But the folks at Google gave it [...]]]> Until about 2 weeks ago, Chrome OS was basically the Chrome web browser you know and love as your only program. You booted the computer, and it opened a Chrome window. There were no other screens. Your “desktop” was a Chrome window showing the plugins you had installed.

But the folks at Google gave it a serious facelift. It didn’t get a lot coverage, except on Google+ (go figure.) Dubbed  ”Aura,” it gives a more traditional feel to the Chromebook UI. Unfortunately for me, I have one of the original beta units, a CR-48. Aura is only running on the Acer and Samsung Chromebooks at this time. But it sure looks pretty:

On a only slightly related note, I finally integrated my domain mail (paul@pauiliswired.com, etc.) to Google Apps. It’s so much more user friendly and gives me access to my email through the Gmail interface, Google Docs, Calendar, yada, yada. I thought it was interesting that during the setup at Google Docs, it not-so-subtly tried to sell me a Chromebook. I’m moving much of  my domain management from BlueHost to Google, right? Might as well do it on a Chromebook!

I <3 you, but we need to talk…

I spent the majority of 2011 working for you, big G, and I became intimately (carnal?) familiar with Chrome OS, and all other things Google. At any given time, I had four Chromebooks at arm’s reach (both CR-48s and the Samsung consumer models), three Android [...]]]> Dear Google:

I <3 you, but we need to talk…

I spent the majority of 2011 working for you, big G, and I became intimately (carnal?) familiar with Chrome OS, and all other things Google. At any given time, I had four Chromebooks at arm’s reach (both CR-48s and the Samsung consumer models), three Android tablets, and a variety of Android phones. Google was my other Girlfriend. Seriously, ask my real GF.

It would not be off-mark to call me a Chrome/Android power user. I could give reviews of all these toys, (Nexus S, Boo!, Motorola Atrix, Yay!) but that’s for other posts.

But I have a confession. The reality is that I prefer Apple hardware. Trifecta refers to the fact that with my recent laptop purchase, I’ve gone all Apple: MacBook Pro, iPad2, iPhone.

I’m still a power user of Chrome Browser, and the Google apps for iOS. I can’t live without ‘em. I love that Chrome syncs between computers. I consume news, Google offers, Google+ through the incredible iOS apps on an hourly basis. I love that the pics I take on my iProducts are automatically uploaded to Google+ (privately, of course) so that I’ll never loose another photo. But the Android phones were pitiful on battery life, and Chrome OS machines are just too slow for now. There’s hope for them, but as a “wired” person, I need my speed and endurance.

Chromebook, we can still hang out. I’m so fond of your ninja matte black inconspicuous bearing. You’re actually ideal for house guests if they want an interwebz machine. A virus free, instant-on companion.

Google, I less-than-three your Docs, Apps, Gmail, Gchat, Hangout Google+, Wallet, Offers, A Google A Day, Doodles… and oh yeah, that search engine thingy!

But for now, Apple will fills the physical void. Maybe we can continue to discuss technology, especially Google services over coffee or lunch, OK?

Love,
Pablo

Living solely in the cloud has been mostly manageable so far, but I’ve come across an issue that I always suspected  would be a roadblock. [...]]]> I know you missed me. I’ve been away from home for the last 5 days or so, with my Chromebook as my sole computer.  That is, if you don’t count the iPhone.

Living solely in the cloud has been mostly manageable so far, but I’ve come across an issue that I always suspected  would be a roadblock.  Managing documents and attaching them to emails is not as easy as it seems.  I’ve been mostly freelance tech/web guy (with spurts of unemployed slacker) for the last year or so.  This means I’m constanlty editing and sending off Résumés to prospective employers.

Without USB thumbdrive compatability, I’m at the whim of the cloud to store, edit, and attach my Résumés, and it’s kinda dificult.

Generally, I work in the following manner:

1. Read Job description
2. Edit resume (if needed) with Open Office and save as .pdf
3. Open new Gmail message, insert canned response (Cover letter). Edit as needed.
4. Attach Résumé, send off into the electronic frontier.

Without the option of Open Office, I’m pretty much limted to Google Docs.

Fine. I like Google Docs.

