Cr-48 Highlights / Lowlights After 3 Days In Europe

The thing most surprising to me about MG Siegler's early impressions of the Cr-48 Chrome Notebook is how favorably he rates the Chrome OS chances of success in spite of his extreme dislike for certain aspects of this new computing system.

The trackpad on the Cr-48 catches most of MG's wrath, being labeled by him as,

"...the worst excuse for a piece of technology that anyone has created in the past five years...It's an abomination..."

One can clearly hear his frustration when he presents his version of the operating instructions for said trackpad.

"...To get it to work, you essentially have to lift two fingers about a foot in the air, then bring them down in a perfectly straight line at a rapid speed while making sure that they both hit the pad at the exact same time. Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit there, but it's really bad..."

However, after venting his frustrations with the hardware, MG starts talking about what he considers the good points of the Chrome Notebook:

"in many ways, the Cr-48 reminds me a lot of the G1, the first Android phone Google shipped...They were both clearly step one of a platform that would quickly evolve...I still have a G1. Looking at it now compared to the newer Android phones is pretty humorous. The platform has clearly come a long way. And that gives me a lot of hope for Chrome notebooks as well...Chrome OS was revealed to be little more than Chrome...But that simplicity is the OS's strength. It removes several layers of junk that most people these days never use on a computer...roughly 95 percent of what I do on a computer these days is in the web browser. Of the other 5 percent, 4 percent of it could probably be done in the browser too...Even in its current beta state, Chrome OS has definitely been a perfectly adequate travel companion these past three days...And if Chrome's (the browser) evolution is any indication, it's going to get better very quickly..."

With the caveats that a.) Chrome OS hardware needs to be improved enough for sale to consumers to provide speed and smoothness roughly equivalent to the MacBook Air, and b.) Google needs to ensure a price point that's low enough to compete with both Mac and with Windows netbooks, MG ends up giving Chrome OS a fighting chance of financial success, saying,

"...if they can bring them in with better hardware than the Cr-48 for something like $300, I thnk they're going to sell a ton of them...by next holiday season..."

This TechCrunch post seemed a balanced review; let's hope the author is correct. While I know the Chrome OS isn't for everyone, it seems like a large percentage of Facebook users and other casual computer users would do just fine with a Chrome Notebook...

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A Clear Path For Cr-48 Delivery

It snowed last night in northeast Wisconsin and covered the driveway and front walk with a couple inches of snow -- Delivery Hazard!

Didn't want the FedEx or UPS person delivering my Cr-48 Google Chrome Notebook to see that snow and decide not to deliver my notebook. Went out in the blowing snow and cold and shoveled a nice clear path to allow unimpeded delivery of the awaited Chrome OS pilot program computer. The forecast is for more snow and wind today, so shoveling expeditions will be organized throughout the day to keep that path clear.

Maybe I should arranged to have the roads plowed between the regional FedEx and UPS distribution centers to my house. I'd only have the roads plowed to one of those distribution centers, but Google still has not yet told me which one will be delivering the Chrome Notebook. Continues to make it hard to check the tracking number to find out where the computer is and when it will arrive.

Good things come to those who wait...

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A Closer Look At The Chrome Notebook

So, in today's Google News, there were numerous posts and articles about the Google Chrome Notebook. It seems worthwhile to link to a couple especially informative or insightful write-ups and summarize the initial reaction to Google's hardware released with the beta of Chrome OS.

Of the eleven long-ish accounts of people's experiences with the Cr-48 I read, along with twenty or thirty shorter 'reviews' I skimmed, the four linked below as recommended reading rose to the top. Some of the shorter reviews made me think, "why did they request a Chrome Notebook, and why did Google send them one?", but the article by Brier Dudley in Seattle wins some type of award for clearly not understanding what Chrome OS is or how it was built when he says:

"...I didn't see a way to change the browser to Explorer, Firefox or Safari..."

