So, the Google Chromebook.

**King Nud** · June 05, 2011, 09:33 AM

Google are launching their browser-laptop the Chromebook on 15th June.

Biggest selling point is that it will boot from cold in 8 seconds and from sleep in less than 1.

I can't explain the tech stuff in enough detail to do it justice, here's a great article in The Guardian all about it: Click here

Incredible. $350 for it. I'm very tempted as I rarely use much else than my browser these days anyway.

**Hobbes** · June 05, 2011, 09:34 AM

I would by it. Google is one of the few companies I trust.

**ROFL Copter** · June 05, 2011, 01:03 PM

It's just another random linux-based instant start OS. Nothing special.

**the_mango55** · June 05, 2011, 02:22 PM

Seems worthless to me.

Nothing is stored on the system from everything I've seen about it, it's all online. So if you don't have internet your computer is literally useless. It cannot be used.

Well maybe not literally useless, you could use it as a paperweight or doorstop. But to do any computing it's useless.

**GrnEyedDvl** · June 05, 2011, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

Seems worthless to me.

Nothing is stored on the system from everything I've seen about it, it's all online. So if you don't have internet your computer is literally useless. It cannot be used.

For businesses this will be great though. I also get the impression they will be providing free 3g internet kind of like the Kindle does.

Lots of stuff can be done online now. Especially business stuff. For example Intuit Quickbooks now has an entirely online system. Its like a Point of Sale system, except you can use it from anyplace, its not dedicated to hardware. Payroll and everything is managed via the web.

The same with word docs and spreadsheets with Office Live. Or estimating software for auto body shops. Those are actually better than having a machine dedicated to estimates in the shop, because parts prices are updated instantly instead of through a quarterly CD which they used to have to send out.

**the_mango55** · June 05, 2011, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by GrnEyedDvl

For businesses this will be great though. I also get the impression they will be providing free 3g internet kind of like the Kindle does.

Whose 3g network are they going to be providing freely, because Google sure as hell doesn't have one.

The Kindle can do it because ebooks are tiny, they probably signed some contract with ATT&T letting the Kindle use their network because it won't be much of a strain.

**GrnEyedDvl** · June 05, 2011, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by the_mango55

The Kindle can do it because ebooks are tiny, they probably signed some contract with ATT&T letting the Kindle use their network because it won't be much of a strain.

Its ad supported. Google would obviously have to do something similar.

**ROFL Copter** · June 05, 2011, 02:39 PM

Except for the fact that it is another unoriginal copypasta.

**the_mango55** · June 05, 2011, 07:37 PM

What do you mean it's ad supported? The kindle?

Only one kindle (the cheapest one, not 3g anyway) is ad supported

**GrnEyedDvl** · June 05, 2011, 07:55 PM

The ones marked "Special Offers" are all ad supported. But they are also using the Kindle as a direct marketing device so they can take a portion of that income and pay for 3g on the ones that dont have ads. Google wont be able to do this so it would have to be all ad supported if they were to offer free internet. Since this will obviously have Chrome installed on it, they may just force some ads into the browser. Hard to say.

EDIT: Actually they just added these to Amazon.com even though you cant buy them for more than a month, and they come with 2 years of Verizon 3g with a 100mb per month cap. That accounts for this part of the description that caught my eye.

Every time you boot up a Chromebook, it will have the latest version of its software and the newest security patches. Google will filter out the spam and check attachments for viruses. And if your machine breaks, or is stolen, all your data will be OK, because it will be stored (and backed up) in Google's cloud.

That kind of service requires an internet connection that is always there, which is why I assumed they would be offering some sort of 3g connection.

You can pay for extra bandwidth if you need it, or use an existing wi-fi network.

**the_mango55** · June 05, 2011, 08:30 PM

100mb cap is nothing when every piece of media you play is on the web.

**GrnEyedDvl** · June 05, 2011, 10:30 PM

Yeah media would blow that cap away, but text files, emails, and spreadsheets wont. I really do see them trying to market this as a business tool, which will probably work well. I am already considering buying one or two.