But now edited, my Résumé needs to be attached. Why can’t I attach from the open Gmail session from my Google Docs like it was a local file?  No go.

I can go under “Share” in the Google Doc and “send as attachment,”  but this opens a new Gmail session without access to my canned responses, and allows no formatting.  It’s the equivalent of a fax cover page. (From, To, RE, Message)

There’s very limited local file access per say in the Chrome OS.  It’s only accessible from the browser when you want to attach something.  There’s no way to plug a USB or SD card and upload to the Chromebook’s local hard drive.  It would need to be uploaded into the cloud first so it could be downloaded to the local HD.  So I found an old Résumé in a sent email, downloaded to the Chromebook, uploaded to Google Docs, Edited it, and then downloaded again to the Chromebook, and then attached to the email. I would have to do this every time I send a new Résumé off.  No thanks.

There is a Google Labs widget you can plugin into Gmail to have recently edited files show up in a side bar.  Once there, you can Drag the file into the open Gmail session, and it creates a link to share the Document with the recipient.  I’m sorry, but most employers/HR people out there are:

1)Very partictular about the format of your Résumé (Paste in body, attach as .doc, .pdf, etc.)
2)Not technically savvy enough to get the concept of a shared Google Doc.

Do you have a solution or input?  I don’t want to scare these people off.

I had worries, because my “Chromebook” has had extreme difficulties with the [...]]]> OK, so I’m blogging from 30,000 feet.  Southwest offers an introductory deal of $5 for wifi, so I thought, I’d test it out. @Southwest, you should learn about the Chrome OS Cr-48 project if you don’t know already. This could be a first.

I had worries, because my “Chromebook” has had extreme difficulties with the CLEAR wireless that I have at home.  I thought the wireless source of the Southwest wifi (unless the plane is connected by invisible wires to an ISP) might be a no go.

Destination: Las Vegas Altitude: 30,091 feet Time-To-Go: 1 hrs, 49 mins

But, everything’s working fine.  Go Southwest!  I was logged into WordPress in about 2 minutes.  I don’t know if anybody’s used their Chromebook during a flight yet, but I haven’t read about it.

CLEAR wireless, on the other hand, can suck it.

Let’s take a hot minute to talk about terminology.  What should this Chrome OS laptop be called?  I’ve seen some people calling it a “Chromebook”.  I’m OK with that, but I’ve been told that’s just dumb.  Cr-48 is too technical. Chrometop?  NetChrome?  I’ll stick with Chromebook for the time being.  In private, though, I’ll call her “Matilda.”

A word about mousing with the Chromebook:  it sucks.  The laptop came with a PowerMac-style “Clickpad.” About 3 inches horizontally, it’s one large mousing surface with no separate button(s).  There is a tactile click if you press on the pad.  2 finger scroll, like Macs works. But a new function for me is th 2 finger “click.”  Pressing with 2 fingers and clicking gives you the right-button mouse functionality you expect from a PC or other external mouse.

The problem is that it’s not real smooth. The pad is jumpy, inaccurate, and it’s size always had me accidentally placing a stray finger on it while typing, send my cursor into another paragraph. Annoying!

I’m hoping Google is working on an OS update that improves clickpad performance and provides USB thumbdrive functionality, among other things.  I hope you’re reading this, Google!

Happy Holidays…

-Pablo

This Lady GaGa [...]]]> Many of the blogs/reviews I’ve seen on Chrome OS mention its less-than-stellar performance with flash video.  It’s usually attributed to the Linux-based code that Chrome OS is built upon.  I have to agree.  Depending on the source, I’ve found video playback quality  to go from passable to unwatchable. Here are three examples:

This Lady GaGa video played just fine.  I have secret “like” for her brand of pop.  So sue me.

This IFC promo for the upcoming “Portlandia” series was absolutely unwatchable. I tried several different things: letting it buffer, closing other browser tabs, and even turning the machine off and letting it start fresh. All to no avail.  And yes, life really is like the video describes. It’s too awesome for you.

Hulu was watchable, but laggy.  I haven’t hooked it up to my TV yet, but I do enjoy streaming my shows to the big screen.  We’ll see how this performs in the future.  Also to address, maybe tomorrow, is the clickpad mouse.  Ciao for now.

