http://cr-48.wikispaces.com/

Includes guides to easily:
- Flash the Cr-48 BIOS
- Install Ubuntu
- Install Windows 7
- Activate GPS
- Much more!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6146236/an_overview_of_the_chrome_operating.html?cat=15

Woe is me I didn’t apply four months ago!

You can apply at:

http://www.google.com/chromeos/pilot-program.html

I have been running around with my CR-48 for a few days now, and while impressed, that the vision is finally coming true, have considerable doubt that a browser only device with a keyboard is ready for the categories – mainstream portable computer. There is too much I can’t do on the device. I can’t access work-email (Exchange server), I can’t start a VPN, and I can’t really get anything done off-line (I was offline for a few hours, and despite my expectations that Google Docs could run while the thing was off-line (cause they are build using Gears and now HTML5) there was no way to start the apps without a connection.

I noticed that the device has difficulties attaching to WiFi networks (can’t isolate the condition just yet), but it happened often that it would not attach to a network on which my iPhone and iPad attached alright. It took some clicking on the WiFi icon, some selecting the wifi network, some on-off of the WiFi subsystem. Probably a software condition.

Conclusion so far – impressive how much you can actually do in a browser (SlideRocket, DEvianArt, PGA Golf Challenge, Evernote, Docs, Mail, MOG, Creatley, even TurboTax and Mint).
Yet, not enough to make me leave my laptop behind.

I think the Cloudbook is crying for a new category – something like “the kitchen top computer”, the “kids first computer”, “a disposable computer for when my laptop gets stolen)…

my 2 cents
S

>>Nonetheless, the audience for whom Google Chrome OS is suitable is surprisingly small.<>Only the very basic of business use is catered for, and we imagine most network admins will shy from the prospect of entrusting Google’s servers with all of their users’ data. Mainstream consumers would ostensibly seem a better fit, but Chrome OS’ absent support for PMPs and other devices undermine its usefulness as a main computer.<<

Err.. you do understand that you don't need to use Google's servers for anything except updates and authentication don't you? Google has received a lot of interest in the trial from large enterprises. You can use Chrome OS in an enterprise to log into the enterprise's intranet and extranet web servers to access your corporate webmail, hosted documents and workflows, enter and look up data in the enterprise web based invoicing, accounting, CRM and other server based web interfaced applications that they already have running. In addition you can use the Citrix client to access Windows, Mac, or Linux desktop applications on a virtualised machine running on corporate servers. Use of Chrome OS as a super-thin-client in this way results in massive savings in maintenance over running Windows desktops, because everything can be locked down and made secure and managed centrally.

As for system administrators not trusting Google's servers, I agree that system administrators may be wary of Google Apps and GMail, but it is not because Google cannot be trusted to back up their data properly. Statistically Google has not lost any user data so far due to a distrbuted redundant backup over several different geographical locales, and it is very easy to back up GMail locally using services like Postini. The reason why system administrators are wary is that turning things over to Google results in such low maintenance that they are worried about their jobs. Large numbers of small and medium companies are changing over to Google apps, with email being the most important driver. This doesn't mean they don't use desktops with local applications and local servers, but the reliance on these drops dramatically and their numbers can be reduced.

Regarding data privacy, most people are concerned about personal data, and a company shouldn't really put this on Google's servers anyway, but as far as corporate emails ans shared data, unless the company is doing something illegal nobody really cares about keeping corporate data away from Google. In any case Email is sent over the Internet unencrypted and is routinely scanned by various governments and anybody who runs a router can also do it. So information contained in emails is no more private if you use your own email servers. Just send out emails containing a credit card number, and see how it takes for your credit card account to raided.

With regard to absent support, a Chrome OS netbook is zero maintenance. All you need to know is how to switch it on, and how to use the Chrome web browser. How many people actually get support for that on Windows? If you can't do that, or get somebody to explain that to you, then you certainly shouldn't be going anywhere near a Windows PC, a TV remote, or a video recorder, which are vastly more difficult.

I input a “bug report” with the included bug extension, but haven’t received a response. Frankly, it’s rather difficult to find any support.

I’d easily accept the idea that I’m missing something, so I thought I’d ask here. Please tell me what you think.

I’m figuring out now if I can download java. It says to pick a platform. Unfortunately, I see Windows 7, vista, XP, but not “Chrome OS.”

Also, no right-click = no spell-check. I need a mouse. My travel one died. Don’t ask.

Review should be done in a few days. I want to make sure I cover every part of the cr48. I may have had it only for one day so far, but note that a day has 24 hours. ;D

A lot of us purchased little netbooks with mane priced appropriately.by limitations because of cost and size. There is a market for these. I recommend future reviews take a more balanced approach, and simply note that these limitiations either need to be addressed or

I swear, when Google announced that they took off the Caps Lock key for the better of the world, I stood up in standing ovation. *Applause* The mapping, in case someone wants it though, is a great idea. ^.^