It seems like the biggest drawback is that processor. Stick a better one in there, and give me a Chromebook.

It seems like the biggest drawback is that processor. Stick a better one in there, and give me a Chromebook.

Wish to see Chrome Book with full support of Google Sites. Love to work on it.

Chromebooks, like most things in life, are about compromises. If you want all out power and ultra-portability, you spend another $1000 US on a MacBook Air and use it for 4 hours or so before you have to charge it again. If you don’t need local apps, or super-fast processors, or an aluminum enclosure, than you can buy a Chromebook. I’m one of the few that actually feel like my Chromebook is a good value at $499 (I got mine on sale for $450). For that price I got a stylish notebook that has extraordinary battery life, extraordinary boot/wake times, requires zero maintenance, requires no anti-virus software, requires no data backups, that is easy to use and easy to take anywhere with me. It’s not for everyone, but I think if more people could get their hands on one and try it, they would be much more successful.

I also feel that it’s only a matter of time before more people in education and business learn about Chromebooks and how much easier it is to manage them from an IT department standpoint. I think we will see more manufacturers producing Chromebooks in the near future.

I can offer only two additions: First, unless the UK-spec SS5 differs from those sold in the rest of the world, it comes not with a 8,280 mAh, but with a 6100 mAh battery, which I confirmed from multiple sources. While I would have preferred a design with a user-accessible battery (as in the Cr-48 reference design, and the Acer), user reports suggest that even with the smaller battery, the SS5 provides very good battery life.

Second, as a cheap Cr-48 user who travels a lot, and occasionally has to resort to the 3G network, although I am browsing the full internet, I make use of cut-down mobile versions of many apps (mail, calendar, weather), I don’t consume as many MB than you might expect. As a consequence, these cut-down mobile versions are also far more responsive, since they are pushing fewer bytes around. But, I don’t stream my Google Music library, or watch Youtube videos while on 3G. With a little bit of common sense, I’ve never used up all of the 100 MB monthly quota. Also, the current version of Scratchpad is a quite competent writing tool, on a par with Apple’s Text Edit. 

As solomon_rex observes, a Chromebook makes a good second or third computer, especially if one travels a lot, where its size, weight, and battery life are just about optimal for 2011. Prior to the Cr-48, a 10.1″ netbook running Linux was my travelling companion; the Cr-48 beat it out because of its more usable screen and keyboard, as well as the ability to connect almost anywhere. Since I already have a Cr-48, I have little incentive to buy either of the two Chromebooks that are currently available, but with continued development of CrOS functionality, I can imagine buying a second generation Chromebook, when they become available.

I can offer only two additions: First, unless the UK-spec SS5 differs from those sold in the rest of the world, it comes not with a 8,280 mAh, but with a 6100 mAh battery, which I confirmed from multiple sources. While I would have preferred a design with a user-accessible battery (as in the Cr-48 reference design, and the Acer), user reports suggest that even with the smaller battery, the SS5 provides very good battery life.

Second, as a cheap Cr-48 user who travels a lot, and occasionally has to resort to the 3G network, although I am browsing the full internet, I make use of cut-down mobile versions of many apps (mail, calendar, weather), I don’t consume as many MB than you might expect. As a consequence, these cut-down mobile versions are also far more responsive, since they are pushing fewer bytes around. But, I don’t stream my Google Music library, or watch Youtube videos while on 3G. With a little bit of common sense, I’ve never used up all of the 100 MB monthly quota. Also, the current version of Scratchpad is a quite competent writing tool, on a par with Apple’s Text Edit. 

As solomon_rex observes, a Chromebook makes a good second or third computer, especially if one travels a lot, where its size, weight, and battery life are just about optimal for 2011. Prior to the Cr-48, a 10.1″ netbook running Linux was my travelling companion; the Cr-48 beat it out because of its more usable screen and keyboard, as well as the ability to connect almost anywhere. Since I already have a Cr-48, I have little incentive to buy either of the two Chromebooks that are currently available, but with continued development of CrOS functionality, I can imagine buying a second generation Chromebook, when they become available.

However, there is nothing to stop you (intentionally) installing an malicious extension which sends your passwords out to sites it may not tell you it is sending it to, just like there is nothing to stop you (intentionally) installing a malicious keylogger or rootkit application in Window.  Of course this problem can be avoided if you only install trusted extensions and plug-ins like you only install trusted applications on Windows. The difference is that the unintentional installation of viruses and malware that takes place on Windows won’t happen on a Chromebook.

Putting everything in the cloud for example makes you more vulnerable to credential theft, which can then give the hackers full access to your account and all the financial and data information you put on it.

While even without your credentials, the data is only as safe as the server security and that gives hackers a single target they can reach 24/7 and no security is 100% fool proof.  Something to consider with the rise on Internet based attacks lately and how even big name companies are getting hacked.

Visiting malicious sites can also still infect your system for a variety of different types of attacks.  Like installing a keylogger, etc.  Hard to infect is not the same as impossible.  While previously this usually cleared up after closing and opening the system and it cleared everything but Chrome now supports native apps and that’s a different story.

You’ll also have to watch out for systems used by other people as well, since nothing stops them using hardware hacks and doing something like putting in a physical key logger into the hardware of the system, which could be a potential problem for Chromebooks used at some libraries for example.

On hardware though, we may see better graphical performance thanks to a combination of Native Client for native app like performance and updates to the hardware to either Cedar Trail ATOM or ARM, which in either case will allow support for hardware acceleration.

Sounds like a half-baked experience to me… That’s the problem with Google all the way.around… Lack of focus. The old jack of all trades, expert at none saying comes to mind..

But also, laptops came down in price after these were released.  AMZ has a sale on these, now, too, btw.  I’m thinking about one for my parents, just for security and maintenance free reasons.

For me the biggest drawback was the CPU as mentioned in the review: things get choppy too often, and when you live in the browser you tend to leave several tabs open at once, and that to me is the biggest annoyance.  (Although still workable).

One advantage I’m looking forward to: assuming a better Chromebook comes out one day, I can log out of my current one, log in to the new one and pick up  where I left off with no worries about file transfers, app installations etc, and can sell the old one without worrying about getting anything personal off of it first

I don’t think I’m much off the mark when I say that most of my family (who lives in a small town in the midwest) would find it perfect for them. Sure there are still issues, like printing, but my sister bought a printer with her computer because it was $50. Far as I know she’s never used it. One of those things she thought she should have. I doubt any of them do anything but web stuff. With no updates and no virus’ and no hard drive to fail I think it has it’s place.

And it should get better no? 

Chrome OS is ‘more’ secure than a PC with chrome. It has a check sum on boot. 

At this point, I’d MUCH rather just throw any kind of Linux distro on a different laptop/netbook and have a full fledged system that can do pretty much anything. If you really think Chrome OS is all that great, download Chrome and use nothing but.
I have yet to see anything state how this is at all better than any other PC with Chrome.

If you can live with webmail/gmail, salesforce and pandora and ALWAYS have a connection you are good to go. 

Otherwise if you are like most users that use your pc for a variety of tasks like media consumption and games as well as productivity ,a $300 netbook is a better fit.

The instant on and long battery life are a plus though