So… what do we think here?
From Engadget: Google unveils Cr-48, the first Chrome OS laptop | Engadget
I mean, you can’t really get much simpler than making EVERYTHING black (not that making everything black is new). And I would like to see more about the keyboard (No Caps Lock?!?)
Thoughts?
Pretty cool. But seems like its only the model they will use for the beta testing right?
No Capslock, breakthrough of the 21st century.
Edit:
Not a fan of gap between the halves when folded. Think it will look rather bulky IRL like most laptops.
I hope thats just the beta testing machine, otherwise disappointing.
edit: oh yes, they are saying it is on engadget
With a new OS and everything also the design should show some different directions to contribute .
But I am really curious how you guys see the chrome OS progressing.
I mean there is obviously a market for Computers which are easy to use but limited in working abilities.
As I see it, anybody who works with more than something MS office like can´t work with this,
correct me when I didn´t grasp some aspect of the concept.
I heard this was just the unbranded test, other companies will customize it when it’s available to the public.
What I don’t like is the whole cloud computing thing. This thing will have no local storage, everything is cloud based. It just seems like too much power and control given to the company that could at any time deny you access to your work or delete items that you paid for (actually just leased) or get attacked resulting in you losing info and work.
This tactic seems to be gaining in popularity, I believe the Kindle is like that also, they say that you’re just leasing the books, you don’t actually own it. And at any time they could just send an “update” to get rid of something they don’t want people to have anymore. If I’m not mistaken, that has already happened with a book that was available on kindle, it was released, people paid for it, then the publisher backed out for some reason and voila, it was yanked from everyone that already bought it. I don’t even leave my email on servers, I bring them local. I definitely wouldn’t trust any more important items on this, maybe it’s just me?
[quote="skinny"If I’m not mistaken, that has already happened with a book that was available on kindle, it was released, people paid for it, then the publisher backed out for some reason and voila, it was yanked from everyone that already bought it.[/quote]
You are correct, and best of all was that the book in question was Orwell’s “1984”.
I think the trend is that you’re not supposed to work on computers anymore, only watch youtube clips and twitter activity.
I kind of like the notion of everything in the cloud. Music, books, media, software…access anywhere from any device.
It’s not about “not working on computers anymore” , and more about “working on any computer”.
Agreed with Brett. Our school’s design servers work amazingly well, and most of us store our work on it. With campus WiFi, we can essentially work anywhere (on a Mac… cause it’s afp://). Just download onto whatever computer you’re on (takes like 2 seconds), work, re-upload.
As long as the data is frequently backed up, should be no problem. People who think companies are going to mess with your stuff are too paranoid… what’s the point? They would immediately lose half their customers.
ginrod: Chrome web apps built in HTML5 actually have huge potential. Check out these webapps:
Photoshop:
http://www.aviary.com/online/image-editor?lang=en#&src=chromeos
Powerpoint:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/omeengfjefdmhnkojnfmncpfdbhnecea
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Regarding the ID: it’s unfortunate. A Macbook/Thinkpad hybrid that didn’t work out so well. Theoretically a great idea, but the side views and the screen bezel are really aesthetically awkward. The top view looks nice. The box it comes in is also sweet. I signed up to be selected for the pilot program… fingers crossed.
I love the box, too. But it seems strangely disconnected from the ID of the computer.
As an aside, I use Aviary stuff all the time. It’s handy to do quick little stupid things for emails/facebook posts when I don’t want to pull out PS. I haven’t messed with any of the video tools or audio tools, but I’d love to some time.
I think Lenovo is going to sue them for design patent infringement.
I’m just weary of the idea because I just had a friend lose all of her email from the last 2 years that she only had online with yahoo through no fault of her own, they had a technical difficulty and bam, everything is gone. I have to be able to save my things locally and many times don’t want to have to be online to work. Especially if it’s wireless, all of the wireless in my house goes to crap if there’s a storm, it just seems too risky to depend on for anything critical.
Probably more of a really useful thing on college/business campuses where WiFi is stable. Daily/weekly backups by Google would secure any data loss (even though I’ve never heard of Google losing data).
I don’t think it’s meant to be for anything critical or really for personal use. I see it as fitting into an environment where people are on the go a lot, and need to do things quickly, whether it’s email, presentations, quick image editing, etc…
Maybe they don’t even own their own Chrome netbooks, but leased. Maybe when you get to work, you check in and pick one up for all the meetings you’re attending for the day. Maybe when you get to school at the beginning of the semester, you’re leased one to use for all your classes. I think the cloud is the inevitable future as Internet access becomes more stable and widespread.