I really, really wanted to see the Chromebook so I took a trip to BestBuy.
Now, of course I was skeptical being a person who has rushed out to the store everytime I heard there was a "preinstalled Linux desktop" at a Wal*Mart or Frys. Usually it was disappointment...maybe one machine, half alive with a broken keyboard in the back of the room and an out of date Mandrake linux running on a too underpowered processor.
2012. I walk into BestBuy, right in the middle of the aisles of Windows 8 machine and ask "do you have any Chromebooks I can see?" Again, the expectation is derision, sneers or the young representative in the blue shirt saying "Whattt?" as if I had just solicted her at a singles bar.
But now -- I was lead to a beautiful brightly lit Google kiosk right on the main aisle for all to see. They had two glorious Samsung Chromebooks, the older more expensive $449 version and the one I wanted to see, the $249 Chromebook.
It didn't take me more than a few minutes to realize...I want this Chromebook (and unfortunately, they've been out of stock for the last week and a half). I put it through the tests. The only fail was Netflix -- which runs on the older model, but is awaiting a patch for the $249. No matter, I have an Amazon Prime membership as well and that always works on a linux -- sorry, Chrome OS.
At BestBuy however, they run something like 50 machines...all on one broadband link, so loading times and all were barely usuable. I also had one question, so I came back for a second test drive. This time I brought my Little Friend...a brand new Clear (Wimax) Atlas modem. What's so great about it? Finally, Clear released a linux/android/mac/everyone else compatible USB modem (the only one had windows only drivers). It works with any RNDIS compatible machine and I was told (by Clear) that Chromebooks are on the valid list, but I had to try it.
Plugged it in to the same (Google/BestBuy has a really friendly and smart rep demoing the Chromebooks who had no problem with me giving it a go) and bang -- up and running in the store with wireless broadband, getting 8Mbps. Then it really soared.
Ok, I want my Chromebook. I want it from BestBuy and I want it...two weeks ago!
From your discussion about eh Chromebook, it seems it would definitely have a place in some enterprise environment. And when strategically considered, could be used to deliver significant lower cost of operation withn the right context.
Worth knowing about the hurdles to using it with printers and scanners, although I can't imagine investing in something like Chromebook as my sole device. It would be a mobile complement to my desktop.
I've been using my prototype CR-48 Google laptop for two years now and not a complaint. Of course it was free so I may be biased a bit.
The new $199 device seems to be a good move not only for price but having a large disk drive may solve some of the needs of those who want to store a bunch of stuff on the computer.
It's probably still a hard sell, to get folks to invest in a "chearp" computer but I'd say it's worth $199-$249 to try one out.
Make no mistake; old systems are the perfect playground for Linux :). I played with Chromium a while back in it's infancy and have not tried on an actual chromebook, but to be honest, I wasn't impressed then and I'm still not too impressed now. The price point is great and all, but it's not too difficult to find an ok windows machine for that price bracket as well (yeah yeah, I know, you wouldn't get the cool boot times and such without a solid state but still). I just can't really see chromium catching on mainstream anytime soon. Look who they have to compete with. Everyone knows Windows. Everyone, whether they like it or hate it, has come to be able to at least on a basic level, navigate and use Windows. Then you have Apple, which you can pick up a used macbook for a fair price if you look hard enough and it performs extremely well with a lot of neat features. So, it's just one of those situations where you have to wonder why they are bothering when they have two giants to go up against that are already so well planted in the dirt at this point.
The toy is nice, but anything I buy must have sufficient value or it will be returned.
I have a few old laptops (ten years and older) without much memory and slow processors and I've been pondering how they would work with Ubuntu, and if the Ethernet and WiFi would work out of the box without any tinkering.
I've got a desktop, laptops, tablets, Kindle Paperwhite and smartphones. Different devices for different tasks. I usually keep my desktops and laptops for years, until they can't do the job. A couple of years ago I retired the first IBM/Lenovo convertible ThinkPad Tablet PC whose hard disk died and I don't know if there's even a replacement. A year before that I retired an even older ThinkPad that just couldn't keep up with the multiple browser windows and dozens of tabs I often use.
The value of a tablet + keyboard compared to a computer depends on what I'm doing. If I'm beginning research on a ThinkerNET blog, I might have 40 tabs open in one browser windows, plus another browser window open for researching an IETV video, plus another third browser for other work. I could be switching back and forth while also writing in Word. This is where the value of a computer with a larger screen, multitasking and a mouse and/or touchpad comes in handy for me.
If I'm writing without a lot of research, a tablet + keyboard is fine.
Congrats on your new toy, Alan. I like the concept of a lightweight, easily portable "thin client" for teh Interwebz. It's just not for everybody. I've got this monstrous 17-inch i7-based laptop that's very useful for demonstrating virtualized infrastructures for clients (you'd be astounded at how many VMs you can run simultaneously on VirtualBox). The funny thing is that I grabbed a VM of Chromium a few weeks back, and was kinda disappointed at the amount of memory it uses and its lack of alacrity, at least in that virtual setting. As a contrast, I'm writing this on a 14-year-old laptop running a slimmed-down version of Ubuntu that fits neatly in less than 320 meg of memory, and chugs along nicely. Chromium won't run on this box, period. There are things to be said for recycling old equipment, and finding new uses for existing hardware and software. New isn't always better.
Alan - I don't find touching the screen to be a problem while typing with an external keyboard. I don't find it much different from lifting my hand off my desktop keyboard to operate a mouse.
Chromebooks can work with some peripherals, but not others. It can work with printers through a cloud-based process, discussed by Google here.
On the one hand, Chromebooks can be much easier for people to use, especially those who use Google apps and well known Internet services (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest). For example, just sign in with your Google credentials and everything is synced and ready, just like seeing all your Gmail messages, Chrome browser bookmarks and settings, Picasa photos, etc.
On the other hand, your point about peripherals is well taken because Chromebooks could be a big pain for users who want to use specific peripherals that aren't supported.
So a certain amount of support is needed for people to get up to speed about the advantages and disadvantages about Chromebooks. A kid who finishes a school report in Docs and expects her printer to work just by plugging it into a USB port might be quite frustrated. The same thing for an employee who wants to access corporate applications or corporate cloud services that require some app in Windows.
In enterprises the IT department would need to provide only a brief tutorial (I'd hope!) to get most people up to speed and could provide compatible peripherals and printers.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Facebook advertising is a lightning rod. It seems neither brands nor consumers are 100 percent happy about the social media site's policies, placement, or procedures. But the real controversy about Facebook ads and promotions is over whether they work.
By now, you've most likely heard about the 3D-printed gun that Texas-based Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. But we haven't heard the last about the censorship war that began soon afterward.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
