Discussion on:

Your questions answered: What Chromebooks can and can't do

So what questions do you have about Chromebooks? Are thinking about getting one?

I'm still confused..There is a price to purchase the thing..OK, but is there also some kind of monthly or annual charge for anything else?

Also, consider all those web apps work on a normal computer as well, including a netbook, but a netbook also lets you run normal programs as well.
Can ChromeOS be installed alongside another OS, to make that quick boot, internet browsing OS that there is some demand for?

Or can you install a larger hard drive and run regular Linux applications? It would seem that they discourage this but why wouldn't it be possible?

Yes, technically ChromeOS is just a heavily patched GNU/Linux (unlike Android; Android has no "desktop" Linux components like X11 or glibc), using developer-friendly package manager. Running desktop Linux applications on ChromeOS is already possible, but at the moment requires some developers hackwork to build and install packages and make them available from ChromeOS UI.

It may not quite be the bleeding edge, but it's close. This is new, and new 'stuff', irrespective of what it is, tends to have a higher price tag. Early adopters will pay this, other folk will wait for the prices to drop.
I can see a very real benefit to anyone who travels for work - sales reps in particular, for example.

I agree. But I am having a hard time really separating this from a netbook. I have a netbook with a 50gig SSD. Boots Windows 7 really fast and as everyone pointed out can run all this stuff and more. I still see that as better than a Chromebook since the only argument for the Chromebook is less maintenance? Faster boot which is false due to ssd since I get a fast boot as well.
Just not seeing it yet.

I believe the limited functionality means lower CPU use & minimal needs to access incoming would be the benefit of a much better battery life, perhaps doubling it or more. With your Win netbook, you're also having to look out for viruses & other malware whereas this is contained by Google themselves. On a netbook, this feature alone can kill a battery in a few hours depending on how hard it is pumping the data & CPU...

Chromebooks will, according to Google, always offer an "instant jailbreak mode," allowing for dual-booting and system wiping and all that other hardcore tweaking stuff.

Perhaps I'm wrong but what is the difference between using Chrome on Linux, Mac or Windows, and running a pure Chrome OS.

It seems like in order to run it along side you simply need to install the Chrome browser. It can log into the app store and seems to be the same thing. I haven't tried the Chrome OS and frankly won't until I install it into a VM.

I haven't seen anything from the demos that makes me believe Chrome OS isn't just Chrome browser. Please correct me if I'm wrong. (honestly and truely)

For example, each morning I check the weather, waiting for Windows or mint to boot up, then run my browser, then load the page, takes almost 10 minutes on either OS. Having an instant booting OS with a web browser, would let me check the weather quickly. I'd devote the 50mb partition it requires for that ability.

I meant to say that

I haven't seen anything from the demos that makes me believe Chrome OS isn't just Chrome browser. Please correct me if I'm wrong. (honestly and truely)

If you go to google chrome webstore it seems you have mostly the same experience as in Chrome OS.

I have had a netbook or two, and tested them for the corporate environment, and I ask what can you really do on netbook, any office program brings it to its knees, pushing me to Office 360 or Google docs, and boot up times are a bear. The comparison to a Netbook or a laptop I feel is mistaken, this is a portable, fast access machine, with long battery life (that crushes a netbook) that is good at content consumption much like a tablet, the difference because of the keyboard it is better at content creation. Like it is said in most Chromebook reviews, it is not for eveyone, but I could very easily see this taking the place of my tablet.

Try the Samsung X120 or Acer Ferrari One 200 Dual Core Netbooks (I have both) will run Adobe CS5.5, Chrome (20+tabs open), Microsoft Office 2010 and 3D Studio Max all at the same time without keeling over. Bottom line, for a netbook you need to go for a dual-core or higher... there's some Tegra2-based Netbooks, Intel i3/i5 and even intel i7 netbooks hitting the stores this year. The new 13" Macbook has a quad core Intel i7 inside, can boot Windows 7/8/Server 2008, is extremely light weight and compact and can easily outperform many desktop machines as can the X120 and other powerful Netbooks. 5+ hour battery life means working on the move is easy too.

