Posted: February 23rd, 2013 | Author: Patrick Thornton | Filed under: Long-term reviews | Tags: Chromebooks, ChromeOS, Cr-48, Google | 2 Comments »
This is a free beta machine that is two years old that you can’t buy.
So why am I reviewing it? I want to talk about how well this Chromebook has aged and whether or not it has delivered on Google’s promises to get continually better through free automatic updates to ChromeOS, the operating system that powers Chromebooks.
The Cr-48 is still the device it was when I first received it. It’s slow, can’t play HD video, the trackpad isn’t very good and it’s a plain black box. The first thing you need to know about the Cr-48 and ChromeOS is that I’m still using this device two years later. It still has a place in my life, and it is getting better and more usable with each passing OS update.
Most devices get slower over time. Google has delivered on its promise to make ChromeOS faster, more stable, usable and feature rich over time. It’s a better device in 2013 than it was when I received it in late 2010.
It has limitations, and those limitations have to be lived within. And the primary limitations are within the OS itself — ChromeOS — that only runs websites and Web apps.
Modern Chromebooks are faster, can handle more Web pages at once and can do video much better, addressing many of the issues that arose with the Cr-48. Some really fancy Web pages can be a lot for the Cr-48. But it does some things really well.
Even computers that boot up lightning fast when you first buy them get slow after a few years. This device still boots up in about 10 seconds. I can boot up the Chromebook, login and be ready to use the machine faster than I can get my Core i3 Windows 7 machine to get to the login screen.
The trackpad, which was atrocious at first, has improved, although it is still wonky and nowhere near MacBook Pro quality. Two-finger scrolling in particular is still an issue and at times is virtually unusable. I hope Google has learned to make better trackpads for its premium Chromebook Pixel offering. I would not pay more than $1,000 for a laptop that didn’t have a great trackpad, and virtually everything but MacBooks have terrible trackpads.
But the keyboard is really good, and I love the soft feel of the keys and the quietness of the whole thing. It is one of the best laptop keyboards that I have ever used.
The Cr-48 in many ways is a writers dream. By design, and because of its underpowered hardware, it’s difficult to get distracted on on this machine. This device simply won’t allow you to get distracted with too many apps at once. You’ll find yourself operating in one window with very few other websites running.
This machine doesn’t allow you to go crazy with multiple windows, monitors, widgets and blinking this and thats all over the place. For a lot of computing tasks and jobs today, you need those multiple windows and monitors and this and that. But for writing, being able to focus on a single screen and app is really important.
The only thing that keeps ChromeOS from being a complete dream for writers is that there aren’t any great cloud-based writing apps along the lines of Byword or Scrivener. I’m writing this in Google Docs, and while it is great for collaboration and as a cloud replacement for much of what Word does, it’s not an incredible environment for putting words down like Byword and some of the other modern OS X writing apps are. Byword is just such a beautiful writing environment, and when combined with a Das Keyboard or another great writing machine, writing becomes addictive.
I’m writing this review in Google Docs offline mode. Yes, Google Docs works just fine offline for the most part, especially for writing. And yes, you are quite limited in offline mode with this device, but it’s not a paper weight without the Internet. If you need to work on a document or a presentation or do some reading that you loaded up this device will be fine without an Internet connection.
If you’re a writer, this machine can work for you. You’ll be able to do research, write and publish to the Web. The biggest downsides to this machine and OS are that there are limited writing options available and the best writing environments are offline apps for OS X. Certain writing fields require specific apps and none of those are available in the cloud.
Save those wrists
ChromeOS has become the best consumer laptop OS for saving people’s wrists. Heavy reliance on mice and trackpads can cause RSI. ChromeOS lets you switch between tabs (essentially apps in this OS) by using the keyboard. ChromeOS also lets you launch apps, bookmarks and search the Internet by clicking the search key. Tap one button and you can launch just about anything that ChromeOS can do.
This is efficient, fast and helps save my wrists. I’m a big fan of how this works. This was not originally how this key worked, however, and it shows how ChromeOS is improving — for free — as an OS for Chromebook owners.
Originally the search key was a way to search the Internet, but along the way Google released that people do a lot more with their computers than search. Sometimes we know what we want, we just want to be able to quickly launch it. This functions very similar to Alfred on OS X, but Alfred is a utility that most OS X users don’t know about, and it requires multiple keys to launch.
