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$149 Chromebooks

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61–70 of 425 posts

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#61
post #15
post #3

I think the bigger news here is the Chromebit. A $100 device that turns any monitor into a computer? Fascinating.

Similar offering to Intel's stick computer (albeit Intel's has better specs and costs 50% more): http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-c...

Actually, according to CNET, there's a Linux version of the Intel stick that costs only $89, plus, Intel's has a micro SD card slot, although it lacks the 802.11ac.

http://www.cnet.com/products/intel-compute-stick/

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#62

Wow. The OLPC XO-1 launched for $188 in 2006. Now we have relatively mainstream retail laptops selling for less than that.

I completely forgot about that computer and the organization behind it. Looking at their site I guess they eventually moved on to a tablet in addition to a version of the computer; I wonder if they can even make them cheaper than these big companies anymore.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#63
post #52
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft isn't as good at collecting and reselling all of your personal information, so have to charge the actual cost of the hardware. Google does not sell your personal information in any way. They use it for their own advertising purposes, but they don't sell it to anyone, in any form.

It is a derivitative product, you're just splitting hairs. As squeaky clean as everyone in the valley believes Google to be, even most Googlers would be surprised with the type of work and contacts taken on by Google Federal (hint: it's not just Google Apps for the military). Here is a list of their current unclassified military contracts: https://www.fpds.gov/ezsearch/fpdsportal?indexName=awardfull...

It's not about being "clean". It's that the most profitable way to go about it is not to sell the info, but rent its use over and over again, keeping the actual data closed (except to LE, of course).

If you assume they're completely profit driven, it still makes sense for them to protect your data from other companies.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#64
post #59

It's a shame they didn't put USB 3.0 slots on these chromebooks. Pretty useless with 2.0 for any external hard drive activity.

True, but chromebooks aren't really designed to deal with lots of local storage. What do you think that AC wireless is for - they want you to stream all day long!

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#65
post #6

Where is the $149 Windows-Based laptop with SSD, 2-4GB RAM, and moderate graphics, that can run your usual Office to Minecraft software? The Chromebook-killer from Microsoft should be here, but all I hear about are the Surfaces. Honestly, the only reason my kids don't have Chromebooks is because they don't easily run Minecraft or downloadable games. Sure they can do their school work on them, but they also like to pl…

put linux on the chromebook and you can run libreoffice, gnumeric and minecraft

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$149 is ridiculously cheap and I don't think Microsoft wants, or should want to operate in that market. At the $200-$300 price range there are many Windows choices - most with significantly better hardware and features. Microsoft: Leave the sub $200 market to others and leverage your online services to sell to those consumers.

Microsoft ate IBM and others from the bottom, because the margins were too low on PC vs mainframe and minis. And now, you're suggesting Microsoft should accept being eaten from the bottom because the margins are too low (I guess that's what you're arguing). Classic innovator's dilemma scenario. Those who don't learn from history will repeat it. Even those who made the history in question.

What makes the Chromebook a disruptive innovation?

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#67
Wow, does someone know if I can wipe the hard drive, install linux on it (Arch or Debian) and use it for light development (Python with Emacs)?

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#68
post #3

I think the bigger news here is the Chromebit. A $100 device that turns any monitor into a computer? Fascinating.

I see no point in carrying around a little stick to use as a computer but not as storage. Plenty of flash-based local storage would be easy to add (with locally encrypted backups to the cloud if needed) and turn the privacy-impaired ChromeOS products into decent personal computing devices.

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#69
post #52
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft isn't as good at collecting and reselling all of your personal information, so have to charge the actual cost of the hardware. Google does not sell your personal information in any way. They use it for their own advertising purposes, but they don't sell it to anyone, in any form.

It is a derivitative product, you're just splitting hairs. As squeaky clean as everyone in the valley believes Google to be, even most Googlers would be surprised with the type of work and contacts taken on by Google Federal (hint: it's not just Google Apps for the military). Here is a list of their current unclassified military contracts: https://www.fpds.gov/ezsearch/fpdsportal?indexName=awardfull...

Found something called Robogator in there

Re: $149 Chromebooks

#70
post #52
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft isn't as good at collecting and reselling all of your personal information, so have to charge the actual cost of the hardware. Google does not sell your personal information in any way. They use it for their own advertising purposes, but they don't sell it to anyone, in any form.

It is a derivitative product, you're just splitting hairs. As squeaky clean as everyone in the valley believes Google to be, even most Googlers would be surprised with the type of work and contacts taken on by Google Federal (hint: it's not just Google Apps for the military). Here is a list of their current unclassified military contracts: https://www.fpds.gov/ezsearch/fpdsportal?indexName=awardfull...

What's sinister in that list? I just see things that look like purchase orders for Google search appliances, a vague "research" contract at Army Research Labs, and what looks to be mapping consulting by NGA.

If you're going to make a claim and drop a link on us, please tell us what's actually there to support your claim.

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