The UPS guy brought Christmas to the Doss home a bit early yesterday. A few weeks ago, I applied to test a new computer from Google. The actual computer is reasonably impressive, more on that later, but the most interesting thing is that the computer has a brand new type of operating system, Google Chrome OS.
CR-48
CR-48 2
CR-48 3
Google Chrome OS is a cloud based OS. Instead of depending on a large hard drive to store programs and documents, Chrome OS doesn’t store documents, files, or pictures on the computer. Chrome OS is designed to get you connected to the internet as soon as possible and allow you to use cloud services.
So, I’ve been using this for a full day now and I have some initial impressions.
First, from a hardware standpoint, this is a very nice computer. Think all black Macbook, with a slightly rubberized finish. The screen is a 12.1″ widescreen. The computer has 2GB of RAM and a 16GB hard drive. The processor is an Intel Atom 1.66 mHz mobile processor. The computer is very quiet and doesn’t get hot. The battery life seems to be good, roughly 8 hours when using basic internet tools. I’m yet to run the computer with a laptop cooler or wear the battery all the way down, but it appears to last for at least 7-8 hours. The battery doesn’t always make it to 100%, but that could be a battery management issue too.
The only hardware problem so far is the touchpad. I just don’t like it. Either you can set it to be very sensitive and then you end up moving the cursor with the slightest accidental touch, or you can turn down the sensitivity and struggle with using the touchpad. Apple’s touchpad is much better.
I do like that Google had done away with Function keys, effectively, and tossed the Caps Lock key too. The keys are rubberized and very responsive. They are also quiet.
Hardware problems aren’t really a problem though, since this is a pre-production model. No one will ever buy this computer because it’ll never be on the market.
What’s really important here is the connection to the internet. When you first turn on the computer, you will see the login screen within 15 seconds. That’s from a cold boot. Pretty damn quick. You need a Google Account to start the computer the first time, but you can allow guest access after you register the computer. The whole process takes less than 2 minutes.
Once you’re logged in, you’ve only got a few options. Well, you only have one option, really. Chrome. Your desktop is basically a modified version of the Chrome browser. Not that modified though. The CR-48 picked up my saved bookmarks from my other Chrome browser.
The computer is always connected to the internet. WiFi is preferred, but the computer also has a built-in 3G modem that picks up Verizon. You get 100MB for free each month for 2 years but have to pay for anything over that limit.
The computer is much faster restarting from standby. If you open the computer, it’s generally up and running in just a few seconds. My experience has been that it takes a few more seconds to reconnect to the WiFi signal, but that has varied based on the connection and the duration of the standby.
First impressions are that this is a reasonable proof of concept. From a hardware standpoint, this computer is a solid B+. The battery and the trackpad make it a bit off, but it’s got a clear screen, good text and image display, keyboard is comfortable and responsive. I’m yet to install many apps or really play with the Chrome App Store.
I’ll update this every few days as I get more time in on the Chrome Notebook.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great cloud OS, want ti try that, but not yet ready in my country Indonesia.
Im use google docs right now, powerfull office cloud system.
Chrome OS user interface is very nice and it looks very good.If you have just 2MBPS speed you can easily use it.Those who have previous experience with using of windows and Linux can easily use it.It is not so much complicated.
I earlier wondered if anything could beat Windows. then came Apple with its OS. The Mac Book and the Snow leopard had completely revolutionized the computers, the use of internet and its functioning. Now I am too optimistic to see a well crafted OS from google that will recreate new software standards.
wow fast with 15 seconds login screen! Impressive! I read some reviews taht it only took 5 seconds tho.. by the way thanks for sharing your review!
“Chrome OS will rely on the strength of the Chrome Web Store”
How did Microsoft & Apple pioneer what they are doing? And this is just a pre-test piece of hardware I am sure many machines of different forms and sizes will eventually run the Chrome OS. And Google feeds a lot of the open-source community just look at the Chromium project.