Chromebook Second Impressions

Next verse, much like the first. I am still impressed by the hardware Samsung put into the Series 5. The wireless antennas, both cellular and wifi, are quick to connect and hold a strong signal. The screen is bright and easy to read. The worst feature of the hardware, and it's going to sound a bit weird, is the keyboard is too big. No really. I've gotten used to typing on the Motorola Droid on-screen keyboard. The Samsung Chromebook keyboard is agoraphobia-inducing. It's expansive and the keys feel like they're too far apart. I know, quirky little nitpick.

I like the software, too. Android is a great operating system for the type of hardware it's installed on and for using a lot of cloud services and Chrome does the same thing for bigger systems. It's fun to pick the differences between Chrome the web browser and Chrome the operating system. It's great code.

Chromebook First Impressions

I had asked to be a part of Google's early Chromebook preview, the Cr-48 netbook. I wasn't accepted for the program because I'm not a tech blogger. Obviously. I was granted an invitation-only special offer of a Samsung Series 5 Chrome notebook which was available even before the Amazon preorders. This is the first of a series of posts about the Samsung Series 5 I received.

Shiniest slab in the 'verse

Xoom will lose to iPad 2

Publicity still from Apple's iPad 2 press event. Surprisingly little poo-flinging.

Apple recently unveiled their newest fondle-slab, the imaginatively named iPad 2. Apple has increased albedo by 0.17% for more shine, rendering all previous Apple devices obsolete. Continuing to use such outdated products can have dire consequences. It has been linked to dingy white socks, decreased fuel economy, male pattern baldness, and sagging porch steps. This new tablet device is pitted against the Motorola Xoom, the standard bearer for the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system.

Of course, Xoom is doomed to failure against the firepower of this fully armed and operational Apple product. Oh, sure, Android doesn't exert the same level of control over the user experience the way iOS does. Verizon's network has higher availability than AT&T can even dream of. And Motorola is edging back towards dominance of the mobile market.

The hammer that is driving nails into Xoom's coffin is price. The Motorola tablet costs $800 without a contract compared to $499 for the iDidntPayMoreThisTime. Speaking personally, I can't justify spending that much on a completely new form of technology. I've never owned a tablet, eBook reader, or even netbook. As such, I can't say if the advantage of the form-factor balances well against it's cost. If Motorola could bring the price down to $500, it merits a serious discussion about its necessity as another device in my computing ecosystem. If the price hit $250 it becomes an immediate necessity.

Disclosure: I own an Android-powered Motorola smartphone.