Post by ippisl »

runjake wrote: post #123

- browses web? check. - runs the latest fad games, like Angry Birds (and more soon thanks to WebGL)? check. - can connect digital camera and upload photos? check. - can browse facebook, twitter, youtube, gmail, hotmail, etc? check - can play flash games & netflix, hulu, & other crap? check. This will satisfy the needs of all my immediate non-techy family members. And I won't get the monthly calls about malware anymor…

So why don't you just install something like deepfreeze(or it's competitors) and be done with the support calls ?

Deepfreeze basically starts before the os and returns the computer to a frozen state you defined. it's used in libraries and internet cafes and schools , and seem to work pretty well.

This way you get: no support calls + better experience to family(apps, better privacy, known interface) + less risk and more control on the solutions you offer.

Re: Chromebook

#204

Post by MatthewPhillips »

kenjackson wrote: post #136
koeselitz wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a lot of words for an argument that assumes what it's trying to prove.

How about this. Read reviews of the cr48 and then read them for the iPad. If you don't sense a difference in how they're perceived at a base level then just consider me a bozo.

The cr48 was a free prototype.

Re: Chromebook

#205

Post by bxr »

eggbrain wrote: post #16

A little pricy for me to be honest. Is an all day battery and 100MB of 3G data a month worth giving up a whole lot of features over a netbook? For some, maybe. But for me, no.

>100MB of 3G data a month

Thats less than a workday's worth of use at a desktop computer. And you're telling me that's the limit for a device that relies so heavily on the cloud?

Re: Chromebook

#206

Post by cookiecaper »

spiffworks wrote: post #200
cookiecaper wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can this put music on an MP3 player? Just how is the real filesystem abstracted away in Chrome OS? If you buy music from Amazon MP3, can you run their downloader? (If you buy music from iTunes, I am pretty sure you are SOL already. ;) ) There's a lot of uses that still require a real, local desktop, and I think once you give this to all of your non-techy family members you'll start to run into them. I don't understan…

It's all the other nonsense that comes along with managing a typical PC that's the problem. System update every so often, upgrade the system every six months, driver problem with graphics, an endless stream of support requests. On the Windows side, its even worse. I shudder every time I see my Mom's Windows install after a gap of a few months - only half the screen is visible in Firefox because of all the malicious t…

Set up apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && apt-get dist-upgrade -y to run as a cronjob, disable the notifications.

EDIT: Curious as to why this is getting downvoted. If you don't want to "bothered" with update dialogs, you have to run the updates behind the scenes without prior approval. This is what Chrome already does automatically -- Google pushes an update and you get it no questions asked, so what's wrong with setting up Ubuntu to do it automatically if that's how you want your computer to work? I don't get it.

I wasn't suggesting the parents set up the cronjob, just as I didn't suggest that they should install the OS. Competent guy should set that all up, parents can use it without knowing the difference in anything.

Re: Chromebook

#207

Post by runjake »

siglesias wrote: post #173
runjake wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you looking for, specifically? There are a plethora of web apps for content creation available. There are also a variety of image editing & drawing apps in the Chrome Store (and a basic drawing app in GApps). Edit: If you want iMovie, you want a Mac. My family doesn't use iMovie (though I do personally, but the ChromeBook isnt't for me), they use YouTube video tools & Facebook video crap.

A video editing app, for example.

My family members use the Youtube Video Editor, to be specific. There are many other web-based video editors out there, as well. With the advancements Google is spear-heading (2D & 3D hardware acceleration), I see the prevalence of these web-based apps increasing.

iMovie (which was the example you gave before you edited your comment) is way, way too complex for my family members, from experience (and even me, at times).

Re: Chromebook

#208

Post by msbarnett »

smackfu wrote: post #182
melling wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weighs 1.5lbs? Nope. I'll probably get one after I see the first few reviews. However, the tablet (iPad/Android) isn't replaced by one of these. It's a different device.

?? That is nearly the same weight as the iPad.

I think he means these don't weigh 1.5 lbs. The Samsung is 3.26 lbs

Re: Chromebook

#209

Post by wazoox »

runjake wrote: post #123

- browses web? check. - runs the latest fad games, like Angry Birds (and more soon thanks to WebGL)? check. - can connect digital camera and upload photos? check. - can browse facebook, twitter, youtube, gmail, hotmail, etc? check - can play flash games & netflix, hulu, & other crap? check. This will satisfy the needs of all my immediate non-techy family members. And I won't get the monthly calls about malware anymor…

None of my non-techy family ever complained about their Linux laptops and netbooks. And I never had any call in the past 3 years. The only part which is new here is "backed by a powerful -monopolistic?- company".

Re: Chromebook

#210

Post by scott_s »

arihant wrote: post #199
scott_s wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm confused by what your point is because I'm not sure if you understand mine. My point was that most people don't use their existing computers for creative purposes, so introducing a computer with limited creative potential won't change much.

It will. Just because most people don't cook, we start selling houses without kitchen, don't you think its a slippery and wrong slope? Look at ipad running GarageBand, thats the stuff we want. People don't create only when when creating stuff sucks. Just like I only cook when all I have to do is "add hot water". There is a quote that comes to mind: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." -…

You're assuming that this new Chrome netbook-laptop-thingy will replace the typical desktop computer. I don't think it will. My parents love their iPads (yes, iPads, plural, they each have one because being retired means you no longer have to share) yet still bought a new desktop when their old one died.
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