Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Chromebook

google.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

211–220 of 323 posts

Re: Chromebook

#211

Post by cookiecaper »

glhaynes wrote: post #195
siglesias wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A video editing app, for example.

It's not like video editing apps are going to go away. If "limited" computers become the norm, they'll start to support video editing because users want that functionality.

It's mostly a matter of not being able to correctly assume in all cases that a person is not going to need video editing, because a Chromebook is the first serious recent computer that won't allow a user to install a video editor.

I'm helping an old lady in my neighborhood edit movies of her kindegarten class in iMovie, and I'd bet that most people would have said "oh, she doesn't need to edit videos", but one of her colleagues starting making montage videos of the class for the end of the year and she wanted to do it too. Since she has a MacBook, this is possible. If she had a Chromebook, she'd have to borrow someone's computer, and I don't know if she would have the courage to ask for that, especially since, like most old ladies, she is scared that she will break computer every time she does anything.

Re: Chromebook

#212

Post by melling »

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.

The lightest one is almost twice as heavy. I think my iPad should lose another 1/2lb. Anyway, the tablet form factor with touch is still very appealing. Google should continue to aggressively pursue tablets with Android.

Re: Chromebook

#213

Post by ippisl »

kiba wrote: post #156
scott_s wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people don't create. You must be depressed by the wasted potential, because we're going from a world where most people don't create to a world where most people don't create.

People created too much stuff for us to enjoy anyway. All the books in the world on average probably got read several times, but all human beings never hope to read all the books.

I sure like the huge variety that blogs offer, don't you ?

Re: Chromebook

#214

Post by abraham »

cookiecaper wrote: post #131
Kylekramer wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I pretty sure Google knows all of this. And are counting on it. They want them in people's hands, and they know once they are, all of those problems play into their vision. 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. Google likes this.…

> Really? Hardcore gamers are the last people who would use this, and the first people to recognize that. I don't know if you really understand how many people play WoW. Most of the avid WoW players I've known have not been "hardcore gamers" and they've played WoW on really crappy computers, with Intel GMA graphics and everything. There are many normal people that wouldn't drop the cash on a video card that play WoW.…

> Also, you didn't address things like downloading pictures from a camera, syncing with an MP3 player (not necessarily iTunes/iPod), or any of the other local, non-browser stuff that a normal person does all the time.

Plug in a camera and it offers to upload them to Picasa. With Google Music there is no need to sync anything. Anytime you want to listen to music on your Android phone it just plays from the cloud.

Re: Chromebook

#215

Post by msbarnett »

scott_s wrote: post #158
kenjackson wrote: post #45

I can't imagine anyone buying this and being happy unless they are already intimately familiar with the device ahead of time. Too many limitations, with virtually no big upside functionality or user experience (unlike the iPad that makes up for limitations with some huge upside). As I'd mentioned before I can buy an ASUS Eee PC with an AMD C30 processor for $289 and be able to use the browser of my choice, sync my iP…

You skipped right over the fact that you have an iPad. Your iPad can't run WoW, Skype, Office, Visual Studio, Emacs, Vim, etc. And it's crazy popular.

Because, as he mentioned, it has upside. That whole personal touchy-feely interaction thing that seems to sell people on it in stores, the bulklessness of it that lets you use it as an eReader in bed, it's much lighter than these, the battery life is longer, etc.

These Chromebooks might share the iPad's limitations, but they don't seem to make up for it with any strengths that you couldn't get out of a regular netbook.

Re: Chromebook

#216

Post by podperson »

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…

If your latest fad games include, say, _Order & Chaos_ or even _Tiny Wings_ then you'll be disappointed. Angry Birds is so 2010.

Can connect digital camera and process RAW images? Perform simple adjustments?

Useful on airplane?

Re: Chromebook

#217

Post by zoba »

Does anyone know if a monthly subscription is required to have one of these? I've already got laptops that work and I'm not interested in paying a monthly fee for something that doesn't do everything I want it to, when I wont even be using it 100% of the time. In fact, I hate monthly fees on just about everything.

Re: Chromebook

#218

Post by arihant »

scott_s wrote: post #210
arihant wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You're right. I was a little presumptuous there. My mind is corrupted by all the post-pc speculation going on. :)

I do think that these devices are more of an internet window. At the same time, they are in standard PC form factor. I feel chromeOS chose a bad form factor. Think about it, you are happy carrying your laptop or having a desktop with your current internet window (iPads), but imagine carrying and having chromebook with a macbook. That doesn't look like a solution, thats an ugly desk. Point being - I won't be the only one who will every now and then, mistakenly or otherwise, compare chrombooks to the PCs. If they look like one, they might as well bang like one.

Re: Chromebook

#219

Post by henrikschroder »

wiredfool wrote: post #114
cstross wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that Verizon doesn't operate in Europe, and CDMA is just about unheard of over here. According to this CNET report ( http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20061896-266.html ) chromebooks will be sold in several EU countries, so I assume there'll be a UMTS/HSPA model sold with contracts from various carriers. (It's fairly clear that Google are targeting the same "curated computing" approach as Apple, but via a radica…

Well, changing the language to Nederlands got me a different page -- one that I can read but I can make sweedish chef like interpretations of. Looks like Dutch users can expect wireless from kpn, with a gig of transfer per (garbled) for free, and then it's 20 euros/200MB. Hell, I should have done the English/uk, They're getting internets from three, and It's 3gig transfer free for the first three months, then pay as…

What the hell, I thought you could get unlimited mobile broadband at least in the Netherlands? This pricing makes no sense.

I mean here in Sweden I can get mobile broadband (i.e. a USB dongle I plug into my laptop) from Three with a speed of (up to) 6mbit/s and no datacap for 9 euro/month. 25 euro/month gives me up to 32mbit/s, and still no caps.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have some sort of operator kickback scheme for the chromebooks, but we'll see if/when they launch them in Scandinavia as well.

Re: Chromebook

#220

Post by ctdonath »

kenjackson wrote: post #202
ctdonath wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 d…

It's less than a buck a day. Should be able to find 20 empty cans and recycle them daily, if not actually do something profitable with the device at the rate of $1/day.
Post reply on HN