Google recently opened the Pilot Program for the Cr-48 Chrome OS Notebook. What is new? Instant on, always connected to the web, and no hassles. This could change the way we use computers. Everything runs in the Chrome browser. The user never sees or touches an Operating System, never worries about applications, viruses, malware, security, patches, etc.
If you spend most of your time accessing information, web sites, and apps through a browser, this laptop is for you. If you do a lot of shopping on the web, watch videos on YouTube, use Gmail, have a Facebook and Twitter browser tab open all the time, this laptop is for you. If you like to do video chat on Gmail this laptop has a built in video camera.
Instant On - Are you tired of waiting forever for your PC to start? Do you turn it on and then go get a cup of coffee? Not with Chrome OS, it is instant on. In less than 10 seconds you are up and running. And when you close the laptop and come back...it is even faster, about 1 second. By the time you open the lid all the way up it is already running. Amazing! Thanks to Puneet Kumar, my long time friend, and the engineer who worked on these features.
Always Connected - In the past the knock against network computing or cloud based applications always was that they didn't work when you weren't in the office connected to the Internet. Not anymore. The Chrome OS Notebook works anywhere your Verizon cell phone works...and that means anywhere, anytime. The laptop comes with built in WiFi and 3G wireless so you can connect to your wireless router at home, or anywhere to an available WiFi hotspot. Or, if no free WiFi is available, you can connect via Verizon Wireless for fast reliable 3G service. Google is working with Verizon Wireless to offer 100 MB of free data every month for two years on the upcoming devices. There are also data plans available for 1GB, 3GB, 5GB, and more.
No Hassles - With PCs you need to be your own System Administrator and Tech Support person. Many users find that confusing and frustrating. If you don't want to hassle with managing an operating system, keeping applications up to date, managing your hard disk, daily backups, system crashes, virus protection, malware, memory allocations, etc...this laptop is for you. Google takes care of everything for you. That is the beauty of cloud computing. All the applications and data is stored on Google servers, and is managed by the best technical staff in the world.
Isn't this an old idea? - Network Computing has been a goal for a very long time. Sun Microsystems tag line was "The Network is the Computer", and coincidently, Eric Schmidt was their CTO. Larry Ellison of Oracle started the Network Computer or "NC" movement back in 1996. I was at Digital Equipment Corp's System Research Center (SRC) back in '96 working with Mark Hayter, Puneet Kumar, and others on a StrongArm based NC. In a twist of fate, those same people are now at Google working on the Chrome OS project.
Why will it work this time? - Three reasons. First, broadband and wireless connections are fast, reliable, and available anywhere. Second, the web has matured. You can find anything you need on the web, and do anything on the web that used to require a PC. Email, documents, spreadsheets, video, pictures, shopping, banking, even phone calls, can now be done on the web through a simple browser. Third, PCs have become unbearably complex, unreliable, and dangerous a hassle from a security point of view.
The 80% Solution? - This isn't for everyone. There are some PC power users who will always need powerful, complex, desktop spreadsheets, or writers who will always need advanced desktop publishing software, or software developers who need an IDE and desktop tools. But for a very large segment of the market, maybe as much as 80%, going "all in" on the web is an idea whose time has come.
It has been a little over a year since leaving Microsoft and joining Google. In that year I have not once used a desktop application on my Macbook Pro. I am living on the web, totally through the Chrome web browser. Gmail for email, and Google Docs for spreadsheets, word processing, and presentations. I even use the Gmail Chat for IM, Video Chat for video conferencing, and Call Phone to make phone calls through my laptop. Of course my Android cell phone is used for most calls. I use Picasa and Flickr for photos, Facebook, Buzz, and Twitter for social stuff.
I wanted to see what it would be like living totally on the web with no client desktop software. It has been totally fine. This month I am completing the move by giving up my Macbook Pro and using the Chrome OS Cr-48 Notebook. Nothing but the Web!
Subscribe - To get an automatic feed of all future posts subscribe here, or to receive them via email go here and enter your email address in the box in the right column. You can also follow me on Twitter @dondodge