Internet access is an absolute necessity to use [...]]]> The Cr-48 has one of each of the following: USB port, SD card port, VGA port, headphone port.  Yesterday, I was able to upload a pic taken with my point n’ shoot with an SD card.  Images or document you have saved on thumb drives? No such luck.

Internet access is an absolute necessity to use the Cr-48.  We knew this, but I’m making a note of it because at home, I have what I consider to be substandard broadband.  Offered by CLEAR wireless (dubbed “WiMAX”) in Portland, there’s no hard connection. The wireless modem picks up a signal, and I send it conventionally by Ethernet to my Netgear wireless router.  It’s slow, and deals with some sites better than others.  With my ASUS netbook, Hulu works, CNN does not.  Gmail works, but Gchat does not.  With the CR-48, I have absolutely no access to anything Google. It just times out.  This renders my CR-48 pretty much useless at home. Facebook actually works fine, including the chat function.  I don’t know why this is, but I suspect that the way CLEAR sends data is in bursts.  If something like Hulu or Netflix is going, it’s ok, because it’s getting a constant steam of data.  But something that’s only in short bursts, it times out, and is unable to reload it.

So I’ve had to do all my real work from coffee shops.   A good excuse to get dressed and leave the house.  But now I have a caffeine headache.

Technically, the computer will offer bluetooth support at some point, but there’s no way to use it currently with out hacking into the OS.  Other specs you might want to know:

Intel Atom Processor N455 1.66GHz
2GB DDR3
16GB SATA SSD
3G mobile wireless card  - (100 free MB per month from Verizon… that was a classy move. I have yet to use it.)
802.11 a/b/g/n card
Bluetooth (no GUI to access it yet)

I’ve taken issue with only ONE USB port. I chose my old netbook based on the fact it had 3 USB ports available.  I’m a USB hog. What can I say?  Fortunately, it doesn’t matter much now anyway, because there’s no USB support for external or thumb drives anyway.  Word is, it’s coming.  My Razer mouse works just fine, and my USB hub also operates.

Here’s my issue for the day, and one I haven’t seen addressed yet: [...]]]>
I’ll get to the details later, but I promised myself I’d do one real update before I’d had the laptop for a week.  You’ve probably already browsed other tech blogs and know the basics: Sexy Matte Black, starts up quick.

Here’s my issue for the day, and one I haven’t seen addressed yet:  the Power Supply.

The power supply is a 3 prong.  I hate this, because I still run into plugs and extension cables that can’t accommodate. Running on an Atom processor, the power supply is like any other netbook, about half the size of a conventional “brick”.  My 1 year old ASUS EeePC, has a similar power supply, and came with a standard 2 prong.  (Note, Cr-48 is 19.5V, ASUS is 12V).

Side note: My old dell laptop had the 3rd prong as well, although I encountered immediate  accessibility issues when I was abroad and needed to use an adaptor plug.  Solution was my Leatherman pliers and brute force.  The power supply still works great on 2 prongs, 5 years and counting.

I understand the safety issues regarding grounding, but a device that’s meant to be portable and plugged into many different outlets over its lifetime should be as flexible as possible.

That said, so far I’ve acclimated quickly to the Cr-48.  I already used Chrome most of the time, so the transition was easy.  Using only this laptop, I brought my old domain out of hypersleep, cleaned out the files in with Bluehost, did a fresh install of WordPress, and have been c0-drafting a large report in Google Docs with my friend in Arizona.

The point of the Cr-48 project was not so much about the hardware, but the Chrome OS experience.  I intend to stick mainly to to that in coming posts.

About me: my name is Paul, but my friends call me Pablo.  I was part of the original team tasked to work on Google Maps’ Street View feature. [...]]]>

Welcome to my pseudo-blog.  I’ll be experimenting with a completely cloud-based computing experience using a new Chrome OS Cr-48 laptop, compliments of the nice nerds at Google.

About me: my name is Paul, but my friends call me Pablo.  I was part of the original team tasked to work on Google Maps’ Street View feature.  You use it, you love it.  I spent the better part of 2 years collecting every nook and cranny of America.