Which Chromebook is Right for You?

If Google's concept of computer in a browser captivated your imaginationback in 2009 when it was announced, you'd be pleased to know you can finally buy a Chromebook with Chrome OS right now. Amazon and Best Buy have begun taking pre-orders for the ChromeOS-toting laptops, starting at $430.

Your choice of Chromebooks, lightweight laptops designed to get you online in seconds and have long-lasting battery life, is somehow limited. Acer has two models on sale, starting as low as $350 for a Wi-Fi-only model, while Samsung has two models on sale too, starting at $430. But which Chromebook is right for you?

Not sure about how Chrome OS works? Check out PCWorld's Chromebooks: A Prospective Buyer's Guide and a visual tour of the Chromebooks. Also see PCWorld's review of the Samsung Chromebook.

Choosing a Chromebook is quite straightforward at the moment, given the limited choice available (Google said more manufacturers will release models later this year). I've put the two Chromebooks specs' head to head and see where the differences lie.

Both the Acer AC700 and Samsung's Series 5 are light (3.3 pounds), thin (1-inch for the Acer, 0.8-inch for Samsung), and feature 2GB of RAM, while running on an Intel 1.66GHz Dual Core processor. They both run on speedy 16GB flash storage, and have webcams embedded for video chat. You also get an SD card slot on either Chromebooks to transfer photos or files, along with two USB ports.

There are a few differences between Acer and Samsung's first Chromebooks. The Acer model has an 11.6-inch screen, while Samsung's Series 5 laptops have 12.1-inches screens, slightly roomier. Although Acer's screens are smaller, they do pack higher pixel density than Samsung's larger screens, meaning you actually get a bit more space to work on the AC700.

Acer's Chromebook also has an HDMI port for video out, while Samsung put only VGA via an optional dongle for this purpose. Samsung however, claims more battery life out of its laptops, at 8.5 hours versus Acer's 6 hours. If you like your Chromebook in a different color other than black, Samsung also has two color versions available (silver and white).

Samsung doesn't beat Acer on price though. Acer's entry model starts at $350 (Wi-Fi-only), up to $30 for the 3G model. Samsung's sleeker design lines and materials pile on the bucks, starting at $430 for Wi-Fi model, while the 3G model sells at $500. As previously announced, Verizon bundles 100MB of free 3G traffic per month with each Chromebook.

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50+ Killer Apps for Your New Chromebook

50+  awsome Apps for Your New Chromebook

Chrome OS is a cutting edge operating system from Google that intends to change how we think about using a computer 

Chrome OS, to oversimplify, is simply Chrome running on a stripped out custom Linux distro. Every task you’ll need to do will have to happen through a web app since you don’t really get your typical access to the file system and so can’t install traditional apps without tinkering in the kernel.

If that last sentence made you weep, wipe those tears away, little padawan. There are plenty of apps out there that can handle your typical workload. We, as developers, have gotten used to our cozy, customized setups but that doesn’t mean that we can’t change, when needed.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the apps you’ll need to become productive again – filtered into different categories. The majority are apps from the Chrome Web Store while the rest are normal web apps that provide a desktop like experience.

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What's this sudden uncertainty about Google Chromebook?

There has been a dramatic change in the Betanews poll asking readers if they would buy a Chrome OS laptop. The number for respondents answering "No" dropped significantly, while the yeses and maybes are way up. That's all just today. What does it mean?

The first Chromebooks went on sale today, from Acer and Samsung, ranging in price from $379.99 to $499.99.During the first days the poll was up, more than 85 percent of respondents said "No" to Chromebook. When I posted the earlier-day's story, the number was 69.4 percent, from 562 respondents. The number answering "Yes" was 11.57 percent, while 19.04 percent answered "Maybe."

Now, with more than 1,400 respondents, the nos is 58.45 percent. There are now 27.87 percent maybes and 13.68 percent yeses. The big shift is in uncertainty -- fewer respondents are absolute "No," while more are "thinking about it."

A poll like this one is by no means scientific. The only filter is against voting twice. But otherwise anyone can vote, and respondents are unqualified by profession, age or other demographic criteria. I know respondents' countries, which are automatically collected based on IP address. Seventy-three percent of respondents are from the United States.

Still, it's fascinating to see such a dramatic change in the poll results, which surely isn't coincidental on launch day. There are lots more Chromebook reviews now, then there is the response to actually being able to order the product. I would go so far as to call the poll indicative of a changing trend in reception but otherwise regard the results cautiously.

Quick refersher: Chromebook runs Google's Chrome OS, presenting the browser as the user interface. For anyone using Chrome on Windows, Mac or Linux, Google's operating system will feel familiar. Chromebook is meant to stay constantly connected to the Net, storing data in the cloud and accessing services from websites or apps installed in the browser.

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Google Launches Open Source Chromebooks

by Jon Buys

Today Google announced the immediate availability of their long awaited “Chromebooks”, and they might just be the best competitor to Microsoft and Apple yet. Based on a solid Linux core, Chrome OS is built to be the fastest way to get to the web. Boasting an 8 second boot time, ease of use, and a familiar interface, Linux has finally found its place on the desktop.

Hardware

The first few Chromebooks from Acer and Samsung feature a clean, clutter free design. Solid black, or black with a white top, and no stickers. A refreshing change from “Intel Inside” and “Made for Windows” stickers that accompany most PC laptops. The Chromebooks look good. The Chromebooks are small and light, and claim battery life between six and eight and a half hours of continual use. They come with standard ports and a webcam, but what is most interesting about the machines is what not listed. Google doesn’t draw attention to the tiny, and extremely fast, SSD hard drive, or the the amount of RAM in the machine, an intentional dismissal of their importance. Plainly said, it doesn’t matter, Chromebooks have speed where it matters, and are meant for only one thing.

