Chromebook Discussion

[thatotherdude24]

I'm not surprised. Microsoft (and Apple) was/were founded in the pre-internet 1970s. Google was founded as a result of the internet in the 1990s. Which one of those companies do you think was most likely to create an internet-based operating system? An internet-based operating system also runs counter to Microsoft's historical business model with consumers.

It should be noted that Mozilla has also created a cloud-based operating system, Firefox OS. Like Google, Firefox as an entity is a product of the internet.

I'm surprised Microsoft hasn't come out with their version of the Chromebook like a "Bingbook" or something. They seem to have the cloud services to do it. It would really fill the gaps in their product line.

Windows with Bing is a real thing. http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-81-bing-revealed

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[CHIP72]

Windows with Bing is a real thing. Windows 8.1 with Bing Revealed | Windows 8 content from Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows

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Oh, I'm not saying it isn't. I'm saying it was more likely that Google (and Mozilla) was/were going to develop the cloud-based operating system concept. I'm also saying Microsoft, like they often do with everything, is copying an idea someone else came up with. Microsoft IMO is fundamentally a company that tries to build off a pre-existing idea and then "win" by refining and improving the idea.

 

[thatotherdude24]

Oh, I'm not saying it isn't. I'm saying it was more likely that Google (and Mozilla) was/were going to develop the cloud-based operating system concept. I'm also saying Microsoft, like they often do with everything, is copying an idea someone else came up with. Microsoft IMO is fundamentally a company that tries to build off a pre-existing idea and then "win" by refining and improving the idea.

I do agree with you. I don't know much about Mozilla other than they use open source.

I do think Google would be the one to develop a cloud OS over MS, Microsoft is a software company. Not many Google products can you put your hands on.

Microsoft does take ideas from others and apply their own version of it but who doesn't? Technology can only advance so fast for so long before it reaches a peaking point for a while. Out of Apple, Microsoft and Google I do think Google is the most innovative.

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[dkhmwilliams]

How often are you guys planning on updating your Chromebooks? The only reason I got the Acer C720 was because video playback on my Samsung was so horrible. But now that the C720 remedies that problem, I'm not sure when I would want to upgrade. I am perfectly fine with the screen resolution. The battery life is really good. It is really fast, but then again, I'm just running a browser. I don't think that I'm going to need anything else.

 

[thatotherdude24]

How often are you guys planning on updating your Chromebooks? The only reason I got the Acer C720 was because video playback on my Samsung was so horrible. But now that the C720 remedies that problem, I'm not sure when I would want to upgrade. I am perfectly fine with the screen resolution. The battery life is really good. It is really fast, but then again, I'm just running a browser. I don't think that I'm going to need anything else.

Unless it breaks or a new killer feature that the C720 cannot run there isn't a reason. I believe the C720 EOL is late 2017 or 2018.

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[dkhmwilliams]

Unless it breaks or a new killer feature that the C720 cannot run there isn't a reason. I believe the C720 EOL is late 2017 or 2018.

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Where did you get that EOL? That would be great news if this Chromebook could last that long. I would be very happy with that.

 

[thatotherdude24]

Where did you get that EOL? That would be great news if this Chromebook could last that long. I would be very happy with that.

They show the EOL of all their devices.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/eol.html

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[dkhmwilliams]

They show the EOL of all their devices.

Chrome OS End of Life Policy

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That is awesome. Thank you so much. To know that the $200 Chromebook that I just purchased is going to be fully supported for the next 3 and a half years minimum makes me very happy. I just hope that it lasts that long. What a great buy this thing is.

 

[B. Diddy]

Interesting link! For what it's worth, most of those dates are unofficial, and it says the actual EOL date will be that date or later (see footnote 1 on the site). So we might get even more time out of them!

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[thatotherdude24]

Interesting link! For what it's worth, most of those dates are unofficial, and it says the actual EOL date will be that date or later (see footnote 1 on the site). So we might get even more time out of them!

Posted via Android Central App

That is awesome. Thank you so much. To know that the $200 Chromebook that I just purchased is going to be fully supported for the next 3 and a half years minimum makes me very happy. I just hope that it lasts that long. What a great buy this thing is.

For $200-$300 devices you can't complain at 3.5+ years support.

