New Google Cloud-based Computers Pros/Cons

Story first appeared in USA Today.

Google is mum on how many Chromebooks have been sold since launching the cloud-based computers with laptop-makers Acer and Samsung nearly a year ago. But the machines haven't exactly gone mainstream, with fewer than 220,000 Chromebooks have shipped so far, a modest sum.

Indeed, much of the noise in the portable computing space these days surrounds the "Ultrabook" class laptops evangelized by Intel. When it comes to operating systems, the chatter focuses on Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 or Apple's Mac OS X Mountain Lion.

Yet Google claims to be "very happy" with Chromebook sales to date, pointing out that the computers routinely show up on Amazon's best-seller lists and are gaining ground in education and business.

Google is about to crank up the volume for Chrome hardware and the cloud-based operating system that relies on a Chrome Web browser for practically all that you do. Today, the search giant unveils two models for Chrome, both from Samsung, both with Intel Core processors.
There's the next version of the Chromebook itself, $449 with Wi-Fi only or $549 for a version that adds built-in 3G cellular. Then there's the $329, small rectangular Chromebox that reminds you of Apple's Mac Mini in that you'll have to supply your own mouse, monitor and keyboard.

The machines incorporate the eighth significant update to Chrome software since launch. Such regular software updates are a key feature of Chrome that promises to keep the computers fresh, secure or, as Google's likes to say, "always new" without you having to manually install anti-virus software or anything else. So even folks who purchased a Chromebook last year should benefit.

Those initial Chromebooks were only peddled online. But beginning next month Google will start selling the computers in select physical Best Buy stores in the U.S. as well.

The first Chromebooks were appealing as relatively light, attractive, portable computers that are a breeze to set up and that boot up very quickly. They have good battery life. But there was also at least one critical — some would say fatal — flaw: The computers are largely crippled when you are without access to the Internet. To be sure, we're migrating to a cloud-based era of computing, but folks are still accustomed to installing software and storing stuff internally. Both the Chromebook and Chromebox have 16 gigabytes of internal SSD storage, not very much.

Of course, having gobs of internal storage is beside the point. The latest Chrome computers, like their predecessors, are built for the cloud. You pretty much rely on Web apps, though Google has tried to make the computers more usable when you're offline. In all, Google says, there are tens of thousands of apps in the Chrome Web Store, hundreds that work offline.

As before, set-up is dead simple. You choose your language and network for connecting online, enter your Google (Gmail) credentials and you're pretty much good to go. Your bookmarks and open tabs for Web pages on any other computers you have with the Chrome browser should be synced up. And this time around, though, the Chromebook experience is generally more polished.

With an active Internet connection, you can listen to all the music you have stored in the cloud through a Google Play app; watch movies on Netflix, something not possible on earlier Chromebooks; and stream YouTube videos at 1080p high-definition resolution.

Through a built-in photo viewer, you can perform simple edits (cropping, brightness). And you can do a video chat with up to nine friends using the Google+ Hangout app.

The interface has been redesigned to let you "pin" favorite apps to the launcher at the bottom of the screen — switching among them is easy. Managing all the tabs that opened simultaneously at the top of the screen, however, was somewhat messy at times.

Boot times are even zippier than before. Users arrived at the login screen for Chromebook about five seconds after pressing the power button. The new touchpad is more responsive than the first model.

Google says the latest Chromebook is about 2½ times faster than before, and Chromebox about 3½ times faster.

The Chromebox, has 6 USB 2.0 ports and two display ports and is Bluetooth compatible.

Chromebook has a decent 12.1-inch display and weighs 3.3 pounds. Google says you'll get about six hours of continuous use off the battery, which seems reasonable. Chromebook has 4 gigabytes of RAM and sports a pair of USB 2.0 ports. Also on board are slots or connectors for memory cards, bigger displays and Gigabit Ethernet.

But you can't run a cable to a printer and expect it to work. Instead, you need to take advantage of Google's "cloud print" service, if you have a compatible printer. The workaround if you don't have such a printer requires you to have Chrome installed on a Windows PC, Mac or Linux machine that is connected to the printer.

Google Drive is coming with the next software update, about six weeks away, though it's now available as a beta. You will be able to copy files from a File Manager onto Google Drive or access files from Google Drive and make them available offline on the Chromebook. For now I was able to display Word, PowerPoint, Excel and PDF files. The ability to edit Microsoft Office files offline is promised over the next several weeks as well.

Google is making available a Chrome Remote Desktop app, still in beta, that lets you access and control a remote PC or Mac desktop screen, and even display that desktop full-screen on the Chrome computer.

For more Electronics News, visit the Electronics America blog.

For more national and worldwide Business News, visit the Peak News Room blog.

For more local and state of Michigan Business News, visit the Michigan Business News blog.

For more Health News, visit the Healthcare and Medical News blog.

For more Real Estate News, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.

For more Law News, visit the Nation of Law blog.

For more Advertising News, visit the Advertising, Marketing and Media blog.

For more Environmental News, visit the Environmental Responsibility News blog.

For information on website optimization or for the latest SEO News, visit the SEO Done Right blog.

Dell Looking at Google's Chrome OS

PC Mag

Dell is looking toward the future - and that future includes Google's Chrome OS.

This revelation comes from a recent interview with Dell's president for greater China and South Asia, who told Reuters, "We have to have a point of view on the industry and technology direction two years, three years down the road, so we continuously work with Google on this."

Amit Midha also said that he expects Chrome and Android to be part of a "new form of computing" that will be part of innovations in the Dell laptop computer market over the next two to three years. As Reuters points out, the comments seem to align with Dell's plans to release a new smartphone in China in the next few months--perhaps just in time for the Chrome OS's expected fall release.

The exec added that he expects the Dell Streak to launch in China by the end of the year.

Google Chrome OS Could Shake Up PC Market

PC World

It's official: Google plans to debut its Chrome operating system in the fourth quarter of this year, although the company has yet to provide an exact launch date. Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, made the announcement Wednesday at the Computex trade show in Taipei, according to IDC News.

Chrome OS, announced by Google nearly a year ago, is a lightweight, open source operating system designed for netbooks, at least initially. Like its namesake Chrome browser that's steadily gaining market share, Google's new OS is built for speed. Startup times, including access to the Web, should take seconds rather than the minute or longer that most Windows users endure. The cloud-based design should provide quick access to Google's suite of online applications too.

Netbook manufacturers are readying Chrome OS-based devices. Acer, for instance, has announced plans to launch a series of Chrome OS netbooks. And other industry leaders, including Asus, HP, and Lenovo, are reportedly developing Chrome OS hardware as well.

Who Wants It

So does the world need another operating system for desktops? Yes, particularly if the new contender advances the genre. Windows 7, a fine OS for conventional desktops and laptops, is overkill for netbook users drawn by Google's simple promise: Faster access to the Web, online apps with cloud storage, and fewer security hassles.

Given the low-cost appeal of netbooks, early Chrome OS adopters will likely be bargain hunters and perhaps students seeking an inexpensive alternative to a full-size Windows PC. The Google brand will help sway consumers--including those wary of little-known, Linux-based offerings like Ubuntu--to buy Chrome OS devices. Businesses may test Chrome OS portables this year, but mainstream adoption won't occur until 2011 at the earliest--and that's only if Chrome OS delivers on its promise.

Ultimately, Google plans to extend Chrome OS beyond netbooks and notebooks and into the desktop/laptop market dominated by Windows. Given the ergonomic shortcomings of today's netbooks--specifically, cramped keyboards and small screens--consumers who find Chrome OS appealing may avoid the platform simply because they don't like the hardware it runs on. Since Chrome OS runs on both x86 and ARM processors, it's likely that a new crop of thin-and-light laptops--larger than netbooks but slimmer than full-size portables--will soon feature Google's OS too.

Chrome OS is more than simply another Windows or Mac competitor. It represents a dramatic shift away from desktop-oriented PCs to a cloud-based future. It'll be interesting to see how consumers and businesses take to Chrome OS devices--and how Microsoft and Apple respond to Google's latest threat.

Dell Dabbles With Chrome OS

Information Week

Dell engineers have been experimenting with Chromium OS, the open source project associated with Google's Chrome OS, which was released in preliminary form to developers just over a week ago.

In a blog post last week, Dell technology strategist Doug Anson said that he and a few of his colleagues decided to try to get Chromiume OS running on a Dell Mini 10v netbook.

"Without a network connection, Chromium OS is not very interesting," said Anson. "With a network connection, Chromium OS shines."

Google plans to release Chrome OS to consumers next year as a lightweight Web-centric operating system for netbooks. It has not disclosed its marketing plans other than to state that it is working with hardware partners.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment on whether Dell is one of those partners but said that Chrome OS is open source and that it's exciting to see developers experimenting with it.

In July, Google said that its Chrome OS team was working with Acer, Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE), ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Lenovo, Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), and Toshiba.

That same month, Anson said in a blog post that Dell planned to evaluate Chrome OS, along with other alternative operating system environments.

He also said that Dell "is very interested in Moblin at present and is working very closely with its key Moblin partners (Intel and Canonical) investigating potential offerings."

Moblin is another open source Linux-based operating system for mobile devices and netbooks.

Google and Dell have a long history of working together. Dell's PowerEdge servers, for example, form the basis of the Google Search Appliance for enterprises.

Gartner analyst Ray Valdes recently recently told InformationWeek that the commitment of Google's partners will play a critical role in determining whether Chrome OS succeeds.

Anson reported that his Chromium build took 12 seconds to boot up; when Google demonstrated Chrome OS earlier this month, the boot time clocked in at 7 seconds.

Anson released a USB key image file that can be used to install Chromium OS, with some support for the Broadcom (NSDQ: BRCM) Wi-Fi adapter. "It's definitely not perfect...," he said. "But it does appear to function."