Chrome will bring about the ICT revolution in schools

[Arthur]

Samsung is refreshing the Series 5 Chromebook, releasing the Chromebox in Q2 « Engadget

 

We'll likely never know how many Chromebooks Samsung has sold, but we're guessing it's not a terribly impressive figure. No matter. Sammy is refreshing its first-gen Series 5 with a new model, along with that Chromebox Google first teased last spring. Starting with the Chromebook, it trades its slick cover for something muted, with more discreet logo placement, though that matte, 12.1-inch, 300-nit display has made a reappearance. On the inside, meanwhile, it steps up from Atom to Celeron, though it still has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage. Look for it sometime in the second quarter with some familiar pricing: $399 for the WiFi-only version, and $449 for the 3G model with pay-as-you-go data from Verizon.

 

As for the Chromebox, Samsung is still staying mum on specs, though the company did tell us it comes with a wireless keyboard-and-mouse combo. It also has a handful of ports, including five USB 2.0 sockets, DVI, DisplayPort and a headphone jack. All that'll run you around $400 when it lands sometime in the second quarter. To be honest, it's difficult to imagine consumers choosing this over a Mac mini or HTPC, though Samsung makes a shrewd point when it says this might find a home in K-12 computer labs, where the cost per student would be low and the systems would consume little space. Then again, the same could be said of laptops like this, no?

 

Update: The Chromebox, too, has a dual-core Celeron CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage -- just like the Chromebook.

[Arthur]

With the new window manager in ChromeOS 19, it now looks like a hybrid of Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.7.

 

A New Window Manager for Chrome OS

Chromebook users who install the latest Dev channel release of Chrome OS will be surprised to notice that Chrome OS looks more like a desktop operating system.

 

Google has been working on a new window manager called Aura that brings many features of a desktop OS. Chrome OS now has a desktop, a taskbar, apps are placed on the desktop, there's support for wallpapers and overlapping windows.

 

According to Chrome's engineers, Aura is a hardware-accelerated "user interface framework for Chrome UI" that offers "rich visuals, large-scale animated transitions and effects that can be produced only with the assistance of hardware acceleration". Aura is cross-platform and should "provide the foundation of a flexible windowing system and shell for Chrome and ChromeOS on a variety of form factors". (Source)

 

http://i.imgur.com/glSQy.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/UDulY.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/h3xpA.jpg

[SYNACK]

With the new window manager in ChromeOS 19, it now looks like a hybrid of Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.7.

 

Oh I love this, wasn't the original intent of chrome OS that the browser be the interface and all those 'complex' icons and windows would be gone forever. Now they are cloning standard OS UIs. Obviously the browser is face of the future... unless it isn't.

[CyberNerd]

With the new window manager in ChromeOS 19, it now looks like a hybrid of Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.7.

 

 

Actually looks more like my gnome3 desktop with a transparent panel.

I guess the icons are just links to urls.

[gshaw]

So basically it's now got (or getting) a desktop, 3D effects with a 4 letter name beg and offline files support (?)

 

Even the 3D effects have a similar name (Aura, Aero hmmm!)

 

Sounds a bit like another OS I know

Edited April 10, 2012 by gshaw

[Arthur]

Hands-on: getting work done with Google's new Aura interface for Chrome OS « Ars Technica

[Arthur]

Hexxeh Is Working On Chromium OS For Raspberry Pi

Liam McLoughlin aka Hexxeh who maintains Vanilla and Lime builds is trying to run Chromium OS on everybody's favorite Raspberry Pi computer.

 

Hexxeh has got one and he is working on porting Chromium OS on Raspberry Pi. (Source)

 

http://i.imgur.com/cUqkw.jpg

[Arthur]

Here are the specs of Samsung's forthcoming Chromebox...

 

Model: XE300M22-A01

Price: $330 (~£210)

Intel Celeron Dual-Core B840 1.9GHz Processor

4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1,333MHz RAM

16GB Solid State Drive

802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN and Gigabit Ethernet

Bluetooth 3.0

Six USB ports

1 microphone/headphone jack combo, DVI-I, 2 x Display Ports

Intel HD Graphics 3000

WxHxD: 19.3 x 3.3 x 19.3 cm (7.6 x 1.3 x 7.6 inches)

 

http://youtu.be/r3DkI83YHGg?hd=1

 

http://youtu.be/4HQcreyxVgo?hd=1

 

http://youtu.be/t7hHEUA36GU?hd=1

[dave.81]

The chromebox i can see huge benefits for our common areas around school.

[Roberto]

The chromebox i can see huge benefits for our common areas around school.

 

I can see them having their uses in certain areas as kiosks, and suchlike.

 

However, I can't imagine replacing our current classroom sets of computers with classroom sets of chromeboxes of any kind. And if sales don't take off, I also can't imagine that they'll continue to be made.

[Arthur]

Samsung's new ChromeBox and Book are now officially available to buy in the UK, although Amazon, John Lewis and PC World haven't bothered updating their websites yet.