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What do you guys think of this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IT...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3514420

It's OOS and currently the number 1 seller in desktops on amazon.

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[CHIP72]

How often are you guys planning on updating your Chromebooks? The only reason I got the Acer C720 was because video playback on my Samsung was so horrible. But now that the C720 remedies that problem, I'm not sure when I would want to upgrade. I am perfectly fine with the screen resolution. The battery life is really good. It is really fast, but then again, I'm just running a browser. I don't think that I'm going to need anything else.

My plan for a number of months has been to replace my current Samsung Chromebook Series 3 with a higher-end (probably mid-range) chromebook that preferably had all of the following features:

*Has at least 8-9 hours of battery life
*Weighs under 2.7 pounds (if it has 11.6" screen size)
*Has a better display than the Samsung Series 3
*Has much better audio than the Samsung Series 3
*Has 4GB of RAM (not an absolute requirement but strongly preferred)
*Has 4G LTE/3G connectivity

I might be willing to compromise a little on weight for a larger screen.

I want to have a pretty good chromebook that I can easily carry with me for travel purposes. Such a chromebook would be a longer-term device for me (unless I'm tempted by a Chromebook Pixel 2 that is under $1000 and has much better battery life than the original Chromebook Pixel).

I should note the LTE version of the HP Chromebook 11 would have been a very appealing device to me if it had better battery life.

What do you guys think of this? ASUS CHROMEBOX-M004U Desktop:Amazon:Computers & Accessories

It's OOS and currently the number 1 seller in desktops on amazon.

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I was reading an article yesterday that discussed using the Asus Chromebook as a TV box that has a lot more functionality. I haven't thought too much about desktop Chrome OS devices, but that angle of thinking intrigued me.

 

[thatotherdude24]

My plan for a number of months has been to replace my current Samsung Chromebook Series 3 with a higher-end (probably mid-range) chromebook that preferably had all of the following features:

*Has at least 8-9 hours of battery life
*Weighs under 2.7 pounds (if it has 11.6" screen size)
*Has a better display than the Samsung Series 3
*Has much better audio than the Samsung Series 3
*Has 4GB of RAM (not an absolute requirement but strongly preferred)
*Has 4G LTE/3G connectivity

I might be willing to compromise a little on weight for a larger screen.

I want to have a pretty good chromebook that I can easily carry with me for travel purposes. Such a chromebook would be a longer-term device for me (unless I'm tempted by a Chromebook Pixel 2 that is under $1000 and has much better battery life than the original Chromebook Pixel).

I should note the LTE version of the HP Chromebook 11 would have been a very appealing device to me if it had better battery life.

The HP14 LTE has 200mb a month free of T-Mobile data. It's $350.

- - - Updated - - -

I was reading an article yesterday that discussed using the Asus Chromebook as a TV box that has a lot more functionality. I haven't thought too much about desktop Chrome OS devices, but that angle of thinking intrigued me.

Would you mind posting a link please? I'd be interested to read this.

 

[CHIP72]

The HP14 LTE has 200mb a month free of T-Mobile data. It's $350.

IMO the HP Chromebook 14 is too heavy. I'm also on Verizon Wireless.

 

[thatotherdude24]

IMO the HP Chromebook 14 is too heavy. I'm also on Verizon Wireless.

That's fine, just letting you know another option.

I too am on Verizon, the HP11 is the only chromebook with LTE for us. Have you thought about tethering from your phone?

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[CHIP72]

Would you mind posting a link please? I'd be interested to read this.

I'm having a hard time finding it because I think I was using either my Windows 8 or Windows 7 laptop when I read the article (I do like to update them every 1-2 weeks you know ) and I'm using my chromebook right now, but if you do searches for "Asus chromebox" or something similar, you should be able to find that article or something similar.

I'll create a follow-up post if I do find the exact article.

 

[B. Diddy]

Yeah, when I'm out of my house and the public wi-fi is slow, I just tether. T-Mobile speeds are usually pretty darned fast where I'm going to use the Chromebook, so it's just as if I'm at home.

 

[CHIP72]

That's fine, just letting you know another option.

I too am on Verizon, the HP11 is the only chromebook with LTE for us. Have you thought about tethering from your phone?

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I generally prefer to avoid tethering because of the phone battery drain and extra cost, but that is a possibility. (I'm also one of those people who buys my smartphones off-contract on eBay, so I still have unlimited data on my primary line and do buy tethering every so often.)

I currently have two phone lines with two smartphones (an Apple iPhone 5 and a Nokia Lumia 928; I have three Android devices that were mid-to-high end after their release - a Motorola Droid 2, a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and an Asus Transformer Pad 300 - and the eventual lag issues with all of them really, really annoyed me so I've sworn off of Android), and both of my contracts have been served, so I can drop the second line. However, what I want to do is convert the second line over to a chromebook.

As a side note, I wish the upcoming 13.3" Samsung Chromebook 2 had an Intel Haswell Celeron rather than Samsung's ARM processor (it seems like the Haswells have better battery life and perhaps are a little faster), but it appears all of the Haswell chromebooks are heavier than their ARM counterparts. Because I'm looking at buying a 4G LTE/3G chromebook, weight is an important consideration.

 

[B. Diddy]

I have three Android devices that were mid-to-high end after their release - a Motorola Droid 2, a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and an Asus Transformer Pad 300 - and the eventual lag issues with all of them really, really annoyed me so I've sworn off of Android)

That's a shame. When you're ready, you ought to give Android another shot. The latest devices and tablets are smooth and awesome. I know what you're talking about--I have an Asus TF300 as well, and the lag that develops on older devices like these can be really frustrating. But newer devices starting with the 2013 Nexus 7 really seem to have fixed that problem. No lag issues on my Nexus 5, and I think you'd hear the same from users of phones like the Moto X and other Google Play Edition phones.

 

[Algus]

I've been really intrigued by the Asus Chromebox. I have a Mac Mini, so I don't really need the chromebox but it looks like just the thing to get a basic and cheap Linux desktop. I'm a big fan of these small form-factor PCs. Unless you need the hardware that comes in a big tower, high end parts and the cooling necessary to keep them working right, micro PCs offer plenty of horsepower without taking up any space at all. However, I'm really shocked by the response the Chromebox has received. I figured it would make something of a splash, especially for the Linux stuff, but not be that big otherwise.

I'm really hoping my HP 14 lasts longer than the year I got out of my Samsung 3 but if prices remain low and feature sets continue to improve, I could see myself buying another model next year. I'm very interested in Lenovo's supposed Yoga tablet and HP could definitely attract me with a detachable hybrid, particularly if we get Ubuntu Touch running on the devices.

 

[CHIP72]

That's a shame. When you're ready, you ought to give Android another shot. The latest devices and tablets are smooth and awesome. I know what you're talking about--I have an Asus TF300 as well, and the lag that develops on older devices like these can be really frustrating. But newer devices starting with the 2013 Nexus 7 really seem to have fixed that problem. No lag issues on my Nexus 5, and I think you'd hear the same from users of phones like the Moto X and other Google Play Edition phones.

It's not likely I'll come back to Android, but if the next iPhone doesn't have at least a 4.5" screen, WP8 (or for that matter BB10) doesn't get more of the niche apps I sometimes use (WP8 has some but not all of them and BB10 only has a small number of them), Firefox OS doesn't mature and/or devices aren't released in the U.S., and Chrome OS OEMs don't produce smartphones in the relatively near future (and touch on Chrome OS isn't improved), it's possible I'll buy another Android smartphone. I'm not a techie in terms of playing around with and modifying devices, but my impression from using it is that Android is too compromised (think back to its origins when it was based on older Blackberries and then the iPhone came along with the touch interface) and needs too many resources to operate efficiently. It's good to hear that newer Android devices may be addressing some of those performance issues.

FWIW, I still think there is an underserved market for physical keyboard smartphones, especially landscape slider smartphones. Even though I got frustrated by the Droid 2 because of Android 2.2 and 2.3, I thought it had a good form factor. (I have a tendency to type relatively long messages - can't you tell? ) Most Android smartphone OEMs have abandoned that form factor unfortunately, and Blackberry doesn't know what it's doing (or more accurately didn't know what it was doing under the ***** known as Thorsten Heins). Blackberry could have gained a foothold for BB10 IMO if they had released relatively large-screened landscape and/or portrait sliders at BB10's launch early last year.

EDIT: Wow, the word i-d-i-o-t is filtered. Crazy.