I am an unabashed early adopter with an ardent enthusiasm for all things new. Whenever Facebook or Google+ gets an interface makeover, or when Gmail sneakily slips in new features and buttons without warning, instead of moaning about how I'll have to get adjusted to the new layout all over again, it gives me a renewed sense of purpose to continue visiting the site, to see what else it can now do.
So when I was given one of the earlier versions of the
Samsung 4G Chromebook for work use at the start of this year, way before it was
launched to the public last weekend, I was thrilled. And after personally using the Chromebook for a few months now, I can honestly say that the Chromebook is my new favourite device, among my smartphone, iPad, laptop, and desktop.
In fact, I've barely touched my tablet and laptop since the Chromebook came around. My phone has been relegated primarily for calling and messaging purposes, and I only fire up my desktop PC because I need to use Adobe Creative Suite software. For everything else, there's the Chromebook.
After demoing and selling the Chromebooks at our launch roadshow over the weekend, the most frequent questions I've encountered are the following, and the answers I give are below:
1. How will I use my Microsoft office software on the Chromebook? Is it compatible if I need to send files to other people who use Microsoft?
With
Google Drive, you have web equivalents of your common Microsoft software, such as Docs instead of Microsoft Word, Presentations instead of PowerPoint, and Spreadsheets instead of Excel. For most of the functions of these programs, Google Drive is a formidable alternative. The benefits of using Google Drive is that you don't have to a) pay for software licensing, and b) constantly update your Microsoft Office suite every year. The Chromebook automatically updates itself every 6 weeks, so it always stays new, without the need to download / buy / run / install anything at all. And files created on Google Drive can be exported into all the commonly used file formats, no there is no compromise on compatibility with other operating systems.
2. Is it really that easy to use?
Yup. If you know how to surf the web, you know how to use a Chromebook. There is no OS on the Chromebook - it runs purely on the web. It doesn't lag or slow down over time, and it takes just 8 seconds to start up from the time you press the "On" button.
3. What is the processor / hardware that the Chromebook uses?
It uses the Samsung Exynos 5 processor. While I am no techie person, I asked one of the product guys to explain the benefits of the processor to me, and what he explained was that basically, the processor belongs to the same family of processors used in mobile devices such as the Samsung SIII and the Galaxy Note (both use the Exynos 4 processor). What that means is that it is designed for lightweight mobile devices and therefore, it is very energy-efficient and doesn't heat up the computer. I can personally attest to the fact that even after hours of continuous use, being laid completely flat on a table or on your lap, the Chromebook doesn't get hot at all. It also uses a 16GB
solid-state drive, so that browsing speeds are at an optimal level.
4. So I need to be connected to the Internet all the time to use the Chromebook? That's quite inconvenient / expensive.
In today's world, most of what you do on a computer requires an Internet connection anyway. If you live in urban / suburban areas, your office and home will likely have wireless connectivity that is already paid for. The Chromebook is WiFi-enabled so you can switch to that setting when you're in areas with wireless Internet. The Chromebook also comes with a built-in 4G chip that connects you to the Yes 4G network, so even if you are on the go, you don't need any third-party external device (eg. a USB Dongle / a mobile hotspot) to get connected to the web.
5. Basically it can do whatever a tablet can do, so why should I get a Chromebook?
At just 1.08kg, the Chromebook is only slightly heavier than a tablet, so it gives you the mobility of a tablet (I actually stick my Chromebook into my handbag almost daily) - but with the richer experience of a laptop. Without a keyboard, and with a smaller screen, the browsing experience is significantly slowed down and diluted on a tablet. So yes, you can do essentially the same things on a tablet - but why would you, when you can have the full laptop experience at a fraction of the weight (and price)?
Some other things that I think are pretty sweet about making the switch over to the
Chrome OS:
- The Chrome Web Store boasts plenty of free and beautifully designed apps, most of which are compatible across PC / Android / Mac - no more paying for apps that you can only use on a selective system (*cough* like Apple *cough*).
- The Chromebook comes with 100GB of cloud storage space on Drive that can be assigned to any Gmail address (you can reuse your existing ID if you don't want to switch over to a new one).
- No more worrying about viruses or trojans because there is no OS to attack.
- If your device gets damaged / stolen / lost, not only are your files safely stored in the cloud, but you can also prevent anyone else from gaining access to your files, because everything is tied to your personal ID and password, plus, if you've forgotten to log out, you can always log in on any other devices and force log your ID out of any other locations it is signed in to. Your information has never been this safe before! (Disclaimer: As long as you don't forget your password! But with increasing integration between different cloud-based services, how hard is it to remember just one ID and password?)
- Google Drive has no "Save" button, because everything saves automatically, and you can revert to older revisions of any document based on the timestamp. So if you accidentally delete your work or do something silly, you can rest assured that your work will not be gone just like that.
To sum it up, as a TIME tech author eloquently put it,
"the point of Chromebooks isn't Chromebooks". The point of Chromebooks is not about the device at all. The point is to make devices irrelevant. The release of the new 4G Chromebook heralds a new era in technology - one that is built not on latest versions of programs and hardware, but on a web- and cloud-centric view of personal computing.
To understand more about how the Chromebook works, watch this video:
