Photo: andysternberg / Flickr

Google is soon to launch its Chromebook, the long-awaited Google Chrome netbook. While with the new web-based OS, the search giant has hoped to replace the traditional desktop based operating system – and soften Microsoft’s core business at the same time – not all reviewers believe the offering is worth having. PC World, one of the most influential IT and PC magazines in the world, has slated the Chromebook in a piece harshly titled ‘Whatever You Do, Don’t Buy a Chromebook.’

Don’t buy it

The piece is subtitled ‘Google’s cloud-only Chrome OS vision is simply not baked, and it’s not likely to ever to come together,’ serving as the jump-off point for the publication’s concerns about Google’s offerings. The post is lengthy, and is well worth a read if purchasing a Google Chrome netbook was in your plans, but we’ve pulled out the most interesting pieces to make your life easier.

The web is not an OS, basically

The whole premise of the post is in the negation of the whole premise of Chrome – that a web-based OS cannot fully replace a desktop-based OS, and where it can replicate functionality, it does so in an inferior manner. What’s more, the applications – which are all a good operating system is supposed to cater to, really – are half-baked.

Galen Gruman writes: ‘Simply put, I don’t believe Chrome OS will ever get as good as a world of real apps that tap into the Internet but don’t depend on it. The Web apps that run on Chromebooks’ Chrome OS – and they’re the only apps that can – are still primitive and not that capable. Google itself still doesn’t have its Google Apps – the key apps it expects every Chrome OS user to rely on – yet working in offline mode. That was promised for March, and still it’s MIA. Remember, this is Google: a company that has no trouble shipping apps before they’re ready.’

Buy a tablet

He also reiterates a point many have made of late – in a post-tablet PC world, do netbooks, the regular type, or even the Chromebook variation, have a place? On the latter, Gruman thinks not, writing: ‘Even if you would use the Chromebook as a secondary, supplemental device – an adjunct to your PC or Mac – you’ll have to contend with all these issues. Frankly, a tablet is a better option to be such an adjunct: It fits both the Mac and PC environments better, it supports apps whether or not you have a wireless connection, and it’s much easier to carry around.’

What do you make of this? Are the Google Chrome netbooks doomed to fail, or is this too harsh a position so early in the life cycle of Chromebooks?

Photo: Engadget

With the proper launch of the Google Chrome OS fast approaching, it’s inevitable devices being manufactured for the web-based OS will soon start leaking. A recent bug report was responsible for leaking information about two Acer Chrome netbooks, named the Acer ZGB and the Seaboard. Now, South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung is the latest victim of a leak related to Google’s OS.

Say hi to Alex

The Samsung ‘Alex’ netbook is reportedly a 10-inch Chrome netbook that has a display resolution of 1280×800. Processing is performed by Intel’s ever-reliable dual-core Atom N550, and it will have 2GB of RAM. As is required of all Chrome devices the harddrive is SSD-based, with SanDisk provided the tech, even though the capacity is as yet unknown.

Another requirement of all devices using Google’s web-based OS is that they have built-in 3G cards, with the Qualcomm Gobi 2000 being the model Sammy opted for. Other connectivity options and features include wi-fi, Bluetooth, a built-in webcam, as well as a Synaptics touchpad.

Google I/O debut?

The Samsung Alex Chrome netbook was also leaked via a Chromium bug report, suggesting that developers are hard at work preparing the device for market. Given that the big Google I/O conference is just two weeks away, it wouldn’t surprise us if Samsung Chrome netbook made its first appearance at the conference.

Having said that, though, we still can’t help wonder if there will be much of a market for Google Chrome OS. Oddly enough, it may be Google’s other mobile OS platform, Android, that has shut the door on Chrome’s viability and/or necessity. The whole web-based OS angle is good, and a sign of where things are going, but whether this will be sufficient in building market share in a very unstable PC market with overall weak netbook sales but booming tablet PC sales, remains to be seen.

We’ll report on the Samsung Alex as we learn more.

Photo: ^CiViLoN^ / Flickr

Reports this weekend say Sony is the latest of a string of high profile companies planning on getting a foothold in the ultra-slim laptop category. The company is developing a hybrid laptop that has been given the unfortunate ‘Macbook Air Killer’ title.

The double whammy

Sony Insider says that the Japanese titan is developing an ultra-slim hybrid portable, which converts to a desktop replacement when docked, as well as a Sony Chrome OS netbook. And, apparently, they’re both slated to arrive this summer (US).

The Vaio Hybrid PC

The Vaio Hybrid PC is two-parted in that the core will be the ultra-thin notebook, which will reportedly ship with an Intel i7 processor, an SSD drive, Intel’s Lightpeak technology, HDMI output with support for 3D, 8 to 16 hours of battery life, no optical drive and a weight of just 2.5 pounds.