Recommended reading of early experiences with the Cr-48:

• Jon Stokes at arstechnica
• Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land
• Jason Kincaid at TechCrunch
• Andy Ihnatko at the Chicago Sun-Times

Observations from reading about people's experiences with the Cr-48 and the Chrome OS:

1. One of the most challenging common activities or tasks on the Chrome Notebook appears to be playing flash videos.
2. Jon Stokes was disappointed with the screen quality, saying it was "...the cheapest, poorest-quality LCD that I can remember using..."
3. Jon also felt a Chrome OS notebook with higher quality hardware would be a perfect alternative to his wife's MacBook Air.
4. Danny Sullivan points out that Google wants the pilot program testers to use the Chrome Notebook as their primary computer, not just for casual use or as a replacement for a netbook which is only used for miscellaneous mobile purposes. Many testers seemed to have a 'meh' impression of the notebook for even casual or infrequent use, much less for use as their primary computer. Too bad Google will probably let those people keep the Chrome Notebook even though they don't use it much, if at all, after the first day or two. It sounded like Larry Dignan from ZDNet is giving it to his seven year old daughter to play with, as opposed to him using it. That may or may not have value to Google, although the primary purpose of sending Cr-48s to journalists was likely to generate buzz rather than to get useful data for the pilot program. Danny did a thorough job of attempting to use the Cr-48 as a replacement for his primary computer, to the extent possible.
5. Many reviewers complained about the hardware not being top quality or as good as they expected or would have liked. In addition to the screen quality being dinged by Jon Stokes, the weight got complaints (heavier than a MacBook Air or other current netbooks/laptops with a 12" screen), Jason Kincaid says, "...The mouse trackpad -- or at least, the software running the trackpad -- is a complete turd..." (although Jon S says "...The large, clickable trackpad is great...") and Michael Calore from Wired said the Cr-48, "...definitely feels underpowered..." and that the "...Atom processor inside will probably need a boost before Chrome OS hardware hits the shelves..."
6. Rafe Needleman from CNET doesn't appear to plan on using the Cr-48 as his primary computer but indicates it may have a bright future if Google does a skillful job of developing and c0-marketing it. He says, "...This Chrome notebook is not a fun computer...But it is an important new platform that's going to be easier for user[s] to get into and straightforward to develop for..."

My takeaway from the articles and posts about people's first-day experiences with Google's Chrome Notebook is that very few tech journalists will use it as their primary computer and that its target market is casual computer users rather than geeks, tech enthusiasts and corporate employees.

Google would do well to get thousands of Chrome Notebooks into the hands of middle school students. That would do two things.

1. Start building a new generation of "full-size keyboard" computer users who live on the web and don't care about the features and capabilities their Chrome Notebook doesn't have compared to a standard Linux/Mac/Windows laptop. These kids will develop an interesting digital lifestyle based on a combination of smartphones and Chrome OS notebooks.
2. Kick start a whole new world of apps to meet the needs of a wide variety of use cases and launch a whole new generation of app co-developers (middle school Chrome OS users collaborating with app developers whose ages range from middle school to thirty-something).

Other long-ish reviews in case you want more than the four listed above:

• http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/12/cr-48-chrome-os-first-look/
• http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/09/google-cr-48-chrome-laptop-preview/
• http://blogs.computerworld.com/17506/google_chrome_os_notebook
• http://blog.laptopmag.com/chrome-os-cr-48-hands-on-and-initial-impressions
• http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20025401-250.html

Update 1: This blog was revised to include some articles from 11 Dec 2010.

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Chrome OS Overview and Impact, December 2010

This overview attempts to provide a succinct background on the Google Chrome operating system (OS) project as of December 2010.

Google's Chrome OS is an open source lightweight computer operating system designed for people who 'live on the web,' that is, people whose computer time is mostly spent interacting with the internet. Chrome OS will use mini-programs called web applications, or simply 'apps,' to:

• Search for information
• Read, write and send email, instant messages, and transact other communications
• Shop and bank online
• Create and edit word processing documents, spreadsheets and other productivity documents
• Create collaborative documents
• Watch videos, movies and 'tv'
• Listen to music and the 'radio'
• Accomplish other work/play/life tasks on a 'computing' device which primarily uses a keyboard and touchpad or mouse for user input

Chrome OS users will primarily store their files and their 'desktop' settings in the 'cloud' rather than on a hard drive on their computer. This means their files and a familiar, consistent user interface will be available from any computer that is connected to the internet, or at least from any 'net-connected Chrome OS computer.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to adequately describe Chrome OS in a few sentences. To grok, or more fully understand what Chrome OS is or wants to be, make time to listen to at least one video about Chrome OS and read the information at the resources linked below.

To have Google explain Chrome OS to you in less than four minutes, via a November 2009 YouTube video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRO3gKj3qw. A December 2010 Google video showing both the Chrome OS and Chrome Notebook is at http://www.google.com/chromeos/features-guidedtour.html.

Three other web resources to better understand Google's Chrome OS are the Wikipedia Chrome OS entry, the initial official Google Chrome OS announcement, and Google's official Chrome website.

