Earlier quoted context omitted.
You would have to flash the BIOS to get past the Verified Boot security.
hmm. I saw somewhere it was characterized as highly hackable
I'd get something like this instead, and put Debian on it:
Chromebox
251–260 of 305 posts
Re: Chromebox
#252Interesting. Too bad the 'specifications' tab is so anaemic - I'm curious how this stacks up against e.g. a Mac mini, or other mini computers. edit: Amazon has a lot more info: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE300M22-A01US-Series-3-Chrome... edit the second: it seems pretty competitive with a Mac mini, actually. 1.9ghz Celeron instead of 2.3 i5, same RAM, and same graphics card. The 16gb SSD vs 500gb HDD might make th…
You can't possibly be serious. There's a tiny little thing called the operating system which makes significantly more of a difference to the overall experience, performance and value of a computer than a few GHz.
I'm serious. If you give a Mac Mini running Chrome and a Chromebox to someone who doesn't care about the numbers, and ask them to use them, how do they compare? If you cared about the OS and that you could install e.g. MS Office, you wouldn't buy a Chromebox in the first place, so you're not even remotely their target audience. And then there are always people who will crack the thing open and write their own OS into it, for whom the bottom price vs specs are the only real deciding factor.
Re: Chromebox
#253Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm comparing them because the form factor and use case look to be exactly the same (heck, the UI looks very similar too, both being made by Google). Examples of Android set top boxes (the first one has 4 GB): http://www.dealextreme.com/p/google-android-2-2-hdmi-tv-set-... http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mele-1080p-android-2-3-internet... They were featured recently by a local supermarket chain.
What, because they're square? By that measure, an Apple TV, Mac Mini and Airport Extreme are all in the same category.
From a consumer's perspective, isn't an Apple TV or a Mac Mini a substitute product? Especially at the 400 dollar price point of the Chromebox.
I mean, the sales pitch for the Chromebox is: surf the internet, stream movies and use some apps...
Re: Chromebox
#254Earlier quoted context omitted.
Advantages this version of the Chromebox has over the base-model Mac mini: slightly faster Core i5; more USB ports (6 versus 4); more DisplayPorts (2 versus 1); comes with more RAM (4 gigs versus 2 gigs); $69 cheaper (using the Chromebox's list price versus Amazon's current price for the Mac mini). Advantages the mini has over the Chromebox: memory upgradable to 16 gigs (Apple says 8 gigs, but others report that 16 g…
The Chromebox apparently uses a verified boot, so no Linux unless you can replace the bios. It's a shame since a small footprint, low-power, turnkey Linux box would be just the thing for a number of applications, though the Chromebox lacks a way to add fast storage.
Thanks. I do not understand why someone other than Apple or Samsung does not make something like this (without the price premium Apple wants for OS X and without the verified boot).
Re: Chromebox
#255Earlier quoted context omitted.
16 GB SSD. You can find it on amazon -> http://goo.gl/oFXeA
That's seriously underpowered. My phone holds more than that and considering the expectation that they've set (not mentioning cloud storage at all) horribly low for what looks like a home computer.
Its also about half the "price" of a smartphone.
Re: Chromebox
#256This is a terrible page and the product manager of this thing should be ashamed. The inmates are truly running the asylum. The technical specs are completely irrelevant to the interests of the majority of consumers. This page needs to show what this is capable of without the foreknowledge of what Chrome OS is or is capable of or what Googles other offerings are. Sell me a story! Tell me why my life is going to be bet…
I disagree (mostly). Technical specs do tell you what a device is capable of. However, putting the specs up front and not under the specs tab (which is strangely almost empty) is poor. The overview should be pushed up to the top and expanded upon a la Apple's products pages. Even with all the specs, there's one I care about that's not on here, how much can I store on the device? All the USB ports aren't doing me any…
how much can I store on the device? All the USB ports aren't doing me any good
I think you're completely missing the point of ChromeOS. You're not supposed to jam photos or movies onto it. It's a web browser in box. Google Docs/Drive, Youtube, Picasa. These are all available on the first boot. Ford doesn't advertise how far their cars can go when driven off a cliff because it's a car, not an airplane. You can't fault them for that.
Re: Chromebox
#257Has anyone tried to use a home Chromebook as a development tool connecting to a corporate network over VPN and using VNC to connect to a linux box? I think it would be much better for my marriage if I could handle the "work emergencies" from the same room as my wife.
I use my CR-48 as my normal portable laptop. I can code with web based IDEs, SSH into my boxes if needed and it has ~8 hours of battery life. I absolutely love the device, I just think any price over $299 is barking at the moon.
Re: Chromebox
#258Google and marketing will never get along:
"compact home or office device" <---- WHATEVER THAT MEANS!
Re: Chromebox
#259Earlier quoted context omitted.
What, because they're square? By that measure, an Apple TV, Mac Mini and Airport Extreme are all in the same category.
From a consumer's perspective, isn't an Apple TV or a Mac Mini a substitute product? Especially at the 400 dollar price point of the Chromebox. I mean, the sales pitch for the Chromebox is: surf the internet, stream movies and use some apps...
The Mac Mini - yes, the Apple TV - no. I don't think there's a lot of consumer confusion between set top boxes and desktop computers.
My point was it's like saying you don't understand why Apple sells the Mac Mini when the Apple TV is only $99.
Re: Chromebox
#260Earlier quoted context omitted.
http://www.apple.com/ vs http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/ http://www.apple.com/iphone/ vs https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebox.html I'd say Google's doing a better job.
I'd say you should compare Apple's and Google's sales reports.
I'd say a lot more goes into a company's revenue than two single product landing pages. Don't use Apple's earnings as justification for all it's actions.
McDonald's sells the most burgers in the world, that definitely means it's the best in everything burger-related right?