Not so much as a computer, more of a tablet in a laptop case.

Does anyone have any thoughts on these?

I think i want an i-pad/tablet (i know, i dont need one but think i should have one) and saw the google chrome laptop in PC world tonight (currently on a soft launch in the UK).

It seems to tick a number of boxes but really know nothing about them and just wondered if anyone has an opinion on them?

Thanks

You know they are cloud storage, so no net access and no files.

I'm not that secure about total cloud storage just yet.

yes i did realise it was cload based, and likewise not totally sure how i feel about that. It is a way forward but not certain i am convinced about security either (hey its managed by the people who know security best says the salesman, still not convinced though) although you do get net access (wifi or 3G/wifi) or have i miss understood what you meant. Certainly browsed Briskoda on the one i tried.

I think he meant "if you have no network access, it's useless as you can't access your files". They're a good idea in theory (a sort of mobile thin client), but I wouldn't want to use one I don't think. Having said that, web apps are getting pretty good, I knocked up a couple of network diagrams earlier in an online alternative to Visio that I can't remember the name of. Not professional grade by any means, but it was such a well done web app that it basically felt native. The lines are definitely blurring, I just don't think we're there yet.

yes sorry, fully understand what you meant by your comment now gadgetman that if you have no internet access then you can not access any of you files.

It seems very alien but is that not the way we are now going though? Thirty years ago the idea of an office computer, let alone an affordable home computer (lets face it they are almost disposable items now after two or three years) would have been unthinkable so is this not the next evolution. However i take the point and it is something to considered, but isn't that how the apple air books and ipads work (sorry i really don't know)? Definatelly a ludite in these matters.

i have since read some reviews that this may be addressed in future versions so maybe just for the tome being il leave it alone and see what comes along later this year.

iPads and Macbooks work more like a traditional PC. Your files are primarily stored and used from the device itself, with an optional backup to a cloud service. It's similar, but not quite the same concept; if the cloud copy goes away, it doesn't matter as you're working locally anyway. With a Chromebook there's no local storage at all so if your cloud copy goes away, you're screwed.

Don't really see the appeal of them.

If they were priced a little more competitively then yes sure why not but starting at £299 is a bit steep compared to about £240 for a netbook with the same battery life, a much bigger (16gb vs 250gb) HDD and windows 7.

Phil

Agree with Phil, too expensive at present.

You could test drive the usability of the OS though if you like, on something else. The Chromium OS which the Chromebooks use is available.

I had lined it up to test on an older netbook, but not got round to it yet.

I can see the appeal, but then it wouldn't be a complete solution for me. Access to Windows-based applications on a laptop is still too necessary; VCDS for the car being one!

Plus it would be more or less useless for other things I use my netbook for. Like watching a HD film on a train/plane for example or using while in another country where wifi access isn't always possible and certainly not 3G.

If the price was A LOT lower I could see how it could be justified but as it stands... no way! You are getting a lot less for more money... madness!

Phil

The boot-up time is impressive and there's obvious advantages to having all your data in the cloud... but in that come some quite big disadvantages as well. Data security and confidence about that, as well as actually accessing the data at all - as you mention.

But from the hardware side, certainly - the price isn't justifiable IMO, compared with a netbook. Netbook, SSD drive and Chromium OS and you're there

All, thanks for your comments, they have been very helpful, and the more i have read about these, the less inclined i have been to go down this route.

I hadn't heard of the chromebook before Tuesday when i saw them in PCWorld in Bristol, and to be honest i sort of liked the idea but didn't really know what it was. I already have a small Win 7 laptop which can be slow as the processor is not that great, but it is better than an Atom, obviously this could be because of all the peripherals that windows loads during start up but my biggest gripe with it is the McAfee security package which really slows things down to the extent that when it runs a full virus check i can't use it to do anything else.

I agree on the cloud principal, and not sure if i am ready to go completely virtual yet, that and coupled with the fact of not always being able to get WiFi or a 3G signal. For overseas use you can always buy a cheap pay as you go sim but again more expense.