 

Source: http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/next-step-in-chrome-os-journey.html

 

http://i.imgur.com/HJwcz.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/TnIG9.png

[Arthur]

First review of the ChromeBox and Book...

 

New Samsung Chromebook & Chromebox review: Chrome OS grows up « The Verge

 

[Arthur]

The Register have posted a review of Samsung's Chromebox. They hated it!

 

I tried a bit of gaming and Cut the Rope reported it was a slow PC – and this is one of Chrome store’s featured apps. Go to the Picasa site and it tells you the computer is incompatible. You need to get to it from the Picasa web albums log-in page instead, which wasn’t entirely obvious either. The function keys aren’t reliable – screen dimming never worked – it either does nothing or kills the brightness completely, so you have to use the display controls to brighten it again.

 

http://i.imgur.com/x3xS7.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/9oUQw.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZTyTr.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/HeWWz.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/QbKSj.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Dijon.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/dx36I.jpg

[Michael]

I think the subject of the thread should have been "Will Chrome will bring about the ICT revolution in schools?". In short, here are several challenges Google will have:

 

- Renting devices will always cost more longterm than purchasing from the beginning, otherwise what's in it for the company providing the lease?

 

- Data Protection - Where will the data be stored? Who owns it? Who can access it? How will backups be managed? Too many questions with no definitive answers.

 

- Availability - Typically the internet connection to your home, your business or school is the slowest link in the chain. Many establishments have invested in 100/1000Mbps switches, yet everything Google would be expected to travel down a 10Mbps internet link or less for most users/establishments. This is the biggest issue and it'll take decades in the UK to have 100Mbps+ as a mainstream internet speed.

 

- Compatibility - Many products are starting to become web based, but there are still many that won't be. There are also products which are Microsoft only and MIS applications amongst others are good examples of this. There are also issues related to web standards - Flash and HTML5 is a good example. There isn't a one size fits all unfortunately, as HTML5 as a standard still isn't fully ratified.

 

Managing multiple systems/platforms is definitely more costly and time consuming. Many schools have started purchasing iPads for use within their Windows domains. It isn't always straight forward and although the iPad has strengths, it has lots of weaknesses too. I suspect Google will have the same/similar problems. They're trying to tap into Microsoft's market and it won't be easy.

[Arthur]

New ChromeOS released today (v21.0.1183.0) with a slightly different look. Dog not included.

 

One theme we hear repeatedly from Chrome OS users is how much they enjoy the speed and simplicity of their Chromebooks. With this week’s stable release of Chrome OS, we’ve redesigned the apps list experience to make it easier to access your favorite apps and websites.

 

Notably, we made the apps list much more compact, so you can access your apps without interrupting your browsing experience. We also added a search box at the top of the apps list, which you can use like an omnibox to search the web, specific websites, or the apps on your computer.

 

This week’s stable release also includes visual improvements such as a redesigned Cloud Print dialog and the ability to add custom wallpaper (for example, a picture of your cute little morkie). You can now also save files directly to Google Drive, so you can access files later from any device, including Drive on iOS or Android. Under the hood, we’ve added audio support for USB and HDMI, additional sandboxing security features, and many more bug fixes. This is all part of our goal to make sure your Chromebook and Chromebox get better over time. (Source)

 

http://i.imgur.com/8GvFX.jpg

[zag]

Chrome OS has been a total failure in my opinion.....

[localzuk]

Chrome OS has been a total failure in my opinion.....

 

I'd disagree entirely... Having implemented a batch of Chromebooks at my last school, seeing the sharing abilities when its all tied into Google Apps? It works brilliantly...

[Davit2005]

Is Chrome OS only available on the Chrome hardware unless you compile it yourself?

 

I tried a developers version but had mixed success depending on the hardware used.

[localzuk]

Is Chrome OS only available on the Chrome hardware unless you compile it yourself?

 

Indeed, it is an OEM OS only. If you compile yourself, you have Chromium OS instead of Chrome OS, and you take the responsibility of getting it working on rather than Google.

[Arthur]

I tried a developers version but had mixed success depending on the hardware used.

By developers version, do you mean Hexxeh's Chromium OS builds? Lime supports more hardware than Vanilla does.

 

Chromium OS also has several limitations compared to Chrome OS...

 

• The two projects fundamentally share the same code base, but Google Chrome OS has some additional firmware features, including verified boot and easy recovery, which require corresponding hardware changes and thus also don't work in Chromium OS builds.
  
• Google Chrome OS runs on specially optimized hardware in order to get enhanced performance and security.
  
• Chromium OS does not auto-update (so that changes you may have made to the code are not blown away), whereas Google Chrome OS seamlessly auto-updates so that users have the latest and greatest features and fixes.
  
• Google Chrome OS is supported by Google and its partners; Chromium OS is supported by the open source community.
  