The problem with non-Atom powered netbooks is one of price. Do people really want to pay around a grand for a small laptop? The idea of the netbook was a secondary machine that is cheap and highly portable. Then there's the power consumption. The newer Core i series CPUs are not as power hungry as in the past, but still consume more power than an Atom does.

The last I checked, i3/i5/i7s aren't netbooks--not by the 'normal' definitions.. those are classified as "ultralights" or "ultraportables"... they're definitely not netbooks... and where can I get a quad-core i7 13" MacBook? I want one of those... I've found a dual-core i7 13" MacBook... and a *15"* quad-core, but haven't found a quad-core 13" yet...

I agree with you that comparing the chromebook to a netbook is not correct. Have installed Jolicloud on a non 3G samsung N10 netbook to get a feel of what it would be like to work off the cloud. The experience has been very revealing. Instant ON is a great feature. I open the netbook and am on the cloud in less than 3 seconds. The keyboard ensures that I can create content quite fast - blogs, documents - you name it ...

I can also consume content very easily. BBC IPlayer, Sky Player, Games ... you name it ...all that is available and can be very easily used.

At work I can login to the same cloud from my desktop and the same cloudtop (is that a new term? ) is available there as well. I need not have the same computer with me all the time.

For storage, there is sugarsync and also dropbox - both of which can help manage files.

The battery life has also been very impressive. Getting more than 5 to 6 hours from a 2 year old NC10 which has been misused quite a bit.

I expect the chromebook experience will also be similar.

Unless you are a very heavy processor intensive specific application user, the cloud-based OS should be able to do all things for you. Local storage will be a constraint for some ... but with that being sorted out the coming summer, even that should not be a constraint. (The Jolicloud OS can also access the local Hard drive of my NC10 and allow me to open the files there).

Overall in my experience, it is a very good direction to go - maximum availability and security, ubiquitous access and low maintenance.

Agreed, and I meant to make the netbook comparison in both directions: much, much better battery life, and less lag, but you're missing that basic OS/app switching function.

I don't know what netbook you tried but I have one of the first Acer netbooks (9+ inch screen) running WinXP and I can run ALL the MS Office 2007 programs on it. Its a delight in a small size for travel but its a regular computer not a do nothing tablet. It does take longer to boot but so what.

Before this will really take off the Chromebooks would need more storage capacity and at least a good Office Suite and Offline Media Player to manage your files when traveling or in a dead zone.

i read on a google blog that they have developed a offline document writer just like word etc and google are using it at the campus at mountain view HQ already and hope to release it later this year for all. i will try and find the blog i was reading it on and post back.

Two questions arise which maybe require answering, they are:
How do you connect to a local printer?
Is the cloud connection & storage free, or is there a hidden charge in there somewhere

The printer connection, right now, is handled through Google Cloud Print (http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/p/cloudprint.html), which is, admittedly, a bit wonky: another computer, running Chrome and Windows, needs to be hooked to a printer. In the future, presumably, more printers will support Cloud Print natively (or not).

As for the cloud connection and storage, that's the same as if you were using Chrome on any computer: free up to a pretty sizable limit.

Printing, scanning and connecting usb devices. I see nothing about that listed.

When I use my laptop at home, I'm usually scanning documents, uploading photos to the web from the SD card reader, printing, or accessing files from my SAN. Working on documents and storing them in the cloud is fine, but what about the rest of these basic functions?

"When I use my laptop at home"

Don't think of chromebook as home laptop or desktop replacement - the comparison with a tablet is much more informative...

This tread reminds me of what many were saying about iPad / tablet 15 months ago...

The difference is that Google are attempting (q. admirably in my humble opinion) to give businesses, schools, and ordinary folk a device that just works like a browser, doesn't constantly nag about all sorts of technical stuff and if it breaks or fails all your digital resources are safe in the cloud, available from almost any Internet connected device.