Google's naming conventions can be a wee bit confusing when it comes to Chrome. For example, the official Chrome website talks about both the Chrome web browser and the Chrome operating system. Then there's Chrome vs Chromium. Chrome is the proprietary flavor of Google's browser, while Chromium is the open source, roll-your-own version which Google supports and makes available to geeks and other interested people. Similarly, Chromium OS is the open source project behind Chrome OS. Maybe that's a result of many geeks being easily distracted (and confused?) by shiny objects...

The Chrome chronology highlights are:

• 07 Jul 2009 -- Official Google announcement of Chrome OS
• 19 Nov 2009 -- Google news conference to demo an early version of Chrome OS
• 07 Dec 2010 -- Official Google demo of Chrome OS on the Cr-48 Chrome Notebook
• Summer 2011 -- Project launch of consumer notebooks with Chrome OS

Research and writing down these milestone dates brings to mind the major milestones for Google's Chrome browser. After a late start, with Internet Explorer firmly in the market share lead and Firefox the only other mainstream browser with significant impact in the Windows OS market, the Chrome browser has come a long way in a short time. Its market share is now growing quickly, whereas Firefox appears to have plateaued and is probably even losing user base. Two reason for the Chrome/Firefox dynamic are likely that many Chrome users are the same early adopter geeks who switched from IE or Netscape to Firefox (cannibalization of Firefox user base) and because some Chrome users are non-geeks who are significantly more comfortable installing and using a Google product than a Mozilla product (Google brand awareness and trust).

As the Millenials and upcoming generations increasingly grow up in or adapt to a world with ubiquitous internet access and mobile computing devices, will they create a need for and ready market for a new OS such as Chrome? Will the market share of Windows OS fall dramatically in computing devices which are larger than a smartphone and use a physical keyboard for the primary input method, following the same technology trend which reduced the Microsoft Internet Explorer market share from 90+% down to ~60%? If that happens, it will no doubt wreak havoc on Microsoft's revenue for both Windows OS and its Office suite.

The long term impact of the Chrome OS is conjecture at this point. It could be wildly successful like Google's ubiquitous text ads and search engine. It could have a strong impact for a large number of internet denizens in the same way that Gmail is innovative and popular, or it could be ahead of its time or poorly implemented and marketed, resulting in a horrible or unremarkable death similar to one of its siblings -- Google Wave.

My guess and hope is that it will follow the Gmail path, being a truly innovative and useful product that is not the global market leader in operating systems but is the preferred system of knowledgeable tech nomads and a significant portion of smart, influential, non-tech internet citizens.

Chrome OS impact prediction: Thwack!!

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"Hello, World" from the Chrome Pilot

From this Chrome Pilot, "Hello, World."

Google's Chrome OS pilot program will be a great learning experience. Per the 08 December post on myDigitechnician, I applied to be part of the Google Chrome OS pilot program as soon as I became aware of it (~ 2 PM CST on 07 December 2010).

Counting down the days until the Chrome Notebook arrives. Slight problem since I don't know what day they are shipping the ChromeBook to me or how long the shipping will take. But I can live with that uncertainty. Gives a person something to look forward to each day...

Hello to a new way of computing. Sort of. Each day already consists of six to ten hours of online work, so being immersed in the web won't be a particularly new experience. But it will be a new operating system, a new way of connecting to the web (via 3G) and some new routines to optimize and get used to.

Hello to using a cool new Google tech tool. Andy M and I do quite a bit of experimenting with free and low-cost digital tools and services, and Google has quite a few of those. We have weekly meetings, both NEW NET and TechAdvised, to talk about what new tech items have been released, what new features have been added and what old challenges have been resolved.

Hello to a new notebook computer. The Cr-48. Wolfram|Alpha says chromium 48 has a half-life of 21.56 hours. My chemical engineering background and long years of experience with computers (38 years) give me lots of confidence the half-life of the Chrome Notebook will be much longer than 21.56 hours. I'm sure it will work well for several years, or at least as long as Google lets me use it. Wolfram|Alpha also says the specific radioactivity of Cr-48 is 112,200 terabecquerels per gram. Nah, don't think I'll worry about that being a problem for the Chrome Notebook either. My worries for tonight are simple and consist of:

program HelloWorld;

begin

writeln ('Hello, World.')

end.

But enough of Chrome Pilot for tonight. Time to get some work done on aviation innovation.

Hello, World and Goodnight, Moon.

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