Part two is a component that transforms the Vaio Hybrid PC into a desktop replacement. Essentially you’re getting a 1.5 pound docking unit, which combines a graphic processor, a Blu-ray writer and reader. Output includes HDMI, VGA, a USB port and an Ethernet port.

Chrome netbook

The Sony Chrome netbook will, supposedly, have specs that are more in line with a tablet PC then present day high-end netbooks. It’s rumoured to have an 11.6-inch display, sporting a resolution of 1366×768. It will also have 1GB of RAM, as well as 16GB of card-based storage. The Chrome OS netbook will have 8 hours of battery life, is only 1-inch thick, and weighs in at 2.2 pounds.

Shake the connection fight for your life

While the Vaio Hybrid PC would do well to shake the Macbook Air Killer billing, the Sony Chrome OS netbook has a far more difficult task to overcome. The excitement for Google’s new mobile OS platform has tapered somewhat. Whether it will be the kick the netbooks category needs or a device dead on arrival due to its own sibling, Android, remains to be seen.

Photo: mbiebusch / Flickr

We know HP has a tablet PC, widely thought to be called the PalmPad, coming out. The company had previously confirmed that it was still focused on smartphones, so a new webOS smartphone is imminent. In addition, HP announced they were working on printers running their newly acquired mobile OS platform. The reach extends beyond even that, though, with word being the company will also add webOS netbooks to its arsenal of devices to be announced.

9 Feb is critical

The HP webOS event scheduled for 9 February was greeted with little reaction – given its strangely timed announcement, to say people were ho-hum about it would be just right. Now, however, as folks realise this is the big unveiling of the PalmPad, as well as a ‘potential’ netbook saver, the buzz around the HP event has begun to build.

So why the interest you ask? Oh other than tablet PCs and smartphones being the hottest things in all of computing, this represents the first serious play the world’s biggest volume manufacturer of PCs has made at newer mobile computing devices.

What does this mean for Microsoft?

Thinking about how far reaching the HP webOS play actually is, folks in Redmond should be a little nervous about whether or not it works out. Obviously, it poses a significant threat to Windows Phone 7 on smartphones. It also poses an underlying threat to how tech companies around the world are eroding Microsoft’s OS dominance, which is not by attacking the Windows desktop OS, but rather making strides with mobile OS platforms.

If the collective wisdom that mobile devices will eventually eclipse the traditional desktop proves true, coupled with the HP webOS platform taking off, Hewlett Packard may be well positioned to become a massive software player to go with its crazy hardware reach. This is all conjecture, but that’s Apple type power. If the PalmPad is nearly as good as HP thinks it is, things in the tablet PCs space is are about to get very interesting.

Photo: yto / Flickr

With the success of the iPad since its release in April 2010, a question that a lot of people are asking is whether Apple’s latest addition to the world of portable computing could replace the netbook. For certain functions it seems impossible, but with the option of an attachable keyboard some feel that it could overtake its rivals.

More portable

For most, the slim and light iPad is more aesthetically appealing than its Microsoft-based competition. Weighing in at about 1.5 lbs, almost half the weight of a netbook, the touch screen tablet does offer greater portability. This, however, comes at a price as the iPad alone lacks in the typing department, with the shift to a virtual keyboard not being the easiest adjustment to make.

Keyboard optional

Along with the numerous accessories available for the iPad, attachable and wireless keyboards can be bought to make it easier to carry out more type-intensive activities. The iPad could replace bulkier computers for surfing the internet, social networking, gaming, viewing photos and videos, listening to music and limited content creation, but there are areas where a netbook is still better suited. If you need to create large spreadsheets, longer documents and elaborate emails then the iPad, even with an external keyboard, probably won’t be the most efficient option.

Limited memory

The iPad has a fixed memory capacity of 16, 32 or 64 GB, whereas the netbook has the option of expanding memory with additional storage devices. There is a camera connection kit available from Apple with an SD card reader, but this can only be used for transferring photos and videos.

Which side are you on?

The best selection for each individual user will come down to personal choice. Whatever is most comfortable for what you most commonly do on your portable computer will determine your decision. Although, another feather in the netbook’s cap is that it still is the cheaper option.

Photo: BlubrNL / Flickr

While the viability of the netbook market, in a post-tablet PC world, is in question, Google has been pressing on with its web-based operating system, Chrome OS. And if rumours are to be believed, the first Google Chrome netbooks will reach market this month, still.

