Google laptop?

[Andrew_P]

Anyone had a go on Win 8 tablet yet?

 

[Edwards80]

I think these things are at an awkward mid point that serves no purpose well enough to justify it. Since buying a tablet (Nexus 7) I have barely touched the laptop at home - as soon as I need to do any photo/video editing or work in office, I use my desktop.

The chromebooks seem to sit in between the two - not good for the heavy stuff and not as convenient as just having the tablet sat on the coffee table for just browsing/checking mail etc.

 

[srw]

I would not personally define a tablet as a fully functioning computer, even though I own three. A tablet is very poor at and limited for video editing, has rubbish spreadsheet and database compatibility, and typing on them is an exceptionally poor experience. As someone who has to write large reports I find a tablet screen keyboard to be exceptionally restrictive. Im also not aware of how I place my documents on a USB stick using a tablet... Like the chrome laptop a tablet is exceptionally limited.

Until about 5 years ago no computer I had ever touched could do video editing sensibly, in common with most people I don't need database capability and these days I have people to do my spreadsheets for me - I haven't written a spreadsheet in anger for several years. As for typing, I have a tablet with a detachable keyboard; it's possible to get bluetooth keyboards. And my tablet has a USB port...

We live in a connected world, these days even when viewing pictures or media on your mobile phone you are still connected to the network, do switch your network off, or put the phone into 'flight mode' before looking at pictures?

I don't have a smart phone. My blackberry is slow at accessing the internet that I wouldn't want one. In order to make the Google brick work you either need a 3G connection (which costs) or a wifi connection (which rules out most of the world.

-- The chrome book has a lot of virtues, by placing everything online you can run lower powered, cheaper devices. The applications you are running on your laptop of desktop, can be insecure, old, buggy and simply nasty - By having the applications on the web the software maker will be able to update it and security patch it for all consumers, no physical media also prevents piracy.
Like it or not media is dead, we buy music from itunes and similar, stream movies from love film, play games which only offer functionality online, place all our pictures on the web in facebook and similar.... Soon your software will be provided online as well... The OS of the future will be a window to the web based applications and nothing more imho.

All of those "virtues" are benefits to the software and hardware supplier, not to the consumer.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Until about 5 years ago no computer I had ever touched could do video editing sensibly, in common with most people I don't need database capability and these days I have people to do my spreadsheets for me - I haven't written a spreadsheet in anger for several years. As for typing, I have a tablet with a detachable keyboard; it's possible to get bluetooth keyboards. And my tablet has a USB port....

So your basically saying that with regards to the standard Tablet that it is limited and not fully functional however if you add on additional parts, you can type properly on it, but the device still does not offer real standard productive office functionality. Spreadsheet formulas are common place and widely used, yet Tablets can not handle these correctly, my Samsung galaxy and Motorola xoom table also has micro USB however I am unable to plug a USB thumb drive directly into the device, format it, write data to it which can then be read by other systems.
Although your tablet has USB are you stating that you can :- plug a USB thumb drive directly into the device, format it, write data to it which can then be read by other systems.
A Tablet still doesn't sound fully functional to me !

I don't have a smart phone. My blackberry is slow at accessing the internet that I wouldn't want one. In order to make the Google brick work you either need a 3G connection (which costs) or a wifi connection (which rules out most of the world.

The chrome laptop is aimed at the connected world, the same people who own laptops, smart phones, connected tv and audio systems.. People living in the deepest congo do not have a need for such a device or a iPhone, Tablet, it does not mean these devices have no value
I find it ironic that you present a way to overcome the limitations of the standard tablet by adding additional components, you can also do the same to the chrome laptop. Having a Linux OS you can reconfigure it so that it uses local storage instead of the web, its not hard and infact you can eveb change the Operating System to a different type of Linux such as Ubuntu. This is documented by both Ubuntu and Chrome OS team.
http://dev.chromium.org/chromium-os...per-information/how-to-boot-ubuntu-on-a-cr-48

Im not denying the Chrome Laptop is limited, but equally so is a Tablet which I expressed previously

All of those "virtues" are benefits to the software and hardware supplier, not to the consumer.