I cannot think of another graphic user interface-based OS that is built with the ability to be used this well without a mouse or trackpad. There are certainly pluses to pointing devices, but many people overuse these devices and don’t use the keyboard nearly enough, creating aches and pains in their arms, wrists and hands.
My only major complaint with how ChromeOS functions in this regard is that it can’t search through my documents like Alfred and other OS X utilities can. On OS X, I can search for episode 60 to find our show notes for our 60th episode but can’t do that with ChromeOS, despite being logged into Google Docs. I should be able to tap the search key and at least be able to search through my Google Docs files; instead I have to tap the search key, launch Google Docs, click in the search bar in Google Docs and then search for what I’m looking for.
ChromeOS needs the ability to tie in Google Docs and other web apps to its search capabilities. Being able to search through your files is a pretty common paradigm, but ChromeOS makes you search through each individual Web app separately, which can be a massive time suck and usability nightmare if you don’t know which Web app your file is in. If you use several different Web apps for writing and note taking — Google Docs, Simplenote, Evernote, etc. — good look finding that file you need in a reasonable amount of time.
So, I love the fact that I can launch Web apps, bookmarks and Google searches by clicking one button, but I don’t like the fact that I can’t use this — or anything — to search my files. OS X with its built in Spotlight search functionality and several utilities such as Alfred is lightyears beyond this in terms of being able to search your files, which is ironic since Google is the king of search.
Living in Google’s world
Want to get the most out of ChromeOS and a Chromebook? Make heavy use of Google Docs, Gmail and other Google services. If your email isn’t with Gmail and you don’t really like Google Docs, I don’t see this as making a lot of sense for you. ChromeOS is built for Google users, and Google users will be in for a treat.
Your Google password unlocks a Chromebook and signs you into all Google services. It’s pretty glorious. But you don’t use those services, you don’t get those benefits and will spend time signing into other services constantly, and won’t have the pleasure of having these services stored as “apps” in the bar at the bottom of the OS.
Web apps available through the Chrome store can be stored like Windows apps in the bottom taskbar. If a Web app isn’t in that store, it can’t be stored there, giving you less ways to launch apps and switch between them.
ChromeOS is fine for Web surfers and email users, and I suppose you could justify getting a Chromebook for those tasks even if you don’t use Google, but ChromeOS is really made for people who like Google services.
What can’t ChromeOS do well?
ChromeOS is a good OS for a lot of tasks and users, but there are certain tasks it really struggles with, namely creative arts tasks. There isn’t an online image editing and graphic design program that can touch Photoshop or even all of those $15-50 OS X apps that are built for users who don’t use Photoshop (I use $14.99 Pixelmator most of the time for graphic work and Adobe Lightroom for photo editing and storage). If you need to do design work, ChromeOS cannot be your main machine.
Video editing, audio editing and similar tasks are out. And we’re talking about low-end editing here. Forget high-end editing of documentaries, TV shows and feature films. People do, however, use ChromeOS for development, particularly over SSH.
For programmers who don’t do a lot of design work, ChromeOS can work well, but it does require a server to connect to, which adds to development costs. Developing on ChromeOS is like developing on a terminal connected to a mainframe. If you can do that kind of programming, ChromeOS may be a really cheap development box for you.
I do a lot of design, user interface and user experience work. I need graphic design and prototyping programs. I can’t do my programming work on ChromeOS (I mostly use my MacBook Pro for that), but many developers are able to.
Verdict
ChromeOS is really built for people who their lives in the cloud, and this mostly means writing, reading, email, calendaring, project management, surfing the Web and connecting to servers. If that’s your life, ChromeOS is a pretty good option.
Actually, probably a really good option. A good Chromebook can be had for $249. We’re talking about a secure and stable machine that is constantly improving. You can’t get a Windows or OS X laptop for that price.
Price always enters in the conversation with Chromebooks. If you can afford it, a MacBook Pro running Chrome is a much better option, if you need the power. That machine runs Chrome just fine, which is essentially what ChromeOS is. It can also run lots of apps, games, utilities and even other OSes.
But if you want to not spend a lot of money on a computer or don’t need a powerful computer, ChromeOS is probably the best low-cost OS available. Cheap Windows laptops usually feel cheap and work cheaply. People go through them like they are disposable, and I rarely see them last more than a few years.
Two years later, and I still find myself using this Chromebook, which is much worse than most of the other Chromebooks released. It is improving all the time and has become more usable. A lot of cheap laptops are almost unusable after 2-3 years.
