[opendtv] Chromebooks challenge Windows, HDDs

From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 16:17:32 -0500

IMO, this concept challenges Apple more than it would Microsoft PCs.

My problem with it is, same as always, that I want a work platform on which I
can write or install my own "apps." Especially at work, but at home too. Unless
Google gives the users that option, even if remotely (as in the days of dial-in
computers offsite, with paper tape to store your programs), the thin client
won't replace the PC.

The guys in the lab coats are angling for a comeback.

Bert

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http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4215924/Chromebooks-challenge-Windows-HDDs?pageNumber=1

Chromebooks challenge Windows, HDDs
Rick Merritt
5/11/2011 3:12 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Lookout Windows and hard-drive makers, the Chromebook
is here. The Google notebook named for its Chrome Web browser hopes to make
good on the long sought concept of the thin-client network computer.

Google officially announced at its annual developer conference that Acer and
Samsung will begin shipping in June the systems that use only Web-based apps
and services. The systems do not need Windows or hard disk drives.

Google will even act as a data carrier, selling to business and education full
packages of hardware, management software and services for $28 and $20 a month,
respectively for a three-year contract. Retailers will sell the systems direct
to consumers for prices ranging from $349 to $499.

The Chromebook aims to boot faster (eight seconds), be more secure, easier to
manage and lower cost than traditional notebooks. All the system initially use
a dual-core Intel processor.

Google founder Sergey Brin, on hand for a press Q&A here, said in the next year
he expects the majority of Google's employees will use Chromebooks. Today they
mainly use Windows 7 PCs, he said.

Google specifies each chip in the Chromebook, giving OEMs an option between two
or three chips for each function, said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of
the Chrome browser platform at Google, in a brief interview with EE Times.
However, Google has not yet decided whether it will make its specs public.

For years, computer executives from Sun's Scott McNealy to Oracle's Larry
Ellison have pursued the dream of a simpler client computer. Whether Google can
succeed where they have failed remains to be seen, but Google appears to be
covering all the bases and the technology has matured to the level where a
Web-only system is becoming viable.

"The complexity of managing your computers is torturing all of us--it's a
flawed model and Chromebooks are a new model that doesn't put the burden of
managing your computer on yourself," said Brin. "Companies who don't use that
model won't be successful," he said.

"This model doesn't say just 'Trust Google'" with your data, Brin said,
answetring a question about privacy and control. "You are using Google's Chrome
browser, but you can go to any Web site out there and they can provide you
great functionality--you can go to Bing search or Yahoo," he said.

Specs of Samsung's Chromebook

Samsung published some specs of its Chromebook, a device Google said it will
provide free in June to an estimated 5,000 attendees of Google I/O where it was
launched.

The Samsung Series 5 packs an Intel Core2 Duo N570 1.66 GHz processor, a
12.1-inch display, two USB ports, a high def Webcam, support for removable
flash cards, a full-sized keyboard and eight-hour battery life. A version with
Wi-Fi only will cost $429 in the U.S., and one also with 3G will cost $499.

Acer will ship a smaller system with a 65. hour battery life, and 11.6 inch
display starting at $349 for a Wi-Fi only version. Both company's systems will
be available in June in the U.S. and Europe.

Samsung and Acer are expected to host their own product introductions closer to
the product roll outs. More details of their specs, such as use of flash, are
expected then. The initial systems are uninteresting from an industrial design
perspective, looking like generic notebooks.

Google has conducted tests of an early version of the system, the Cr-48, with
thousands of users worldwide. "We fixed some issues, revamped the track pad,
worked with Adobe on flash and upgraded to a dual-core processor," said Pichai.

The company has also enabled a wide range of programs-including Gmail and
Google Docs--to work when the system is not connected to the Web. Many
non-Google apps also work using local cache memory including Angry Birds and
many news services.

Chromebooks also support an API that lets Web services register as file
handlers. Thus, for example, when a user plugs in a USB drive with pictures,
the folder showing the pictures can also show a button linking to the user's
online photo site.

"We're trying to open up your files to the world of the Web," said Pichai.

Chromebooks aim to end management issues related to full blown operating
systems, BIOS, antivirus software and the regular upgrades they require. "Most
companies spend $3,000 to $5,000 per computer per year--it's really
complicated," he said.

Several large companies are already piloting Chromebooks. Google's service will
come with a unified Web management console IT managers can use to manage
Chromebooks. The Google three-year contracts will even include support,
warranty and hardware replacement services.

Brin said he is delighted both Android tablets and Chromebooks could compete in
similar markets.

"It's a great dilemma to have two fantastic successes on our hands," Brin said.
"Chromebooks is venturing into a really new model of computing that I don't
think was possible even a few years ago," he said.

"I use an Android smartphone, a tablet and a Chromebook--they will coexist,"
said Pichai. "The Chromebook is a very different model, and if we didn't do a
model like this someone else would," he said.

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[opendtv] Chromebooks challenge Windows, HDDs

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