Until there is universal, reliable wireless internet access, I can't see it taking off

With everything in the IT Industry moving into the Cloud (Windows8, Google, iCloud) working online, in the cloud is going to become the norm.

Remember Outlook and other desktop based solutions cost you BiG money in Licensing, Support etc etc Especially in the Enterprise. $29.99 per month or the cost of a Chromebook is a better option by far.

Soon people will come into work and either just use their Chromebook, wireless mouse, keyboard and DLNA enabled 24" LED monitor / their Tablet with the same Wireless functionality built-in. When they need to "go mobile" they'll just get up and go... Who wants to be tethered to a desk in the 21st Century? I welcome this rise in mobile and Cloud based computing (remember the Cloud replaces the need for on-site Servers and all the costs incurred from maintaining them.

Chromebooks, more powerful SuperPhones, Tablets and better SoC with serious GPU power is definitely the way forwards.

re: native applications
If it's running native apps you want then remember the underlying Chrome OS is capable and failing that; you can always boot Ubuntu 11+ off a USB. Problem Solved.

I was one of the beta testers provided with a CR48 Chromebook a short while back. It's fast, does much of what I need, and it was free (can't beat that!).

That having been said...Netflix is very important, and although they are working on it, I would wait until the app is available. Offline document editing? Same deal, to me...wait.

The Verizon teaser is a nice touch, and it would be nice if they continue providing this with the retail units.

It would be nice to be able to install normal Linux apps more easily...but...I can totally see why they can't support this directly in their 'steamroller effect'*-proof vision.

(*if it gets run over by a steamroller, you can boot up another one and be right back where you left off)

I've been blogging about my experiences with the CR48 on my site, FWIW.
http://www.lukegerhardt.com/

Dear TechRepublic,

Would it be possible to get some visible form of acknowledgment that a post is accepted? I click the button and get *nothing* at all to tell me it was accepted. :/

We have a strange bug where some posts are posting up to 5 extra times and some posts are hanging. We're working on it - hope to deploy a fix today.

To me the most important part of any computer is the screen. I want it big enough in physical dimensions and of appropriate resolution that I can read it comfortably and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL it must NOT be glossy with consequent high reflectivity. Are there any matte screen Chromebooks or have the manufacturers retained their current madness of not producing laptops etc. with matte screens? If some people want gloss screens, give them the option by all means, but please cater for us gloss haters too!

The "test unit" Cr-48s had a notably matte screen. As for the retail units, I believe they may be matte, too: " 12.1" high-resolution, non-glare display ideal for web browsing"

Does the chrome book support ssh/telnet going in both directions. Is their a good app such as say putty that will simply work with it. And can you shh/telnet into the chromebook itsleft?

I foresee this solution to be very interesting as "rentals" or "kiosk" machines. Say you travel and since carrying laptop is somewhat of a "problem", especially on airplanes, you move your info for the travel to cloud and fetch one of these when you need at the spot. For example as machines used at the conferences, conventions, seminars etc... There is a lot of application (not software but business) where you do not have to carry heavy guns, but need to occasionally be in email contact, maybe little chat or use of some online reporting system or blog.... Most of us are already carrying smart phones, so larger keyboard and screen would be just a convenience. Lets see what actual use will be....

major question I will ask is - if I am using this as "kiosk" machine, what my security options are? or how much these machines "record" of private data and how easy is to "clean" your credentials from them ???

She has often talked about the possibility of having a laptop, so that she wasn't tied to the desk for all the Home and voluntary activities that use a computer, But I think she would be worried about having the home finances spreadsheet in the cloud. She also uses an Access database as a membership list. I wonder about accessing these files on the Home (XP) PC, and using a cloud application to work on them? As a play I did take her access database and convert it to OpenOffice Base, so I could also go the linux route.

I fancy a Chromebook, but will it do these things?

So for example, can it access network shares on windows and nix machines?

Also, does it have a built in media player of any sort. It would be really nice if it can hook up to a network share and play HD movies or something, maybe some netflix. Is any of this possible?

