Day 1 With the Google Chrome Notebook CR-48

Today has been interesting, I haven't been able to really play around with the notebook. Like using it, over and over and over and over again. Checking mail, doing my daily web browsing routine; social web browsing, just using it for what it is... in it's purest form... a "netbook."

Thoughts on Hardware

My initial impression of the product is a good piece of hardware, not branded, well made, good keyboard and texture, bright screen, adequate keyboard controls, and intuitive hardware interface. Overall, for something to run tests on to test this operating system, the CR-48 is a great baseline piece of hardware. In my opinion, there's something about the simplicity of an object that makes me appreciate the beauty of an object even more. To me this piece of hardware isn't anything impressive, but it's simply something beautiful. It just works. I really do think that whoever worked on the hardware, with the design decisions that they took, and the intentionality of each part, it's been a pleasure working with this hardware.

My Initial Impressions on Hardware Quirks

• Single USB Port (Two Ports is good, one port is minimal... although, no ports would not be good)
• VGA Port for external display(It's adequate, but DVI is also nice)
• Touch Pad is strange, does not seem stable.

For what the hardware is worth, it's a well designed machine.

Thoughts on Chrome OS

I had to change a few habits that I've formed with other operating systems. The fact of the matter is, when you boot this thing up and log in, it brings you straight to the browser. It brings you straight to the web. It's a pleasantly surprising experience to have something do really good at what it's supposed to be doing. It's supposed to bring me to the web, and it does it, in very good style.

The interesting thing is that every piece of the Chrome OS seems thought through well enough to just work. It's as if I'm reading a book, and all the characters in it just make sense. My hopes are that this furthers the development of the web as a repository for applications. I believe that browsers have the capability of being able to also house offline applications. I find that that's the case with Google Calendar, although requiring Google Gears (which Google has discontinued development of), you're able to download large chunks of your server generated data, to view, edit and later synchronize.

Initial Impressions of OS Quirks

• It seems like certain things are hidden, maybe, a little too well. For example, I didn't know that I could create a new window (CTRL + N) and have a whole new batch of tabs to deal with. That's when I found out what ALT + TAB was for.
• Ability to Upload Files, maybe I just don't know how to do this yet.
• Ability to change login picture
• I guess, I would love a file manager

I sincerely love the Chrome OS, I believe that there is a market for this. It hit's the market who just want's to get online... and get online in the most efficient way possible. I think it would make sense that Google would be good at the web.

My Initial Thoughts About The Cloud

Google made an interesting video about one of the benefits of having data on the cloud:

Now, there's this thing about trust... can we trust the cloud? Most of the people I know have their email on a third party server. I think that there should be a clear distinction of what kind of data you'd want online.

Netbooks, in my opinion, aren't made to be a repository for pictures or memories, or notes, or any sensitive information. Netbooks are to the internet as motorcycles are to the road. Both take you in the same place, the motorcycle is just faster.