Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Review
I really love my macbook air, and I seriously considered buying another one for my kids to use. Then this little guy showed up. I was sold when Engadget said it was 80% of the macbook air experience at a fraction of the price. I'd say it's more like 60% of the macbook air experience, but that's still an incredible deal for the price.
Drawbacks:
You can't print. You can set up google cloudprint but I haven't gotten it to work yet. You can't do anything that isn't inside a web browser. 95% of my computer usage is inside google chrome anyway, so that's not a huge deal for me as a second computer. You can't edit video or do anthing else that requires more than a simple file system and a web browser.
Advantages:
The keyboard and touchpad are near-mackbook quality. That makes them better than 70 percent of all laptops out there. Not a small thing. I love the two-finger scrolling which you can reverse so it works like a mac. Google calls it simple scrolling. There is two-finger right click too.
The screen is fine. I wish I could put the bottom-of-the-screen launcher bar on the side of the screen to save precious vertical pixels.
Interface is good. I set up separate user account for each of my kids. Not as smooth as a mac but smoother than windows 7.
Build quality is better than your average laptop but not up to macbook standards. Considering the price it's amazingly well put together.
Bottom line: For someone like me who spends most of my computer time in chrome for mac, this is a natural second computer. It would be great for a student computer. If you want to edit videos or do other things that don't work very well in a web browser you should look elsewhere.
You could easily spend three times this much and get a computer with a lesser keyboard, lesser touchpad, and inferior build quality.
Others have commented about the new Chromebook hardware, and the browser is well-known already (it operates identically on the Chromebook), so I'll comment about the OS features outside of the browser, about which very little information is available. Bear in mind that Google updates the OS frequently, so anything I say is subject to change at any time.
There's a new app called Files that's a file manager, analogous to Windows Explorer or the Finder. It always shows two drives: Downloads, on the local file system, and Google Drive. You can copy between them, make folders, rename files, etc.
If you mount an SD card or USB drive, you can perform the same operations with those drives, too. I was able to mount a Mac-formatted (HFS) drive, but not write to it. When I tried, I got an error message AND the OS got into a state where it would refuse to copy anything, even if the HFS drive wasn't involved. Rebooting cleared this up.
You can't access networked drives (shares) at all.
If you have a Google Docs file on a local drive, including the built-in drive, you can open it with Google Docs to work on it, but it seems that there's no way to create such a file from the app. You have to get it there by copying it from Google Drive. This use of a local file is completely different from the new offline capability that the Google Docs apps have. That gives them access to a local cache of the online files, unrelated to the files you see with the Files app. My advice is that if you want to work with those apps offline, do it the official way.
Other notes:
My bluetooth mouse, which I prefer to the touchpad, worked perfectly.
The Chromebook looks very much like my Macbook Air. Same size, same weight, similar appearance. The Air is more refined, and it also costs more than four time as much.
I got the Chromebook because when I'm not on my main computers (an iMac or a Windows box) I spend all my time in Chrome. The Chromebook is perfect for this, as others have noted. I was using an Air for this purpose, which it's great at, of course, but so is the Chromebook.
When I take photos, I shoot raw. You can copy raw files from a card to another device with the Chromebook, for in-the-field backup, but you can't view the raw files (that is, you can't view the JPEG preview that's inside them). You can on Windows, MacOS, or an iPad. In this respect, an iPad is a more complete field computer for a photographer who wants backup and a little viewing, but, unlike the Chromebook, you can't attach an external drive, and an iPad only has so much internal memory. It works for me while I'm on vacation, but it wouldn't work for a pro. Not enough space.
You can certainly upload a raw to Picasa Web and view it there, but this is impractical for the bulk of the images you'll shoot in the field.
The above viewing issue applies only to raws. JPEGs work fine.
As an experiment, I wrote a text editor as a packaged app, which means it loads locally in Chrome and has full access to local files. It worked fine on the Chromebook, as I would expect. However, it seems that it is tossed out on a reboot, so you have to load it from an external disk each time you boot. As packaged apps are very new and still experimental, this is obviously a temporary issue. I noticed that there's a way to pin the app icon to the launchbar, which is nice. Pinning doesn't keep it from being tossed out.