Everyone will always be connected to the net, eh? That is these devices fatal flaw. I have many computers that only connect to the internet when it's time for updates. I have a few that are in use in vehicles. But the folks in the know, simply know that everyone is connected.

Would you buy a computer with a hard drive or solid state drive that only worked in some places and not others? Memory that you had to be connected to the internet so that it would work? People would never buy such a device.

Yet here we are, singing the praises of devices that don't fully work all the time.

The real reason for all the cloud stuff is that when everyone is converted and using the cloud, the software Manufacturers will be able to sell us software as a service, and we'll be able to send them money every month. It's a better business model than the "update every 2 years and hope they buy it" software model in use now.

If you are considering Chromebooks but don't want to leave your Windows apps behind, you should look at Ericom AccessNow, a pure HTML5 RDP client that enables Chromebook users to connect to any RDP host, including Terminal Server (RDS Session Host), physical desktops or VDI virtual desktops ??? and run their applications and desktops in a browser.

This means that you can use AccessNow for instant, turnkey web-enablement of most any Windows application. Running entirely within a browser, AccessNow works natively with Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer (with Chrome Frame plug-in), Firefox and any other browser with HTML5 and WebSockets support.

Ericom???s AccessNow does not require Java, Flash, Silverlight, ActiveX, or any other underlying technology to be installed on end-user devices. In addition, IT staff do not have to manage / maintain separate product versions and updates for multiple clients (end-point operating systems) ??? an HTML5 browser is all that is required.

For more information, and to download Ericom AccessNow please visit:
http://www.ericom.com/html5_rdp_client.asp?URL_ID=708

For a video demo:
http://www.ericom.com/AccessNow_Demo.asp?URL_ID=708

That happened to me on two postings yesterday. What happened at my end was that hitting "Submit Reply" produced no apparent result - as if the computer had gone off to do something else. Hit it again. Same thing. Gave up after five tries. Returned to the forum appalled to discover five identical postings.

I boot my Windows 7 laptop up in under 10 seconds, reboot in about 15 seconds, and resume from sleep faster than i can open the lid. A cheap $100 64GB SSD does this for me (crucial C300) and thats just running SATA 2, with SATA 3 on my desktop (and newer laptops) it's even faster. 90% of bootup is the BIOS. Most of the time I'm on the laptop is to do work, not just surf the web. Usually I don't need the internet, A lot of times i'm in the car writing emails and such then when I'm at my hotel or home and have Wifi it'll send all the emails. This saves me from spending $50+ a month on internet hotspot.

A Chromebook is just a packed Internet browser with a nice keyboard... not diferent from a PC with Chrome and any supported OS. You can use SSD to mimic the same with your actual machine..

I have ordered a Chromebook for my home portable computer. Can't wait to be rid of Microsoft slow start-ups, constant updates and other annoying stuff! I have been using the Chrome browser for a few months and have all my computers synced and am excited about an alternative to microsoft!

This would be almost useless in Vermont, where high speed internet is the exception not the norm and 3g is only available in small areas. Plus why would I want to put all my data in the cloud and run the risk of being hacked. Especially since hacking is becoming a large trend lately.

... just a bad Google idea. After all not all Google ideas are good. Honestly I wonder why we waste our time even talking about it. Well, I am sick now so I got nothing better to do, but still.

So many interesting ideas and use cases people here mentioned. However, why pay that money for a keyboard + browser when you can get a nice netbook or laptop for a similar amount. Regardless of what other people here said the chromebook costs is what makes it useless. Not to mention the future, which seem to be even more grim: Software as a Service has the potential to increase your monthly costs a LOT. So put these on the table and many business and individuals will say no thanks.

I built a laptop with PepprmintOS. The base hardware is about 6 years old. As downloaded, Peppermint boots to login in about 15 seconds, less than 30 from power off to desktop ready. It uses GoogleApps and a host of other web apps. With Prisim, you can turn any web app into a desktop app.