As a consumer I see virtue in having up to date and secure software because as software ages bugs cease to be fixed. As a tech I know that a large proportion of spam, viruses, trojans and DDOS attacks sent around the world are done so from exploited and insecure desktops, as a consumer I do not want the crap these insecure systems spill out to impact my experience. As a consumer I like the fact I can leave my laptop at home and still access my data online using any computer in the world. As a consumer I like having all my albums and movies on-line as it means I do not have to have shelfs of these items cluttering up my front room, the sooner they take physical game media away from me the better as well.
As a consumer I appreciate smaller, cheaper, lower powered devices. I hate having to run expensive bemoths of systems with exceptional computing power just to run Windows, or edit a movie.. I love being able to let someone else pay for the big computing power and allowing me to upload my data and use there power to do the work.

Physical media is dead, BluRay will be the last big new media.... Old giant retails which handled media such as Blockbuster and HMV are now barely surviving, they lack a next generation online product, we buy more music online than ever before and fims are a massively increasing market.. Music, Movies are now a service and everything is moving towards a 'pay as you' service model.
In the past when you wanted web hosting, you took out a contract, with cloud hosting such as AWS you pay for what you use, its utility billing......
The future is here and its all going online -- Expect to see more connected devices in the future, not less.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Anyone had a go on Win 8 tablet yet?

I have one on test. Im a devout Linux dude generally and a Microsoft Hater, but I must admit its actually pretty good imho.
I think its very brave of Microsoft to not try to follow the looks we think of as being familiar due to Android and iOS devices and its very well thought out.
The quality and feel is pretty decent as well.. Its the first thing Microsoft have done for 15 years which has actually excited me.
I have not played with Windows 8 enough yet to have a strong opinion on it, but its pretty good on a touch screen imho, not a game changer, but at least they are now in the game

 

[Andrew_P]

I have one on test. Im a devout Linux dude generally and a Microsoft Hater, but I must admit its actually pretty good imho.
I think its very brave of Microsoft to not try to follow the looks we think of as being familiar due to Android and iOS devices and its very well thought out.
The quality and feel is pretty decent as well.. Its the first thing Microsoft have done for 15 years which has actually excited me.
I have not played with Windows 8 enough yet to have a strong opinion on it, but its pretty good on a touch screen imho, not a game changer, but at least they are now in the game

I have been hanging back on a Tablet as they just seem like 10" phones that cannot make a call. I am a bit of an MS fan in so far as it is familar and I find Office useful, even more so in mobile tablet form.

 

[mangaman]

I don't have a smart phone. My blackberry is slow at accessing the internet that I wouldn't want one. In order to make the Google brick work you either need a 3G connection (which costs) or a wifi connection (which rules out most of the world.)

I'm no "techie" srw, but surely wifi connections are pretty ubiquitous.

If you haven't got a smartphone or wifi then this machine is not for you, but I can see the advantages for a lot of people such as me, who use an Android smartphone and get wifi pretty much anywhere.

 

[jonny jeez]

I have one on test. Im a devout Linux dude generally and a Microsoft Hater, but I must admit its actually pretty good imho.
I think its very brave of Microsoft to not try to follow the looks we think of as being familiar due to Android and iOS devices and its very well thought out.
The quality and feel is pretty decent as well.. Its the first thing Microsoft have done for 15 years which has actually excited me.
I have not played with Windows 8 enough yet to have a strong opinion on it, but its pretty good on a touch screen imho, not a game changer, but at least they are now in the game

I was interested in these too.

I don't like how the Ipad seems to limit the use of applications (office stuff mainly) and is geared toward home use (as many apple products seem to be)

I also thought the application of a magnetic keyboard as a cover was a bit genius (is it bluetooth, if so are there issues when in crowded environments?).

what I really want is a tablet big enough to open detailed drawings (20 inch?) is light, office capable and has a real graffiti pad that I can actually write on like a notepad (no OCR, n delay, no feeling of the stylus floating an inch over the page and being impossible to use accurately, just scribbles saved direct as a Jpeg or PDF) this would eliminate my need to carry notepads, drawings, laptops minutes, schedules and word documents.

any ideas?

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

I was interested in these too.

