Skip to main content

My review of Google OS (on the Cr-48)

First, I am typing this on the Cr-48 running Google OS. I signed up for the pilot program a couple of months ago and didn't give it any further thought. After all, what are the chances of them actually giving me a unit? Well, guess what was waiting for me when I arrived home this evening? Yep! A brand new laptop (more like netbook) with Google OS installed. These are my initial reactions:

  • when I first heard about Google OS being based upon the chrome browser, my first thought was how will they deal with the *claustrophobia* that some people (ok me) will experience at being confined to a single window? Well they didn't deal with the issue. So that was the first thing I noticed. It just feels like I am being confined to a single browser instance
  • What do you mean "everything is in the cloud"? Literally, everything is in the cloud! There's no file system. Personally, I think it's a mistake that Google didn't even create an abstraction to replace the file system. Nothing says that your "c:\" drive or your "desktop" has to be physically on the computer. Google could have compromised by layering a facade over cloud-based storage (i.e. Google docs) to make it look like a normal computer. That was one of the first things my wife asked me when she saw the Cr-48.
  • The hardware is surprisingly devoid of any branding. It's just a little black box. No serial numbers or model numbers. Since these units are just for testing the OS (as opposed to actually being for eventual sale to end users), I suppose the lack of identification can be excused.
  • A lot of noise has been made over the keyboard lacking a dedicated CAPS lock key (it's been replaced by a search button)..but I think the bigger deal is getting rid of the Function keys. Ever tried to figure out the combination keys to activate the functions keys on a laptop? Is it Fn+F7 to switch to an attached external monitor? Who knows...it differs on each laptop. On the Cr-48, the keys in the top row by default perform the actions depicted on them. Wanna increase the volume...no Fn key required. 
  • I am not sure what the official battery life is but the unit is saying I have over 6 hours left on an 86% charge. That's pretty good.
  • You know all those junk documentation and papers that come with new Windows computers and laptops? Well none of that here. Just the laptop, 1 page for the FCC radio interference warning and another page to describe the keyboard layout. No mini-booklet containing outdated OS information. No restore disk.
  • It has an SD Card slot but nothing happened when I inserted a card. And trying to attach a file to a gmail message presented me with a blank "file open" dialog.
I am going to try to use the laptop 80% of the time over the next few days and then write another post. BTW, when Google OS was first announced 18 months ago, I called it vaporware

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Teenage Years Cometh

If you're lucky, a few days after your twins are born, the hospital just let's you walk out with them. In fact, they insist you take them with you. No training, no classes, no probation...they really just let you walk out with 2 humans. #fatherhood — Tundey A. (@realtundey) November 28, 2021 This was me 12 years ago: And now look at them. In a little over 6 months, they'll be teenagers!   Every time I look at them, I am reminded of Obama's quote on being a parent:  "One of my favorite sayings about having children is it's like having your heart walking around outside your body." — @POTUS — White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) October 21, 2015

Time Travel

 On November 25th , I ordered a couple of items from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It was late on Thanksgiving, I was up and decided to take a quick look at early Black Friday deals. The air fryer I had been eyeing for a few months was finally on sale. And I needed a comforter set. So why not kill 2 birds with one stone? I ordered both items for delivery (2-3 business days). Whatever, not an urgent need.  Friday afternoon, I received an email from BBB, my items have been split into 2 shipments. The first shipment is on the way. Here's the tracking number. Oh nice...I clicked on the tracking number and got this: I do not list in NJ Go ahead, click on it and take a look at the dates. According to that tracking info, the package was shipped on October 13th! Yeah, that's the reason for the title of this post. Somehow, BBB issued an already-used tracking number for my shipment. It gets worse. Both shipments were assigned different used tracking numbers. Both tracking numbers were for pack

How long should a blog post be?

A couple of times, people have accused me of writing really long blog posts. While I know that I have written some long ones , I think a blog ought to be more than a tweet or a facebook status update. This has been a problem for me because sometimes I want to write about a topic but I either can't quite write enough about it to justify making it a blog post or I just don't have the time to flesh out all my thoughts. So my blogger dashboard is littered with several unfinished blog posts that I started but didn't finished. For example, I had some really strong opinions on the Trayvon Martin case (back before Zimmerman was arrested). Mostly it was about how the case resonated with minority males (especially fathers) in a way in which non-minorities can't fathom. Not because they are insensitive but because they just can't do it. It's like expecting a 3rd world military dictator to understand the US Constitution. Oh yeah, where was I? Right, about writing really l