This is an excellent article on the real world deployment of Google Apps and Chromebooks by recruitment firm reed.co.uk. It gives great perspective from the corporate IT side of things and illustrates how effective Google's offering an be...
After great deliberation I finally took the plunge and bought a Google Chromebook. Regular readers will know that these are items I have debated and promoted greatly in the past and strongly believed they would be a terrific addition to the pc market. After using my Chromebook for the past week or so I am absolutely ecstatic with the product - it has been everything I had hoped for and more.
I plumped for the Samsung Series 5 wifi only model in Titan Silver (charcoal) and obtained it for an obscenely cheap price at a local discount retailer. I figured that I wouldn’t need the 3G option as my Nexus S can operate as a wireless hotspot giving me a portable connection when required.
First impressions when opening the box were that it was a refreshingly spartan product offering - no manuals, warranty cards etc. - just the laptop, charger and vga adapter cable. With everything plugged in and charging I then opened the device and hit the power button...
First boot sees you taken through a very quick walkthrough to establish a link with your wifi connection (which took seconds) and on how to use the nifty touch pad. You are then presented with your standard Google log-in page and a few keystrokes later - voila! I am then staring at Google Chrome with all my bookmarks, my own familiar desktop wallpaper (an image of the Nissan GTR if you must know!), my own Chrome apps and extensions and a rock solid internet connection. I was then off and surfing!
The device nice and quietly downloaded an update in the background which I applied at a later stage and that has been the only service activity - beyond that it has done exactly what it said on the tin - simple, web-centric computing based on the cloud delivery model. Google’s products are perfectly integrated with the device whilst I have yet to hit a glitch anywhere on other sites. As a result I have spent very little time in front of my traditional Win7 desktop pc preferring the portability of the Chromebook. What was particularly striking was the battery life (it went a whole week of use without needing charged) and the boot up speed - from off to surfing definitely takes under 10 seconds as advertised. You can tell the slowest part of the process is the establishing of a connection with the wifi - beyond that everything else just flies.
During the course of the week I was repairing a couple of friend’s laptops and had the Chromebook open to provide web-based assistance. Having a chance to compare a Windows laptop alongside the Samsung gave me further belief that the Chromebook is the future - no mucking about with patches, nagging software updates, slow boot times, limited storage space, installing apps, virus scans etc....the ability to open the lid and go is both refreshing and liberating and family members who tried the device thought it was too...
In short, I cannot rate the Chromebook highly enough and roundly recommend it to everyone...
Nike have unveiled their innovative Nike Fuel fitness system building upon the success of their Nike+ run measuring technology.
The new kit comes in the form of a wristband that records your exertion levels and calculates a notional points score against your level of daily activity. You can set targets that will be highlighted on the device's innovative LED light readout which then feeds back on your performance in red, yellow or green as to how well you are doing towards your target. The more active you are, the more points you score but, and this is the key difference, because the devices measures your oxygen uptake as well as having an on-board accelerometer. Other devices, including the Nike+ shoe sensor (which I use daily) only tracks the number of footsteps, whereas the Fuel band will watch your body chemistry, enabling exertion in other areas to be included in the measurement process. It's a very innovative idea....do more work, get more points....
The band links via Bluetooth to your iPhone (an Android app will follow in Spring!) to allow you to check your performance and has an in-built usb link for syncing and charging via your pc. Although not cheap at $150.00 each, the band has a great deal of promise and will no doubt encourage people to look for more energetic options in daily activities (e.g. take the stairs instead of the lift to score a few more points) as well as appealing to the fitness fan looking for better metrics on their body and performance. With it due for release in the UK from the 1st of May, this will hopefully coincide with the Android app launch and my own purchase!
I have used Nike+ for years and am an ardent fan but this might just persuade me to ditch the shoe sensor!
With CES, the world's biggest consumer electronics show now underway, perhaps the most intriguing early announcement has been the new range of Everio camcorders from JVC.
These devices offer the usual HD goodness now standard in handhelds but also now feature Wi-Fi enabling the device to send out video clips directly and easier transfer of files. An app is also coming for the iPhone and Android devices that will enable sending out files via the phone and the ability to use it as a remote control for the camcorder. The phone app also enables GPS geotagging of videos and photos and live monitoring on the mobile.
This is a very cool development and surely heralds the future of connected photographic devices able to upload and share photos independently of a pc or mac.
