My friends know about the CR-48, otherwise known as the "Google Laptop." The question I get most often is "How did you get it?" My answer to that, is... I don't know, I don't know how Google evaluates who deserves such a cool and probably expensive (at least in my mind) piece of hardware. I applied and got a laptop. Right now, I noticed a curiosity toward the device among my friends, they ask, "...what is it? What is it like?" It's a piece of hardware dedicated to a browser.
It's a great appliance for doing the web stuff that I need to do. I even hooked up the CR-48 to the TV and it worked just fine. Flash may have been a bit choppy, but it was tolerable because the tv was so large.
It was decent enough. A curiosity of a thing. The allure of something free. I don't know if they are truly interested in the product, in the Chrome OS, or what it does. I think it's a curiosity to them because the concept of a browser as an operating system is just strange.
I noticed something about my online habits after using the CR-48 for a few days. That is, in all of Chrome OS' splendor and wonderment, there's nothing magical about it. It's practical, straight to the point, and just works. I found myself turning on the computer to check my email, rss subscriptions, write a blog, watch some television programs online, or even just check a social network. I was on, and off the device moments after my task was done.
I'm not distracted by the interface as I'm viewing one webpage at a time. (Although, I would love to be able to reference two pages synchronously on the same screen at times.) I can see myself using a product like this more regularly, moreover when html5's data caching, having apps locally, even when there isn't a data connection would be ideal. Mostly, for situations when all is needed would be a word processor, I would sometimes want to just disconnect.
This is a quick screenshot of the other laptop's chrome preferences synchronized to Chrome OS.
Maybe I'm just vaguely reminiscing the time I used to spend with the workhorse laptop of my work life. I believe that we all have some form of emotional response to the objects we interact with everyday. We associate certain companies with frustration and maybe even anger. I think about, Microsoft, in my honest opinion, this company has done an amazing job in improving their user experience. Products that come to mind are the Xbox, Zune, and Windows 7. Personally, I really enjoy each of those products. I've used each of these products and I just have had such great experience. It's been so good, the only bitter taste left in the mouth of my mind is IE6. With Chrome OS, I feel that I can use this and get off and on the internet. My experience has been great. So good, it's sometimes easy to forget the bugs.
It's a little slower (than the other laptop) at times to render pages
Flash player isn't so smooth at higher/larger frames
... and maybe a few other bugs. I just really hope that services like Evernote, Google Docs, Blogger, Google Reader, and Google Calendar worked offline. Overall, four days later, I'm satisfied with my user experience thus far, keeping in mind, that I'm using it as a regular user might, not as a developer.
Tell me, what do you think about having a piece of hardware dedicated for a browser? (I know that this last notion is a crude underestimation of what Google is trying to do with the Chrome OS, but humor me.) How would you build a netbook?
So on my second day with the Chrome OS, I've been missing a few features from a regular desktop configuration, like being able to see the wallpaper; although there are themes, I really like being able to see, some form of personal area. It would make the browser feel more like "home."So far, from the past two days, I've been blogging from the CR-48 and the keyboard is great! I think it would be a great benefit for usability to add have a back lit keyboard. I had some issues trying to type in the back of my friend's car.
I love the fact that I was able to blog, check traffic on Google maps, see Facebook, and check my email. I mean these are things I can do from my phone but the experience is very different. I had a fully immersive web experience from my friend's car. I haven't used the available free 100mb (bandwidth) from Verizon yet. I was just tethering from my Google Nexus One.
So, right now, you're reading a post from the CR-48 typed out in the freezing Ice Palace Ice in Yorba Linda. This is an ice skating rink...
My fingers are freezing... I can really barely type. But just to test how portable and practical this thing is, I brought it. To watch my friends play ice broom ball. Oh, and that photo was taken, pre-game... while people were still playing hockey.
I was able to download the photo through my Gmail account, and then upload it using Flickr's Flash based file uploader. To my surprise, I saw this:
Which is obviously a Linux based file browser ui. So there's definitely a file browser! With this, I should be able to do many other tasks later on... maybe even changing out my login photo... hmm... Anyway, here's some video footage of the game:
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.
I feel like I've got a golden ticket, and somehow I'm magically transported into the wonderful world of Google. As I was leaving home for work, a delivery man comes up to my car window and startles me. He says, "I have a package for you." Which I realize is very similar to what the delivery man in Back to the Future, and I felt something like Marty. I didn't order anything online, nor did I order anything from Amazon... then I thought to myself, "could this be possible?" So I partially opened the box right there, lo and behold...
The Google CR-48, in my hands. I partially opened the box in the car I couldn't contain my excitement as I drove quickly to work to complete the unboxing.
So, I'll be in the pilot program for Google, I'll double check to find out about any NDA before I start posting about the netbook here.