My experience with ChromeOS and a Chromebook is that you may get five years of good service out of a $250 machine. Maybe more.
For students, children, older adults, companies and people looking for a secondary machine, this is a really good deal. For $50 a year (if you look at the cost of the ChromeBook over its lifetime), you can get a machine that surfs the Web well, does email, can watch online video (Netflix and other services work as well) and is more stable and secure than most operating systems.
If I’m Google and its partners, I’d think about leasing these machines out. Google already does this in the education and business markets, but I could see a market for families looking to get a computing device for $50 a year. When the lease is up, families would re-up and get a new machine, all the while ChromeOS updates make their leased machines more usable and powerful.
If you’re not a power user and you spend your days in a Web browser, ChromeOS might just be the laptop operating system for you. But before you buy, you should look at the apps and services you are currently using and make sure they work on ChromeOS. Skype doesn’t work on ChromeOS, and that’s a deal breaker for a lot of people.
ChromeOS isn’t Windows or OS X. It’s a thin client that connects to the world’s biggest server — The Internet. It’s the cheapest, most secure, most stable way of connecting to that server. For many of you, that’s all you’ll need in a computer. For others, that’s all you’ll need in a secondary computer.
The Cr-48 isn’t a great computing device by any stretch of the imagination and it has thankfully been surpassed by its successors, but it serves a purpose in my life. And I think ChromeOS could serve a purpose in many of your lives.
Posted: July 20th, 2012 | Author: Patrick Thornton | Filed under: Main | Tags: Android, email, Gmail, Google, iOS, iPhone, Mac, Sparrow | No Comments »
Goodbye Sparrow.
Sparrow was, and still is, the best email app I have ever used. It’s user interface is clean, simple and very intuitive. It makes email faster and me enjoyable.
It’s everything that you could want in a desktop or mobile email app. Sadly, Sparrow was just acquired by Google. This was more of a acqui-hire than a real acquisition.
Google just wants the talented Sparrow team; it doesn’t really want the wonderful iPhone and Mac App that the company has created. Google has never really cared that much about putting out really strong products on anything other than Android.
I have some hope for this acquisition. The Sparrow team has clearly been thinking hard about how to make email more efficient, particularly on mobile platforms. The knowledge and design that went into Sparrow could be brought over to Gmail.com and mobile Gmail clients.
The best case scenario is that Sparrow gets renamed Gmail and that the Sparrow experience gets brought to more platforms. Worst case scenario would be Google just using the new team to help make Gmail.com better, while continuing to ignore native desktop and mobile experiences, particularly on iOS.
Google has put more thought and care into the Android Gmail experience than the iOS one and doesn’t have an app on any other mobile platform. I’d hate for them to acquire the best iOS Gmail client and then just kill it and go back to delivering a sub-par Gmail experience for iOS users.
Sparrow will still be available and minor updates will continue to roll out. But don’t expect new features for Sparrow clients, and that long-anticipated iPad client will never see the light of day. The Verge reports that this acquisition was largely about making the Gmail experience better and more attractive for everyone:
Our sources also noted that Google isn’t ruling out native Gmail clients for platforms beyond iOS and Android, and emphasized that Google wants to bring polish, “beauty,” and ease of use to all of its Gmail experiences across platforms (a suggestion that a native client for Mac and PC might be in the offing). Sparrow, apparently, is a way to get there.
I’m all for that. I’ve been a Gmail user for seven years, and while the underlying service and engineering keep getting better, the user interface has stagnated and is too keyboard focused. Sparrow for iOS really brought a big touch focus and had a lot of great gestures and UI flourishes that made tearing through email really fast.
Every Gmail experience from the website to native apps could benefit from the work that Sparrow has done. The Gmail team’s engineering work combined with the Sparrow team’s UI/UX work could be a beautiful thing. It’s an incredible marriage of tech and art.
I hope, however, this doesn’t mean the end of high quality native Gmail experiences. While gmail.com does provide a good email solution that works across platforms (and that is better than Outlook, Apple’s Mail app and Thunderbird), it’s not nearly as good as a really forward thinking native app like Sparrow.
Sparrow came about because Google neglected the desktop experience and the iOS experience. I hope they don’t take this new talent and continue down that path. Google needs to take native app experiences more seriously.
