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Chromebook

google.com

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Re: Chromebook

#271

Post by Tichy »

haberman wrote: post #234
ellyagg wrote: post #226

So, you can get a full featured eeepc for the same price as a chromebook, but google expects people to pay just as must because (I guess?) it's so simple to use and doesn't have viruses? I don't think that's how normal people buy things. People don't want simple for simple's sake. They want good design. People do want features. They do want power. They will not choose a less powerful solution because of vague imputed…

Features: - boots in 8 seconds - updates itself without bothering you - battery that lasts all day - backups taken care of (all data is in the cloud) - built-in 3G with 100MB/month included - doesn't get viruses

How do they pull of the battery thing? Browsers seem to consume the most energy these days, so where is the advantage compared to "normal" PCs?

Re: Chromebook

#272

Post by bbest86 »

bergie wrote: post #251

I find it interesting that most comments here mirror the classic Slashdot iPod review: No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame. I think this isn't targeted at the classic computer market, the one that Steve Jobs said is like like trucks . instead, it is an attempt at building a computer market that is closer to general appliances, like TVs or cell phones. Quite similar to iPad's approach, but with more focus on pr…

While I think there's a market here, I wonder if the Chromebook will feel enough like a separate appliance to make inroads. The iPad feels like something different - a Chromebook just feels like a laptop. To me the marketing feels too much like a laptop that can only access the web than something completely different that is compelling to the average consumer.

Re: Chromebook

#273

Post by true_religion »

paganel wrote: post #258
abraham wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

> Plug in a camera and it offers to upload them to Picasa. I'm on a 3-day trip to Paris, with my wife. At the end of day one we go back to our cheap 3-star hotel room, and we want to upload the day's pictures. All 200 of them (that's about 700MB on my photo camera). What do I do? Do I use my Internet roaming? That would be ~700 euro, so no. Do I rely on my hotel's crappy and expensive Internet connection to upload th…

I don't mean to defend Google, because I don't know how well this ploy will work out but let me offer a counter analogy.

I would find a Chromebook extremely useful even though I have a laptop, desktop, and Kindle.

A Chromebook would be used for emailing, light reading (aka HN), and web surfing. It'd be an appendage, and not the end-all-be-all of my technology sphere.

I'm also an avid amateur photographer, but like many I never offload my pictures onto a laptop during a vacation or photo-shoot. Years ago, I bought two 16GB flash memory cards for the camera. With that, I can take thousands of pictures and never worry about offloading anything.

If in fact, I absolutely needed to offload data I'd just plug in a handy USB-connected external hard-drive and get instant access to 500GB more space.

----

As an aside, since you're in Paris you should by an Orange card. Its about 10 euros, and gets you Wifi access at many of their hotspots around town.

Alternatively, you should be able to get Wifi in certain public parks too without paying. I haven't done the later, but I have done the former.

Re: Chromebook

#274

Post by bostonvaulter2 »

ellyagg wrote: post #241
haberman wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Features: - boots in 8 seconds - updates itself without bothering you - battery that lasts all day - backups taken care of (all data is in the cloud) - built-in 3G with 100MB/month included - doesn't get viruses

Right, so not very compelling. - Boots in 8 seconds: Why power off your laptop? I don't nor anyone I know. - Updates itself without bothering you: Low value. - Battery lasts all day: This is strong, if verified. - Backups taken care of: Implications are mixed at best. - Built-in 3G: This is probably stronger than some will give credit. - Doesn't get viruses: As I suggested above, low value. I was aware of these, of c…

It sounds like you aren't really the target market for this device.

Re: Chromebook

#275

Post by eof »

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 I can run a shell of my choice and feel my privacy is intact (for non google software stuff) it satisfies my needs as well.

Re: Chromebook

#276

Post by ellyagg »

bergie wrote: post #251

I find it interesting that most comments here mirror the classic Slashdot iPod review: No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame. I think this isn't targeted at the classic computer market, the one that Steve Jobs said is like like trucks . instead, it is an attempt at building a computer market that is closer to general appliances, like TVs or cell phones. Quite similar to iPad's approach, but with more focus on pr…

I don't think so. I think people are well aware of what these trade-offs hope to accomplish, but don't feel it'll pan out with the consumer market. Just because someone radically rebalances features in a device doesn't mean it's going to be a winner. We'll see.

Part of the difference is that with ipod, apple had no other incentive for its design than to make consumers happy and thus get money. That isn't even close to the case here. Google has strategic objectives, and it hopes to promote those aims with chromebook. Google has a ton of bias distorting its vision as to what will excite users.

Re: Chromebook

#277

Post by jshen »

cookiecaper wrote: post #133
fragmede wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still have a recurring appointment to clean the crap-ware off my mom's Win7 computer. A system that I don't have to do that on is still a selling point. Google's working on having me do even less as the IT guy for family and friends, and I fully support that.

Install Ubuntu and you won't have to clean up crapware. LibreOffice definitely has better MS Office compatibility than Google Docs.

instead I'll have fiddle with video drivers, get calls when the sound stops working after an update, get calls about why the computer stops waking from sleep like it should, etc, etc

Re: Chromebook

#278

Post by zmmmmm »

cryptoz wrote: post #184
kenjackson wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess our experiences are just fundamentally different. With the plethora of free good antivirus programs that you can download, I find viruses are largely a thing of the past. In the old days you had to pay $50/year for virus protection. And you had to go to a brick and mortar store or order it from Amazon. Cost and effort made it less common for end users to have antivirus. Now, I install it on every box I mainta…

Still, you're saying that when a user buys a computer, it is their responsibility to go searching on the web for a free, reputable and safe anti-virus company to download software from? Why? Why should they care? Why is it still necessary to do that? Can't someone build a computer where you turn it on and it works safely the first time? That's what Google just did. Some people want that. Badly. Edit: Surely you'll se…

> when a user buys a computer, it is their responsibility to go searching on the web for a free, reputable and safe anti-virus company

Actually these days they can just opt to install Microsoft Security Essentials and they are done.

Re: Chromebook

#279

Post by peregrine »

kmod wrote: post #256

Based on my experiences with the CR-48 (which I used extensively for a few months), I have to suggest that you not get one of these laptops. Basically, ChromeOS is great, but using Atom processors is simply unacceptable for the tasks that they advertise. The only thing the CR-48 can do well is viewing static content -- and I mean truly static! Scrolling around on an otherwise-static web page is far to dynamic for it…

That's really strange because I've had the opposite experience. I use ssh for most of my work. I can play hulu videos in 280p, I can view almost all pages and content slowdown free.

The cavet being I cannot run hundreds of tabs, I usually keep it around 5, and when I'm on a flashy website it slows everything down.

Its getting better almost everyday though and now I can almost watch hulu videos in 480p.

Re: Chromebook

#280

Post by peregrine »

ellyagg wrote: post #241
haberman wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Features: - boots in 8 seconds - updates itself without bothering you - battery that lasts all day - backups taken care of (all data is in the cloud) - built-in 3G with 100MB/month included - doesn't get viruses

Right, so not very compelling. - Boots in 8 seconds: Why power off your laptop? I don't nor anyone I know. - Updates itself without bothering you: Low value. - Battery lasts all day: This is strong, if verified. - Backups taken care of: Implications are mixed at best. - Built-in 3G: This is probably stronger than some will give credit. - Doesn't get viruses: As I suggested above, low value. I was aware of these, of c…

The current price is definitly too high, but I can vouch for all those feattures. It instantly goes int and out odf standby. I don't really like the new hardware I wish they sold more cr-48s this is one nice machine.
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