The Chromebook needs work, but I give it five stars anyway. The Google people are smart and hard-working, so I expect things will get better rapidly, especially as the new Chromebook seems to be a smash hit.
I just got the new Chromebook from a nearby Bestbuy store and my first impressions are that this is an amazing value for 250 dollars. The build quality is well constructed, although it does not have the premium feeling a laptop like the Macbook Air. However, there is no flex to the machine and the keyboard/trackpad are top notch. The display does not have wide viewing angles, although this shouldn't be too much of a problem unless if it is just you using the laptop. The battery life so far has been impressive since with about four hours of use, it has gone done about 56 %. i will update this review after a couple more weeks of using it as my primary laptop. One concern I do have is the charger is not as durable as I would like and I am not sure how it will fair in long term use, but I will update this review if I experience any problems with it. As far as Chrome OS, I have used both the Mac operating system as well as Windows and I am quite pleased with the experiences I have had on my chromebook so far. Google docs, which comes preloaded on the Chromebook, is a fantastic substitute for Microsoft Word and it works well even if the computer is offline. Adobe flash is already installed on the computer and the performance is quite good for video watching and flash websites such as Amazon Instant Video. I would suggest downloading the application Adblock from the Chrome Web store because it will stop any flash ads from popping up, which I have generally found to decrease the performance of loading a website. Unless you are heavy gamer or do a lot of video/photo editing, I would highly recommend this product.
I'm based in the UK and bought my unit there. However, physically this model is nearly identical to ours (to my knowledge only the keyboard layout and socket you need for charging it differs) and I've been using Chrome OS and previous Chrome hardware for a while, so I thought I'd give my take on this device.
I've owned the Cr-48 for a while, which was a kind of test unit Google sent out to people to beta test the operating system. That came out a long time ago and none of the commercial units have felt good enough to me to justify buying, up until now. They were always a little too expensive, despite the obvious advantages.
This will be a long review. For those wanting a short summary, I'll include one at the end.
The software
For those unclear, Chrome OS (which the Chromebook runs) is fundamentally different to a Windows, Mac or Linux-based laptop, desktop or netbook. This is because it runs the web. No native applications exist specifically for this machine. There are apps (sometimes referred to as Chrome apps) but they also work in the Chrome browser.
Because this computer runs what many call 'just a browser' it has several advantages, as well as disadvantages when compared to a Windows machine. I've chosen Windows for most comparisons here as more people typically use Windows than a Mac or Linux machine.
Security
You cannot install Windows applications (or other native software) on Chrome OS. This means that the computer can operate more securely than a Windows machine simply because the computer knows what should be installed. If something is there that shouldn't be there, the computer will erase all local data and install a version of the software that's stored in a secure area. Once you're connected to the internet, you'll be updated to the most recent version of the operating system. As your settings, bookmarks and Chrome applications are stored by Google, they are also restored after the machine is reset and you log in. Typically the operating system is updated every 6 weeks, meaning bugs get fixed pretty quickly (important bug fixes will arrive more quickly) and new features are released quickly, too.
Getting things done
This is where the big problem is for some people; you can't install Microsoft Office, Adobe's Photoshop or other software packages. You're limited to software that's delivered through a website. Most people are perfectly comfortable with using things like Facebook, Twitter and email this way. The web offers some pretty powerful tools, though. For instance, pretty sophisticated image editing software exists on-line, as do audio and video editing tools. Using the massive resources of the internet (typically referred to as 'the cloud') means that video editing and other resource-intensive tasks can be made dramatically quicker than doing it locally. Make no mistake though, if you do need something like Photoshop it's just not possible, unless you use software specifically designed to deliver 'normal' software through the web. Companies like Citrix offer products that can do that, but given the additional cost, it's usually only big businesses that use them.
If you don't need extremely-specialised software though, there's a lot available. Google, Zoho and Microsoft all offer tools that will let you create, open and export documents in popular formats, such as Microsoft Office. There are advantages to this approach, too. Google Docs (as an example) allows individuals to use their on-line document, spreadsheet and presentation software free of charge and, even better, you can collaborate with up to 50 people on the same document, practically in real-time. This sort of thing just isn't typically possible with traditional software. Where it is, it's likely to be clunkier than a web-based tool as a website just lets you login and work.