November/December phase one of launch

The relentlessly resourceful folks over at Digitimes report that the first Chrome OS netbook will hit market this November, citing unnamed sources. While the first tablet is not expected to be released by one of the big manufacturers, some big players, Acer included, are rumoured to release their Google Chrome netbooks in December.
The timing isn’t at all a surprise to be fair, with this being the timeframe we reported a few months ago when Chrome OS was last discussed.

Is it too late for netbooks, in general?

A giant question mark hovers over the netbook category of computers, as well as over the place of Google Chrome OS. Firstly, netbooks are in decline, thanks to the rapid rise of tablet computers. Add to that smaller form factor ‘laptops’ like the new Apple Macbook Air also moving into their space, it is uncertain how much longer consumers will find netbooks a compelling choice.

Is it too late for Chrome?

With regards to Chrome OS, Google had articulated it wanted Chrome for netbooks and other small form factors of computing – i.e. tablets – but Android, which was initially planned as a smartphone OS, is already bleeding into the tablet space. As such, consumers, analysts, and journalists alike are unsure whether Chrome and Google Android can co-exist, and, more importantly, whether they should even be two separate operating systems.

The big question, ultimately, is do you even care about Google Chrome OS in general? This operating system could be doomed before even launching.

Photo: Asus

Asus, widely considered the grandfather of the netbook PC, is about to make a leap into the Cupertino shark-infested waters of tablet PCs. Not only are they at the wrong end of the innovation cycle this time, by not being first to market, the company is also up against a fierce competitor it readily admits has eroded its netbook business. With the Windows 7 Asus Eee Pad due to drop soon, we consider what the computer manufacturer can learn from its Asus netbook success as it tackles the tablet PC market.

Lesson 1: Ditch Windows fast!

One of the most remarkable things about the early days of the Asus netbook was how manufacturers chose to go without bloaty Windows, instead opting for modified versions of Linux. This not only cut Microsoft out of the loop, but also validated other operating systems as viable alternatives for different types of computing. We’ve long been of the position that if you go with Windows for your tablet PC, you will die, and one would think Asus would have learnt this from their netbook success.

Lesson 2: Aesthetics does matter

What made the netbook so remarkable was its form factor. It really was a notebook squished down a size or two, into a remarkable little device. With tablet PCs, there’s less room for excessive creativity, since it’s all a big piece of glass at the end of the day, but Asus would do well to remember their netbook success with aesthetics and replicate that as best as possible.

Lesson 3: Underprice everything

Perhaps one of the most telling contributors to the Asus netbook success story was pricing. The price point of netbooks blew notebooks and any other comparable computing devices clean out of the water. If Asus can somehow manufacture a top quality Android or Chrome OS tablet for a good $100-$150 less than the iPad with comparable features, Asus may have a shot at the big prize.

Of course, these are all hypotheses, and with it being early days still, the tablet PC game is not dead and buried yet. But Apple is well in the lead, and outside of Samsung, no other tablet has managed to attract much interest.

Asus could sneak in under the radar and catch the lot of them by surprise.

Photo: Ed Yourdon / Flickr

The netbook vs. tablet vs. notebook discussion will only get more heated once the many incoming Android tablets hit the market. However there are still certain circumstances when buying a netbook is the best purchase decision you can make when searching for a new computer. Below is our three-part questionnaire that will give you a clue on whether a netbook is for you.

Question 1: What do you need it for?

In a perfectly rational buying world, need should dictate all your purchase decisions. Sadly, as behavioural finance shows, it does not. But for your purposes, you need to ask yourself long and hard what you need a netbook for. If you genuinely just need a device to surf the net, as well as the occasional word pressing and very rudimentary computing tasks, a ‘net’ book – as its name suggests – was designed for you. Save yourself the headache and the money of buying a ‘device’ with more bells and whistles than you will ever need, want, or use.

Question 2: What is your budget?

When buying a netbook, or any device, for that matter, price will always be a sticking point. Always let your needs dictate what you should get, and then let your financial threshold determine how powerful a computer you can afford to get. Netbooks are, incidentally cheaper than notebooks and tablets both, so you can see why tablet owners have reason to try to pin them as underpowered hunks of junk. We wrote a popular post on the three best notebooks that are available at a reasonable price that may interest you.

Question 3: Is mobility important?

Netbooks are more mobile than notebooks, but about as mobile as tablets, with the added advantage of having a keyboard. Netbooks fit into oversized women’s bags, notebooks do not. Netbooks fit into nearly any backpack size, notebooks do not. If mobility is your game, buying a netbook is a no-brainer for you, too.

Need, price and mobility

That’s really it, then. Consider your needs, consider your price, and consider how much mobility you desire. Balance those needs and boom, a netbook may just be the best purchase decision for you.