If you want fast booting, cloud computing that you can still really store things on and print to real paper from, try it.

Seems to me that this OS would make a more appealing tablet than mini-laptop type device.

Tied to the net means it's dead on an airplane, dead in the woods. No longer really portable. No thanks. I'll take a windows netbook with an SSD. Sounds like my Droid X has more capability offline than a Chromebook.

Chromebook is a waste of money what google should do is offer ChromeOS as a alternative bootup OS the same way HP has theirs, your paying the same or higher price for something that does less then a regular laptop or netbook

Everyone will always be connected to the net, eh? That is these devices fatal flaw. I have many computers that only connect to the internet when it's time for updates. I have a few that are in use in vehicles. But the folks in the know, simply know that everyone is connected.

Would you buy a computer with a hard drive or solid state drive that only worked in some places and not others? Memory that you had to be connected to the internet so that it would work? People would never buy such a device.

Yet here we are, singing the praises of devices that don't fully work all the time.

The real reason for all the cloud stuff is that when everyone is converted and using the cloud, the software Manufacturers will be able to sell us software as a service, and we'll be able to send them money every month. It's a better business model than the "update every 2 years and hope they buy it" software model in use now.

My stand will be in favor of notebooks or laptops with comes with an option to install chosen OS and you can access if you wish, all the things that the chrome book is offering using your OS web browser, for me it will not be economical as well not wise to go for only browser based hardware. What about my music dumps, my movies, my graphics hungry games???? think about it before going for a chrome book.

you cannot guarantee what you will find for Internet access. If you are in your home, great. I have travelled to all 4 corners of the US, Hawaii, some Mexico and parts of Canada and the only thing that is consistent is the inconsistency of Internet access. Our spreadsheets are 1.5-4 MB. Working with those in the cloud would mean that you would become a WiFi guru always seeking out the best WiFi, least used, strongest signal, etc. If you are using 3G then you???d better have the best data plan around.

We work with many suppliers and have to match to their requirements. We use OCS internally so that would mean changing the entire company. Corporate wise I see a lot of hurdles. Consumers maybe but again everything is tied to having reliable Internet access.

Hey I'm a netbook HP Mini and I have dual booting, I used Windows 7 Ultimate & Jolicloud OS, for the first I don't have comments, but Jolicloud is a excellent OS for use in the cloud even has a interesting Offline mode: Skype, Opera Web browser, Open Office and a lot of application and I can work very security and very easy.

Not that I hate google, but this sounds like the worst thing to buy for the price. What is the point of a device that you can not customize to your liking and you will not be able to use your normal everyday apps. What if you get disconnected by a weak WIFI or moving, will it be able to link you right back to what you where doing, or will you have to start all over? I am willing to bet that most websites will just dump the data and you will come back having to start the project over.

This may boot up in 8 seconds, my laptop is only double that, but then it will still take the same amount of time or longer trying to get larger applications to load over the web. On top of that Google seems to monitor too much of what my phone does that half the time I am stuck on frozen screens, and waiting for my phone to connect to Google and dump off my data to them before I get it. What will make this any different?

I am sure there is a way around this, but I don't care to have a device that needs connected and synced with google to do a task such as sending an email, or being able to open .doc file from usb.

They need to scrap this project now before it costs them too much and they over produce these with little sales. I would rather have a full functional computer than a netbook that has google chrome and needs constant access to the internet for production.

Has anyone tried the Acer W500? I've had battery life lasts an incredible amount of time. (I'm sure over 6 hours)The screen size is 10.1". Also, a 32 gb SSD hard drive. It runs a FULL OS - Win 7 which runs all of my applications I'm used to using. It's a perfect design in that it can connect to it's own keyboard (Slides right on it) or you can take on the go without the keyboard. It is a capcitive touch screen so I can even write on it. I can also plug via HDMI my extra large monitor into it, my wireless keyboard & mouse - And you wouldn't even know it's really a tablet. I heavily use MS Office, google docs doesn't come close to competing with it. The W500 tablet will lay on top of it's own keyboard (Snaps together) & it appears as if its a little laptop.

It's good to note on the Acer that it has a sleep button that puts windows to sleep & you press it again & it's instantly gone. It's quick, just like pressing the unlock button on my iPhone. Instant availability - So Chrome doesn't really have much of an edge there. Since I can press the button & check my weather instantly.

Why use something (Chrome OS) that is so internet dependant & so limited on what it can take advantage of?

Ultimately, what matters is your own needs & what you enjoy using. Each unit has it's advantages. The iPad was something I was seriously considering before getting the Acer, but it couldn't (Just as the ChromeOS) couldn't fulfill my productivty needs. The iPad or Chrome OS is for "light-weight" productivity, more optimized for media - Entertainment (ie music & videos)

Like I said, it always goes back to preference & needs...No matter what anyone else says.

Because it sounds like exactly what I am looking for.

ChromeOS based systems will ONLY get recognition because of the word Google. Google took the word Google away and it wouldn't sell. The only others that will use it will be techies and Linux geeks. Why? The OS - no matter how it is - is not Windows. The consumer doesn't know Linux.

Most netbooks were returned [when they were available with Linux] because they had Linux on them. So what has changed since then?

Other thing I could see as a problenm is malware. Google's desktop is a web browser. If that gets hit with malware, the system is toast.

Being an active chrome browser user (which i love), I have still found many websites that do not fully support the browser. Since this is the only browser on the system, I will find myself and many other users limited to what websites will be available to use. Also the fact that you cannot install any programs. That and the price tag compared to a netbook, has not got me sold on it, YET. For a regular consumer that wants to play games and check their Gmail account might work great but from a business POV, still needs a lot of work.

From the technical point of view (I mean really, just how many power users do you really think make up the profit margins), its just another lower level tool for convenience sake. As a non-technical user, what a boon! Fast, reduced hassles, easy to get at my data, no confusion between storage locations (desktop, shares, folders, backups, web locations, etc). New users, beginners, and I believe in particular the Senior population should get their hands on these units NOW. I haven't seen one yet, (it may exist) but google should have an interactive learning program tethered to Chrome in a simply content index style for new users. Price needs to be $400 or less before it can really take off. OR, it should be sold as a two or three year service @ 24.95 a month plus unit insurance, etc ,etc..

I've been using a Chromebook for several months now, and although at first I was skeptical of trying to do everything from the cloud, I am now a believer. I use Picnik to edit photos, which is an online service. I had some trouble at first with this until I uploaded my photos to the cloud. Now it works beautifully. I would be lost without my "Chromebook". I use it every day and very rarely use my desktop anymore. I love the boot up time (which is a very accurate estimate by Google), and the amazing variety of web apps to use. We very recently had an awful storm that knocked everything out..power, gas, phone, internet. My "Chromebook" was the only way I could access the internet, to check for things we needed (weather reports, tree services to take care of storm damage) and to contact family that was very worried about us. I was very thankful I had a netboook that had 3G capability.

I would recommend a Chromebook to anyone, and have many, many times. If mine broke, I would buy another...I like it that much.

The Chromebooks are for use accessing the cloud. If you need something else use something else. Embrace the cloud. Stop fighting the trend and if you try you will find that you might be able to shift your work to the cloud and forego the local stuff. The more you can do in the cloud instead of locally the better off you will be.

All I want to do is make a secure RDP connection to my desktop at home (via WinSSHD in Windows or maybe Thinstation, which avoids the need to boot Windows). I can then use the netbook or whatever on my sofa or away from home to run applications on a fast PC, and only have to install applications on the one PC. I also don't have to trust all my data (and my privacy) to Google.

Of course, I'd still need Internet access to do this, just as I would with Chrome OS, but I can install a few applications on the netbook for emergencies, unlike with a Chromebook.

So all that's really important to me is the ability to run whatever software is needed to achieve this, plus a decent keyboard, screen, battery life and low weight.