Calendars, Angry Birds, finance tools (Sage and QuickBooks are available through the browser) are all also available in this way. It's worth checking out if the things you'll want to do are available in this way before ordering a Chromebook.
There are also many off-line capable applications. That is, things that will work without an internet connection. These include Google Documents (editing and viewing) Google Docs spreadsheets (viewing) and things like Google Calendar. Keep in mind though that this is primarily a device for accessing the internet. Without a connection, this device is extremely-limited. Applications delivered through a browser will get more and more capable over time, though.
Other drawbacks
As I've said, not everything is available through a browser. Critical things that people take for granted either aren't available or are very different on a Chromebook.
It's not possible to watch AVI or MKV video files (at the time this was written) for example, without converting them. That's a big pain for some. Printing is different too, as you can't just plugin a printer on Chrome OS and have it work. For those that are curious, Google has a service called Cloud Print, which involves hooking up your printer to the internet. This approach does have an advantage in that you're able to print to your printer from anywhere with an internet connection, either from a mobile device or any installation of Chrome. For those without a printer that can connect to the internet independently of a regular computer, you can enable a normal printer by installing Chrome on a Windows machine and running it that way.
Storage
A key thing about Chromebooks is that they come with a 16GB hard drive. This is considered very low by modern standards as a typical Windows machine will come with a minimum of 500GB and often far more.
Google Drive is Google's solution for this. Essentially, Google Drive is on-line storage. It stores files from Google Docs and will store pretty much any type of file, too. A key thing is that it integrates with the file system, meaning you can save files directly to your account (Drive can be used on Windows and other computers, as well as Android and iOS devices) and access them from whichever device you're using.
By default, Drive comes with 5GB of storage. This isn't a huge amount, but for free on-line storage it's pretty typical. Many other services actually offer much less. However, if you buy a Chromebook you get 100GB free for two years, which is very useful given that it can be used across many devices. If after two years you're using more than whatever the normal free allowance is at that point (things do change) and you've not qualified for some other promotion, you'll no longer be able to add new files. Your existing data will be accessible, meaning files will not be deleted.
Another great thing about Drive is that files can be shared with others. Google Docs files are not counted towards your storage.
Again, it's worth noting that other great on-line storage solutions exist, such as Dropbox and Box. The difference of course is that they're not tightly-integrated with the Chromebook.
Hardware (general)
This new Chromebook is running on an ARM chip, the type of processor you'd typically find in a mobile phone or tablet. That may sound slow given the demands of a typical Windows machine, but it's very quick. It boots in around 7 seconds (it feels more like 5 as the logo is on the screen almost as soon as you open the lid) and you can be on-line with your normal tabs open in under 30 seconds with ease. The keyboard is extremely responsive and many professional reviewers have remarked that it's the best that's ever been on a Chromebook, which includes the much more expensive Samsung Series 5 550 machine. The trackpad, too, is very good indeed.
The machine is extremely responsive due to it needing very few resources to operate. If you attempt to run 20+ tabs, yes, it will slow down a whole lot. But if, like most typical users, you use this for email, Facebook and the like, you should have no performance issues. Depending on your usage, the stated 6.5 hours of battery life are very close. In fact I'd suggest that you'd get more, depending on screen brightness etc.
Other hardware
On this particular unit you'll find one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI out (for putting what's on your screen on a bigger screen, like a computer monitor or TV) and an SD card reader. External USB hard drives work fine in my experience and many phones are treated properly as mass storage too. However certain devices such as external optical (CD/DVD) drives will not work at all. As a commenter noted, I originally forgot to point out that this machine has no moving parts because of the type of hard drive used. This means the machine is extremely quiet and doesn't get hot.
Miscellaneous
It should be noted that since Chromebooks are essentially stateless (that is, they have little personal data stored on them) they can be wiped at any time without a problem and you can start over. This also means that they can easily be shared and Chrome devices (a desktop version, called a Chromebox also exists) have something called Guest Mode, which allows a friend to browse the web without accessing your settings or bookmarks and when they're done, their browsing history is automatically deleted. For those with whom you share your Chrome device regularly, you can add them to the list of permanent users.