Also concerned about the use of MS Office products and compatability although it does come with peripherals that seem to look the same. How good they will be I do not know but again i am not sure i am ready to take the plunge and find out. Oh and no chance of syncing your iPhone or iPod so would still need to keep another computer running to retain my iTunes library.

I'll leave this one on the back burner for now and see how or if they develop.

Thanks all, Jerry

I hadn't heard of the chromebook before Tuesday when i saw them in PCWorld in Bristol, and to be honest i sort of liked the idea but didn't really know what it was. I already have a small Win 7 laptop which can be slow as the processor is not that great, but it is better than an Atom, obviously this could be because of all the peripherals that windows loads during start up but my biggest gripe with it is the McAfee security package which really slows things down to the extent that when it runs a full virus check i can't use it to do anything else.

Get rid of McAfee and install Microsoft Security Essentials. I too was having slow-downs with other virus software on my netbook (Atom N270 3GB Ram and an SSD drive) so I installed Microsoft Security Essentials instead (it is free) and it's been brilliant. Very light on the CPU/memory and I think it works pretty well as an antivirus program.

Also on the note of the price of the chromebooks... I paid £199 for my netbook (Atom N270, 2GB - upgraded to 3 RAM, 250GB HDD - Swapped for a 128GB SSD and nVidia ION chipset) and even with the extra RAM and SSD it's not cost me any more than £300.

An SSD is a very welcome upgrade to any netbook I would say... the speed difference is huge. Used to take around 1 min 20 secs to boot fully into windows 7 home premium. Now takes around 45 seconds. Resuming from hibernate is even faster.

Phil

Thanks Phil for the advice on MS Security Essentials, think i will give it a try. I've upraded the RAM to 4GB but this just isn't enough to help deal with McAfee, it is definately a processor issue (insufficient power) the wifes i5 is fine with it but my little laptop just cant cope.

How would i do a swap to a SSD? principally, how do i go about transfering the operating system and all the other stuff i have loaded over the years?

Get rid of McAfee and install Microsoft Security Essentials. I too was having slow-downs with other virus software on my netbook (Atom N270 3GB Ram and an SSD drive) so I installed Microsoft Security Essentials instead (it is free) and it's been brilliant. Very light on the CPU/memory and I think it works pretty well as an antivirus program.

Also on the note of the price of the chromebooks... I paid £199 for my netbook (Atom N270, 2GB - upgraded to 3 RAM, 250GB HDD - Swapped for a 128GB SSD and nVidia ION chipset) and even with the extra RAM and SSD it's not cost me any more than £300.

An SSD is a very welcome upgrade to any netbook I would say... the speed difference is huge. Used to take around 1 min 20 secs to boot fully into windows 7 home premium. Now takes around 45 seconds. Resuming from hibernate is even faster.

Phil

I had a virus message on MSE. First one. Run a full scan, clean. Loaded a trial of Norton and it found 3 others, all trojans.

I'm not fully convinced in MSE any more than I would trust anything that's protected my AVG.

How would i do a swap to a SSD? principally, how do i go about transfering the operating system and all the other stuff i have loaded over the years?

In a practical sense it is normally very easy. On most laptops/netbooks the drives are normally pretty easy to get to. Mine is under the keyboard with just 2 screws needed.

In terms of windows etc you would need to do a fresh install of Windows 7. Restoring a backup is no good due to the different sectors on an SSD and you would probably end up with poor performing SSD due to the mis-aligned sectors etc. It's a good opportunity for a clear out at least.

Phil

What Phil said

:yes:

These cloud based computers could work effectively once the 4G network comes online, but only if it's implemented comprehensively and we get sufficient coverage. So knowing the UK, ain't never gonna happen.

If it was done right, streaming music, fillums and games wouldnt be an issue. It still seems alien to think that we could run heavyweight programs and work with large files over the cloud though.