I don't like how the Ipad seems to limit the use of applications (office stuff mainly) and is geared toward home use (as many apple products seem to be)
I also thought the application of a magnetic keyboard as a cover was a bit genius (is it bluetooth, if so are there issues when in crowded environments?).
what I really want is a tablet big enough to open detailed drawings (20 inch?) is light, office capable and has a real graffiti pad that I can actually write on like a notepad (no OCR, n delay, no feeling of the stylus floating an inch over the page and being impossible to use accurately, just scribbles saved direct as a Jpeg or PDF) this would eliminate my need to carry notepads, drawings, laptops minutes, schedules and word documents.

any ideas?

I have a Surface Pro which has fully functional windows, lower domestic models have a RT which is a restricted version of Windows
The Surface Pro is well worth a look at when it gets released to the market and could be exactly what your looking for, it's pretty useful for a hybrid and exceptionally versatile, its got the power and flexibility that most tablets/hybrids lack and can multi task properly I really think it could gain some traction in the enterprise/business market. The device is really good for general computing tasks such as presentations and the keyboard options are tactile and pleasant to use. The entire system is in fact a real joy to use from my experience so far, but this has only been limited, im hoping to play more with it next week.
At the moment its impressing, someone who hates Microsoft and had preconceived ideas before opening the box, I thought it was going to be rubbish, but is really interesting angle on the tablet/hybrid experience.. If used and marketed right Microsoft could have something really cool on their hands

 

[jonny jeez]

The Surface Pro is well worth a look at when it gets released to the market

Interesting, I saw that it was niot yet available on the web

If used and marketed right Microsoft could have something really cool on their hands

A very good point, the marketing to date seems to have focussed on the RT and has pitched itself at the bright, shiny happy market. There doesn't seem to be any effort to increase desire or show a real change in technology or direction.

MS need to adjust their whole campaign in my view, its far too chirpy and not sexy enough.

Its trying to copy Apples Californian-cool without having earnt its stripes in that department yet.

 

[srw]

So your basically saying that with regards to the standard Tablet that it is limited and not fully functional however if you add on additional parts, you can type properly on it, but the device still does not offer real standard productive office functionality. Spreadsheet formulas are common place and widely used, yet Tablets can not handle these correctly, my Samsung galaxy and Motorola xoom table also has micro USB however I am unable to plug a USB thumb drive directly into the device, format it, write data to it which can then be read by other systems.
Although your tablet has USB are you stating that you can :- plug a USB thumb drive directly into the device, format it, write data to it which can then be read by other systems.
A Tablet still doesn't sound fully functional to me !

http://eee.asus.com/en/transformer-prime/features
It's not perfect. But it's not a brick if it's not internetted.

 

[srw]

I'm no "techie" srw, but surely wifi connections are pretty ubiquitous.

If you haven't got a smartphone or wifi then this machine is not for you, but I can see the advantages for a lot of people such as me, who use an Android smartphone and get wifi pretty much anywhere.

When I'm not at home I spend most of my time in an office or on the train. There is no wifi on the train. The office wifi is restricted (for very good reasons that V4V goes on about at inordinate length) to corporate connections, or guests for short periods.

Frankly I don't want to be connected 24/7.

And talking of rooting a Chromebook to get at the UNIX kernel rather misses the point that DZ, for all his many virtues, is a technological klutz.

 

[Norm]

When I'm not at home I spend most of my time in an office or on the train. There is no wifi on the train. The office wifi is restricted (for very good reasons that V4V goes on about at inordinate length) to corporate connections, or guests for short periods.

Many smart phones, such as my now-ancient HTC Desire, can create their own WiFi networks.

I have used it on trains (rather than give Virgin £2 an hour) and in the office (rather than put personal connections through the office network) in the last week, so I'd certainly consider WiFi networks to be fairly ubiquitous.

I can, and do, turn it off, though.

 

[defy-one]

As Norm has said above .... IOS and Android phones have the ability to become your wifi.
I used to use it quite a lot before work provided us with a 3g dongle.
Have you thought about buying one of these? The data plans are coming down in price and it's suprising how little you need to use when on the move

 

[PaulSB]

Many smart phones, such as my now-ancient HTC Desire, can create their own WiFi networks.
:

Could you explain this a bit further please? Are you suggesting, it's what I've understood, the phone "creates" the wi fi? I thought wi fi is "broadcast" by something, a router for example, with a physical Internet connection.

I don't understand, but would like to, what you mean. Small words please