Flickr Free is a free open-source Flickr client for Android devices. The app's icon seemed lacking to me. I didn't feel like it fully express what the app was capable of. I couldn't help but be inspired to re-design the icon, moreover, actually have this application on one of my phone's home screen. So I did it, I re-designed the icon based on Android Icon Design Guidelines and rendered different sizes of it for varying screen densities. Since October 25th, it's been commited in the product.
Special thanks to rstewart the man behind Flickr Free for considering and implementing the icon design. Phone displayed is the Google Nexus One by HTC running Android 2.2.1. For more information visit the Flickr Free home page.
A long time ago, my friends and I went up the mountain to just hang out. The air was crisp with the fragrance of the pine trees that surrounded us, the sky was partly cloudy and there was a gentle breeze. We spent some time up there and drove down to get some donuts.
I love impromptu portraits, I love the sincerity of who people are as they look at the camera, unprepared for it.
I took this picture last year during my church's fall retreat. I could just remember the way the light cascaded through the leaves.
Fall has always been a beautiful experience for me. I can truly see and attribute such beauty to God. I could never capture the pure color of what I had seen that day, while processing the photos, I could imagine myself leaning and editing toward a bias of my ideals and how I perceived that day.
There's so many things I want to do with these projects, but I know if I spread myself out too much in these thoughts and ideas, I may not be able to continue doing these projects. So I'll be praying and tackling the many things I want to do, one at a time.
I know most of the projects that I've posted so far are that of photography. This is because photography is currently the only area I have organized enough to be able to display here. I'm still in the process of compiling illustrations, and designs from years past to show here.
Here's a fine list of things I want to add to my projects:
UI
Liferay Design Rational
Site Design Iteration
Design Commentary
Illustration
Old Illustrations
New Illustrations
Icons
Promotional
Self Promotional
Client Promotional
Art
Paintings
Drawings
Crafts
Photography
Engagement Photos
Portrait Photos
Events
So, these are the kinds of projects I want to share and develop throughout the year, to foster and grow my skills and serve people. Thanks to those who've visited the website the past few days it's been open. I'm working on better designs and creating a workflow and plans to further develop this site.
Please feel free to ask me any questions here on this post or by emailing me at (my name)@aarondelani.com
These are a few photos from a photoshoot I did for my good friend Byron Tomes. He was in need of photos for his senior recital and so, he asked me if I would be willing to take photos of him. Long story short, we hung out with Lauren, and took a bunch of photos. I did some post production work with the shots, and Lauren did some final typography.
This was my first photoshoot and I'm really glad I did it with a friend.
The final product was posters and postcards... this project was really all about Byron. He's such an amazing guitarist.
The final composition... see it with the typography at Lauren's Blog
I want to start things off with one of the first photos I've ever taken with a 35mm film camera. My first camera was a Canon Canonet QL17 I purchased from a 1hr photo place in Fullerton for around $40. You're probably wondering... "$40, for that?!" Well... at the time (2007), I didn't quite know what I was getting into with photography. I thought of it as a hobby I could just pick up, and my rational for getting this $40 grandapa for a camera was that I wanted to learn how to shoot carefully and learn photography with a more unforgiving device. At the time, to heed myself from spending too much money, I swore off anything digital, and I decided to purely shoot with film. This continued on for another year and a half before I bought my first digital SLR, which I still own and use today. This post is a bit sentimental (as I'm imagining, many of the future post might be this way).
Subject is Alain, my brother. He's in his old room playing a video game. I remember a time when my brother and I would just sit and he would play games as I acted as a spectator player... I would watch him play his games and cheer him on and suggest how to play the games. I'm really glad he was so patient with me. I always remembered that those times were fun, moreover in the conversations I had with him at those times.
Well, as it turns out, photography became something I wasn't just interested in, it was something I breathed. As I was playing around and experimenting with my aperture and shutterspeed, I began to understand what those things meant. I'm really glad that I was priveledged enough to have such an amazing experience with that camera.
Welcome to the "Projects," the projects are anything I'm working on, ouside of work... so art, photography, and design (and maybe a few other things I can't think about right now) may fall into this category. In this site, I'll be posting a bunch of them.
Why the Projects? Well, having projects is fun and I've always learned much through them. Even in work, or in play, they give me an opportunity to be creative. Moreover, they also give me an amazing opportunity to serve people with the gifts that God has graciously given to me. I want to be a better steward of these skills, and I hope that this part of the site could be a part of it.
There are many people involved in this blog... I mean, whether they know it or not, they've been an integral part of inspiration and support for me in the creation of this. I'd love to mention someone in particular, she's been with me, encouraging me from the start to pursue this. Emily Winter, you're such an amazing person in my life, you've inspired me in my vocation and talents so much, I appreciate every part of you. My friends, who have encouraged me over the years, thank you.
Here's to God's gift, and all the aforementioned, thanks for being a part of this.
p.s. {Please bear with me as this site may shift around as I'm continuing to code and design this site. I hope you enjoy this site as much as I enjoyed making it.}