Software

Chromebooks run the Google Chrome OS, which is based on the open source Chromium OS project, which uses Linux as its core. Google’s distinction between the Google Chrome OS and the Chromium project is subtle, but important. As stated in the Chromium OS FAQ:

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Late News: Dixons Beats Amazon On Chromebook Pre-order, HTC Takes A U-Turn On Gingerbread Update, Pandora Stocks Surge

Dixons is likely to be the first UK retailer to stock the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook ahead of Amazon; the DSGi-owned company has both versions of the Chromebook (Arctic White 3G and Wi-Fi) on pre-order for £349 and £399 respectively with free delivery. The 3G version of the Chromebook is expected to be launched on the 9th of July with the Wi-Fi iteration likely to be shipped on the 2nd of that month.
 
HTC made a significant u-turn after confirming that it will actually release an Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for its popular Desire Smartphone after dozens of irate owners threatened not to buy HTC products. The Taiwanese mobile manufacturer said on its Facebook page that "Contrary to what we said earlier, we are going to bring Gingerbread to HTC Desire".
 
Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile have apparently admitted that they have not contacted victims of the News of the World phone hacking case according to a report carried by the BBC. The case started with a hacking episode perpetrated by employees at News of the World, a leading British tabloid, in collusion with certain corrupt police officers who provided the journalists with confidential phone numbers and email passwords of several people including famous celebrities.

Pandora, a leading streaming music website, has recently witnessed a pretty strong demand for the company’s initial public offering, irrespective of the fact that its current business model is yet to come clean of viability concerns. Almost $235 million were raised by Pandora and its venture capital investors on Tuesday after the company had priced its shares at $16 per unit. 

Valve, a US based game-development and digital distribution company, has announced a new Free to Play section on its digital distribution platform Steam. According to analysts, the move by the company has been aimed particularly at promoting, and making the best out of games that fall under the increasingly popular free online game genre.

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Confirmed: Acer Chromebook is delayed

Today was supposed to be the day Google's first two Chrome OS Chromebooks entered the world. That scheduled launch, however, is only coming half true.

Back at Google's I/O conference in May, as you may recall, executives said a model from Samsung and a model from Acer would both go on sale on June 15. The Samsung Chromebook is out and available, as scheduled -- but the Acer Chromebook is mysteriously missing in action.

There's a reason for the absence: I've just confirmed with Acer that its Chromebook will not ship as scheduled today. A spokesperson for the company tells me the device will launch sometime this month, though no formal date has been determined.

Behind the scenes, the Acer Chromebook situation had been looking iffy for a while now. Both Acer and Samsung were supposed to provide demo units for my Chrome OS and Chromebook review, but while Samsung shipped its model to me early last week, Acer stayed vague as to when its unit would be ready.

Stranger yet, when seeking out firm pricing info on the Acer Chromebook, I discovered those details were conspicuously absent from all press materials. Even Best Buy's website, where a presale was underway, listed only information about Samsung's model. Amazon listed both companies' computers in its presale but, with Acer's model, had pricing that didn't match the figures we'd heard in Google's original announcement: Amazon had the Acer Chromebook listed at $379.99 for a Wi-Fi-only edition and $449.99 for a 3G-ready system; the original announcement quoted the notebook as being available for "$349 and up."

An Acer spokesperson told me the "anticipated MSRP" was $349.99 for Wi-Fi and $429.99 for 3G. When I asked about the odd discrepancy with Amazon's listings, she said she expected Amazon to update its price "in the next day or so." (That was on Monday; as of the time of this publication, Amazon's price -- still listed as pre-order-only -- remains unchanged.)

Perhaps oddest of all, when trying to confirm the name of Acer's Chromebook, I discovered that Amazon had it listed as the "Acer Cromia Chromebook." My sharp-eyed editor, Barbara Krasnoff, noticed that name had not been used anywhere else -- so I reached out to Acer again to confirm what the product was going to be called. 

The answer: Acer was "still confirming" the official name. This was yesterday -- the day before the product was scheduled to launch. As you might imagine, we started to get quite skeptical at that point as to whether the product would meet its deadline.

So now it's official: Acer's Chromebook won't arrive today. I've asked the company for additional info about what's causing the delay and am awaiting a response. Representatives from Google were not immediately available to comment.

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Can Google’s Chromebook Compete With Apple?

At the height of its glory in late 2007 Google (GOOG) was trading above $700 a share, worth more than $225 billion, and was about 30% bigger than Apple (AAPL).

Since then, Google's market value shrunk by roughly $40 billion, expenses and headcount mushroomed, and the company has done little to diversify its income stream and reliance on search.

Today Google is about half the size of Apple and its stagnant stock is testing the patience of an increasing number of investors and analysts who are hungry to see Google's next big product. "Google has been a one trick pony as far as earnings are concerned," says portfolio manager Michael Sansoterra of Silvant Capital Management. Like the rest of us, he is taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the new Chromebook laptops that begin shipping today, and waiting for a "show-me story."

In a marketplace dominated by $500 iPads, it remains to be seen if consumer uptake of the comparably priced but lesser-equipped Chromebook, a device Sansoterra describes as "a tablet with a lid and a keyboard," will do anything to compete with tech giants like Apple (AAPL). The iMac maker has a proven "ability to innovate and grow their business," Sansoterra says.

He adds there might still be room to buy shares because "Apple is a very, very large company that's selling at a very reasonable multiple. Everybody knows the story and likes it but it's very hard for them to surprise to the upside."

Sansoterra already owns both stocks, but when asked which he would put new money into today if he could only buy one of them, his answer is clear and unequivocal - Apple.

So the Chromebook will take its place in a very long line of Google projects that have yet to deliver much in the way of new revenue and earnings that investors crave from the Sultan of Search.

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