The Web is great, but it’s not the end all, be all, especially something like mobile email. Sparrow’s legacy deserves more than just the Web. Sparrow should be about making gmail.com better and making more and better native apps.
Sparrow, you will be missed. Hopefully this will not have all been in vain.
Posted: October 31st, 2011 | Author: Patrick Thornton | Filed under: Main | Tags: Android, Apple, Galaxy Nexus, Google, iPhone, iPhone 3GS, Nexus S | No Comments »
So Android has great market share, but much of that market share was achieved by selling low-cost, second- and third-rate Android experiences.
These bad experiences have consquenties, however. Android handset markers consistently receive much lower scores on consumer satisfaction surveys than Apple does with the iPhone, the profit-share leader in the mobile handset market. While it is hard to tease out the data fully, I suspect much of this is due to non-top-tier Android phones.
I’ve already seen several family members and friends switch from Android to the iPhone and others will be doing so when their current contracts are up. None of these people owned top-tier Android phones, like the Nexus S or the forthcoming Galaxy Nexus (consider this a hint as to which Android phones I would go with). What many people received was a really poor experience that turned them off from the platform. These people are itching to switch to a better experience, and are often not willing to consider another Android phone, even if that Android phone could provide them with the experience they desire.
I have to wonder what the long-term effect of these low cost, low quality phones will be on the perception of Android in the minds of consumers. Is Google gaining marketshare today at the expense of market share and profits tomorrow?
Apple has finally gotten into the low-cost smartphone game with the free-with-contract iPhone 3GS. The 3Gs may be more than two years old, but it’s still a good smartphone and not a third-rate phone like many of the cheap or free Android phones. AT&T has already said that they are seeing very strong demand for the new 3GS, and I expect this new price point to cut into Android sales.
Eventually Apple will have to sell a pre-paid iPhone to be able to compete with Android in emerging markets. That day will come in a few years, but for now Android will continue to gain more marketshare by selling more phones at lower prices points. But more phone sales now won’t necessarily translate to more phone sales tomorrow.
I do not believe the mobile market will play out like the the desktop PC one did. No one will truly own the market. Thus, I don’t put that much stock in strong market share today if that market share is coming from selling products that users are unhappy with.
Netbook sales were once the darling of the PC industry, but these devices were largely poor user experiences. The delight that users felt by the low price point of netbooks was quickly soured by the poor user experience. It’s not a surprise that the netbook market is cratering after Apple released the iPad, because the iPad is a much better user experience at these lower price points.
Does Google really want its good phones to be tainted by phones that aren’t anywhere near the quality that an Android phone can be? I recognize that the open source nature of Android can lead to these issues, but the satisfaction rate of Android users isn’t near the level of iPhone users.
While 89 percent of iPhone users said they were likely to buy another iPhone, only 39 percent said the same of HTC, one of the major makers of Android phones. And HTC was second in the rankings to Apple.
The people that I know who really like there Android phones almost universally got one of the top-tier Android devices that cost $199, $299 or more with a two-year contract. These phones are real iPhone competitors. Those who purchased Android phones because they were cheap or free are considerably less happy with their purchases.
When it comes to free-with-contract phones, the iPhone 3GS is probably the best of the bunch. It’s not as fast as the latest iPhone and doesn’t have as good of a camera, Siri and some other features, but it does many things quite well. It runs the latest version of iOS, provides a good experience, runs a lot of apps and in general is a great phone for first-time smartphone buyers.
An entry-level smartphone should provide a good, user-friendly user interface and a good email, Web browsing and text messaging experience, complete with a good third-party ecosystem. The bells and whistles beyond that — high resolution displays, video conferencing, fast CPUs/GPUs for games, high-end cameras, digital assistants, LTE, etc. — don’t need to be there for entry-level users. But the basics do.
Maybe Google needs to make a spec for lower-end phones that focuses on the basics. Maybe it will be a less open experience (from the user’s point of view). Maybe it will be tighter controlled and have less functionality.
The people who buy cheap or free smartphones don’t care about “open” or power user features. That’s for the geeks who buy the latest and greatest. If Google doesn’t find a way to solve this entry-level issue, I fear they may find themselves receiving more bad results from user surveys, and ultimately lost users, particularly at the high, profitable end.
Many entry-level users will one day become buyers of top-of-the-line smartphones. If their experience with Android is a cut-rate experience, they won’t be looking to Android when they upgrade.
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