Chromebook

[McBeck]

Im somewhat of a gadget geek and this price on the Samsung series 3 Chromebook was to good to pass up.

I was well aware that this is not a laptop, but a browser running on the hardware, so no android apps etc.

When I first heard of Chromebooks a while back I thought that the always online idea would not catch on.
Lots have happenend since then....

The appearnce first
It looks good and slim and the keyboard is great.
The screen is not top notch, but thats fine with me.

Usability
Its great to use! I use the Chrome browser on my other devices, so bookmarks, passwords etc are synched.
Theres a whole store with apps and extentions, but most are just links on to websites.
Can it be used offline? YES! Its a ongoing misunderstanding that you need to be online to work.
Gmail works offline. Google docs work offline. Theres even a whole section of the Chrome Web store with apps etc that works offline.
The bootime is 9 seconds until Im promted for password.

The focus is on lowcost, quick boot, easy access and nimble design.
The screen suffers, but thats not a big deal for me.
More and more services works on Chrome OS. Netflix and Spotify are the newest additions, but Skype is still missing. Maybe it will come as part of the new design of the Outlook, Live, Hotmail interface.

I love that I can play music on it using Spotify and be browsing...if I close the lid, the music stops. WHen I open it again it starts again. Thats SDD is really a good choice!

[McBeck]

Oh and why didnt I just get a keyboard for my tablet?
Because the screen is too small and I can have this thing sitting in my lab when Im sitting in the couch...