Photo: brilliantology / Flickr

When purchasing your own computer for the very first time – oh, how I envy you – the many varied platforms and options available to you can be daunting. Here’s a quick fire guide on choosing the best computing device for you by examining whether a netbook, desktop or laptop is your best bet.

Factor one: mobility

If you need your computer to be mobile, you can chalk the desktop off of your list right away. Furthermore ignore it every time it’s referred to again in this post. Laptops are mobile but netbooks bring an obscene level of mobility with them, so you decide which is in line with just how much mobility you need.

Winner: netbooks, though laptop comes in a close second.

Factor two: price

Photo: -eko- / Flickr

If you’re extremely price sensitive, your computing device options are down to desktop and netbook. Where desktops give up the mobility found in laptops, you usually get an equivalent, if not superior, machine for a fraction of the price you would pay for a laptop. If mobility is a necessity, netbooks sacrifice a significant amount of processing power, so you need to think carefully about what you need done before just pinching pennies for penny pinching’s sake.

Winner: desktop. If you must have mobility, than the netbook is undoubtedly your best bet if you’re very price sensitive.

Factor three: performance

Though laptops have become very powerful in their own right, desktops are still king if you need your computing device that can put in a heavy shift. Furthermore, the core design of desktops is better suited toward gaming, upgrading and putting in intense work. Reducing the head to head to mobile devices, comparing a netbook to a desktop, most core 2 duo laptops run circles around netbooks, so there’s no need to tell you how massive the performance disparity is when you start factoring Intel Core i3, i5 and i7s into the equation.

Winner: desktop. If you’re all about mobile devices, the laptop runs rings around the netbook. All day, everyday.

Factor four: value for money

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Choosing a computer on this consideration is contentious at best. Desktops give you the most bang for your buck, netbooks give you great mobility at a good price, and laptops are, overall, the best of both worlds: performance and mobility. I’m very much a laptop person, but that’s because I need portability and capability in one box.
Winner: too hard to call. Your needs dictate your value appropriation, but laptops are the best of both worlds.

Overall

Without copping out, it’s clear that overall, when choosing a computer, the desktop is still the best computer out there, winning in two of our four categories. The only thing stopping us giving it a rousing endorsement is that mobility factor. Yes, it is, in fact, a game changer. And to pretend like it isn’t would simply be unfair to your computing needs.

Choosing a computing device is a patient task. Not only do you have to weigh up your platform of choice, you then need to decide which model you want. As if that’s not enough challenge, often times you have to pick which configuration within that model you want, dependent on specs. But if you know what suits your needs, you’ll have a far easier time choosing what’s right for you.

Photo: lomokev / Flickr

This is the question every gadget lover around the world is asking themselves: ‘Is an iPad – or any other tablet for that matter – for me?’ The answer isn’t a cut-and-dry no and we run through a few considerations as a checklist on whether you should consider getting the iPad or not.

Consideration one: what are your expectations?

The very first thing you must think about when considering buying a tablet PC is what you’re expecting it to do. If you’re hoping it will completely replace your laptop as a productivity tool, you’re likely to be greatly disappointed. While it does do basic productivity functions like word processing and emails, it isn’t built for that.

Consideration two: what is the iPad built for, then?

Of course you’re wondering what the iPad is built for, if it isn’t an out and out productivity tool. Many have suggesting if you’re buying a tablet PC, you’re purchasing it to be a media consumption device. This, we believe, is a great insult to the potential of the iPad and the incoming generation of tablets. How so, you ask?

Well, though we agree it’s a great media consumption device, we believe – and by no means is this term official – that it makes for a fantastic experience augmentation device. Simply because of how different its input device is, applications built from the ground up with this input as a central consideration are going to revolutionise computing and how we interact with the world, by augmenting the experience we’re already having.

Consideration three: what it could replace

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The next thing you should consider is which device buying a tablet PC could substitute for. The e-reader substitution is well chronicled. The netbook substitution is noted, too. The handheld video games platform substitution is one you should think carefully about because it is legitimate, too. We’ve written about how it could replace musical input devices, too. And perhaps this is the iPad’s greatest strength – with the bustling app store, and developers fast coming to grips with how to build experiences for the platform, it won’t be long before we see an explosion in the creativity of functions built with just the tablet PC in mind.

So, is an iPad for you?

We’d be loath to discourage anyone from picking up a new gadget, so we suggest this: if you have an extra £50 or so to spare, buy an iPad and give it a bang. If you don’t like it, put it up for sale in a week or two on an online classifieds site for £50 less than what you paid for it. At least you will have gotten to try it out, as opposed to just wondering if it is for you or not.