Summary
Essentially, if you use the web most of the time (this is what most computer users do) or want a second machine that can be used without any technical knowledge for that purpose by others in your household, this is an ideal device. If, however, you like to play a lot of 'real' video games or access specialised software, chances are that this device isn't for you. That said, this device is cheap enough that you can buy one for the couch or to use while you watch television. Due to the price of this machine, it's most likely to be compared to a low-end Windows machine (which are typically very slow) or a tablet, such as a Nexus 7.
If you want easy web access and don't care at all about typing, I'd suggest a tablet. A good quality tablet can (at the time of this review) be had for $199, including a high definition screen. But if typing and web access matters to you, I'd seriously consider this device.
When my old laptop conked off, I needed a laptop to use around the house. I also recently started commuting by train to work so wanted to buy a small, light laptop that I could take with me and check email or facebook or read the news, surf the web etc. on the train. I also wanted a real keyboard for the occasional work-related email, so the iPad was out. When this Chromebook got announced I was pretty excited since it really fit all my criteria - light, quick to boot and so on. I received it a couple of hours back and I have to admit its really nice.
I went from box to being fully setup (including my bookmarks and extensions) within a few minutes. This Chromebooks also comes with a lots of apps pre-loaded and I also got an offer for 100GBs of storage on Google Drive. Gmail and YouTube are also installed on the desktop so the sites I use the most are right there. Overall this machine feels quite fast. The interface is also quite clean and pretty especially the background images that come with the device.
I like how light the laptop feels and that it can easily fit into a small laptop bag that I take on my commute. I could potentially leave the power cord at home as well since it's supposed to last for several hours without needing a recharge - so even less stuff to carry. It's easy to take from room to room within the house as well. The other thing I noticed is how quiet this is - specially compared to my work desktop or my work laptop which I can hear from another room! This laptop feels very different from all the laptops I have used in the past - its almost like an iPad but with a keyboard so its more useful. I am amazed at the price - this feels a lot more expensive.
Overall based on the last couple of hours of usage I am happy that I bought it. This is exactly what I wanted.
Like the previous reviewer, I purchased this from the Google Play store for my wife. I got tired of her using my new iPad, so I figured this would be an inexpensive solution to the problem. Quite honestly, I wasn't expecting much, considering the ridiculously low price. I'm very impressed with the technology and simplicity that went into its design. This Google/Samsung Chromebook is really quite amazing. The first thing that you'll notice is that it's extremely lightweight and is very uncomplicated. This is something that my 87 year old mother-in-law would be able to use right out of the box. Since she's never used a computer before, that says a lot. Many of the everyday apps that you use on a daily basis, are preloaded into the device. It comes with things like YouTube, Gmail and other Google products, and there are literally thousands of free apps available. It starts up very quickly and according to Google, updates are installed automatically. I've found all applications to run smoothly and quickly. The fact that it comes with a regular keyboard is a tremendous plus and the touch-pad works flawlessly. While the screen isn't the most impressive that I've ever seen, it is certainly more than adequate. I will continue to use my iPad, but now that I also have this, my wife will have her own travel size computer to use. All in all, this device offers far more than I expected. I didn't give it a great deal of thought when I purchased it, as it's not going to be used by me. Now, after running it through the paces, I'm really in awe that something as inexpensive as this could do so many things. While the iPad and this device are different animals, this Chromebook is more than capable of performing many of the things that my iPad is capable of doing. I don't think there's any way you can possibly go wrong purchasing this sleek looking device. I've purchased many products from Samsung in the past and have always been impressed with their quality and durability. Since this is a new computer, it's impossible to say if any problems will arise, but based on past experience, I have no doubt that this will be real workhorse and will last for years. At the price that it's being sold for, it's almost disposable when something newer comes along. The bottom line is that you'll be very impressed with this product, and you'll be in awe how they could have built so much into such an inexpensive computer. I give it 5 stars. My wife gives it 5 stars too, now that I finally let her use it.
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