• Google Chrome OS includes some binary packages which are not allowed to be included in the Chromium OS project. A non-exhaustive list:
  
  • Adobe Flash
    
  • Adobe PDF
    
  • Netflix Instant
    
  • Google Talk
    
  • 3G Cellular support (but work is on going to address this)
    
  • Older versions of Chrome OS might contain proprietary Synaptic Touchpad Drivers
    
    • All recent releases (R20+) should be using the open source CMT driver
      
    • NB: open source drivers have long existed and are automatically used in Chromium OS
      

[Arthur]

Samsung has just released a new ARM-based Chromebook (the Series 3 XE303C12). It costs £190.83 (ex. VAT) from PC World.

 

Source: Google (Via Ars Technica)

 

Google today announced a new Chromebook from Samsung with refreshed specs and a $249 price point, pitching the computer as an additional laptop for people who do their primary computing on a Windows or Mac computer. Think of it as a computer for your kitchen counter. The new device is the first Chromebook to use an ARM chip rather than an Intel one, which may well prove to be a better fit for what has historically been a niche device.

 

Google’s Chromebook has its fans, and it has seen adoption in school settings, but it hasn't achieved any sort of mass success. But Google has steadily improved both the software and hardware, earlier this year introducing the Aura interface that made viewing multiple windows at the same time possible. A few months later, the company announced software tweaks to the OS and the Chromebox, a desktop running Chrome OS. This time, though, it hopes to move away from the school-and-business market to users who want a simple extension of their home network.

 

The Samsung-made device is designed to be cheaper, faster, and easier to use than other comparable laptops. The company says the laptop will be much more widely available in brick and mortar stores starting next week (and you’ll start seeing jazzy new commercials from its new ad campaign tonight). The new laptop—which SVP of Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai says will be simply called “the new Samsung Chromebook”—will be available in the US and UK only.

 

The specs

The $249 device is the first consumer-oriented laptop to ship with the A15 ARM chip from Samsung, the Exynos 5250 or "5 dual" chip. (This was designed to show great performance in smartphones and tablets.) Google went to lengths to differentiate its offering from Windows RT devices. Pinchai speculated that most Windows RT devices will be more expensive than the new Chromebook, while not operating on the newer A15. “Certainly some [Windows Devices] will be on A9," he noted.

 

The “New Samsung Chromebook” is Wi-Fi-only, weighs 2.5 pounds, and is 0.8 inches thick. The laptop also supports 1080p video at 30 fps for an 11.6” display. Google claims it has 6.5 hours of battery life. While previous Chromebooks have come with built-in 3G connectivity and a limited amount of free access from Verizon Wireless, the low price of the laptop makes the decision to include only Wi-Fi a lot more tolerable.

 

The computer comes with 16GB of flash storage, 2GB of RAM, and a free 100GB allotment of cloud storage on Google Drive for two years with the purchase of the new Chromebook. Google’s Pichai said, “We really want people to rely on keeping their information in Google drive so they have access to their information everywhere,” and naturally, extend Google’s reach to improve search.

 

The Chromebook will have a full-size keyboard and trackpad. It also lacks a fan—so it will be nice and quiet. The device comes with one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and an HDMI port. (Source)

 

• 11.6’" (1366x768) display
  
• 0.8 inches thin - 1.1 kg
  
• Over 6.5 hours of battery
  
• Samsung Exynos 5 Dual Processor
  
• 2GB RAM (Non-upgradable)
  
• 100 GB Google Drive Cloud Storage with Solid State Drive
  
• Built-in dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
  
• VGA Camera
  
• 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
  
• HDMI Port
  
• Bluetooth 3.0™ Compatible
  

 

http://i.imgur.com/I7mql.jpg http://i.imgur.com/gKw4B.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/IOu5d.jpg http://i.imgur.com/QIdUP.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kMuvV.jpg http://i.imgur.com/vqe3N.jpg

Edited October 18, 2012 by Arthur

[AngryTechnician]

Now we're talking the sort of price range they should have been all along...

 

@localzuk, since you've had some experience with these in schools, a question for you: do you still have to get Chromebooks on a lease if you want management via the Google Apps dashboard, or can you get that with an upfront purchase now?

[zag]

Great idea, but still needs a long time to mature.

 

Glad to see the software is improving though.

[localzuk]

Now we're talking the sort of price range they should have been all along...

 

@localzuk, since you've had some experience with these in schools, a question for you: do you still have to get Chromebooks on a lease if you want management via the Google Apps dashboard, or can you get that with an upfront purchase now?

 

From what we were told, they no longer did the lease option. It was upfront or nothing, and the purchase includes 2 years of management.

 

You want to speak to a reseller though, we used C-Learning for it. They also can arrange a test set of them to try out for a week or so.

[dhicks]

Samsung has just released a new ARM-based Chromebook

 

Google had a full double-page spread ad in Metro (newspaper) this morning advertising the new Chromebook as the £229 (which, I assume, includes VAT) laptop "for everybody".