Cloud Print On Chrome OS

I tried Cloud Print...and I liked it...

That's what that famous singer would sing if it was her. Google Cloud Print works very well from Chrome OS. A simple setup, requiring an update to the latest version of Chrome on my Windows PC and an authorization to the Cloud Print Beta service. No driver issues, no annoying lengthy updates and restarts, just a few clicks and I'm printing from my Chromeputer - yeah, that's what I'm calling it lately! :)

The setup is simple - you must have a printer installed on your Windows PC, get the latest version of Google Chrome browser, sync it and authorize Cloud Print. Once you do that you can print from any synched device to your printer! Need more? Check out Google's explanation here.

Printing has always been one of the biggest hassles in computing. Installing a printer is like setting up the clock in the VCR or the microwave - once you get it to work you don't want to mess with it - so if Cloud Print can ease this task it will become one of my favorite services. I hope Google develops it to support Mac soon so I can print all those very few papers that I still am obligated to. They truly are very few every month, but it's still worth it! Good job with this one Google!!!

Chrome OS Pilot Program: The Cr-48

It's been a week since I received my CR-48 from Google. Using it has been a thrill of some sort and also a period of adjustment for what it does and does not. But what about the machine itself? What are its specifications, dimensions, ports, battery, and all that technical stuff that Google isn't talking about? No hard drive of course means: no desktop, no control panel, no finder, no obvious way to find out information about it. Being so new meant of course no reviews either, so I am on my own trying to find out what I can. Other GCTs have gotten theirs also but there has been little communication between us. So I'll post here what little I have found.

The machine works well for web based services. It loads fast, about a second. It is online quick, even when tethering from my EVO. It works in secured networks but no LEAP, so not possible to use the wifi at work, which is a disappointment but not a major one. This means that most of the time I am connected to my phone, but Sprint's 4G in New York City is pretty fast and reliable so no problems there. On this area Chrome OS proves to be exactly what it promises, a haven for those of us who live on the web. A week of heavy use and it is still the same as the first day, fast and reliable. The only instances in which I have had to use my MacBook have been to unzip files, to edit video, to use Skype and to stream movies on one of my favorite online channels (which I'm not posting here for obvious reasons).

The CR-48 has a USB port that will do some things but not all that I need. It will charge my phone and my iPods but not my iPad. It will let me control the volume using my Logitech USB Headset but the sound and microphone still are local. Flash memory drives can be plugged in and it is possible to retrieve images and files to upload but it is not intuitive. They must be handled with web based editing services or uploaders.


The battery has good life, it lasts for a few hours of continuous usage. It does not go for 8 hours as claimed but I do use it heavily, streaming, uploading, browsing, trying apps, etc. Standby it does last much longer. I don't think I'll ever know how long it lasts on standby as I am continuously using it. The battery itself is big, and removing it shows the model and serial as well as a port for a card, possibly a sim card.

The touchpad works ok but not great. Scrolling up and down gets jerky at times, taking some extra effort to stop at the right place. All other buttons work very well. The tab button is fantastic for the incognito window, hiding it from the eyes of all of those who want to see the new machine. The lower case keyboard and the search button make for great conversation. Everyone at first thinks that caps are not possible, even though there are the usual two shift buttons. The volume is acceptable but not outstanding, but so isn't the volume in my MacBook.

Overall the Cr-48 is a great experience, mostly because of the Chrome OS as the hardware is not outstanding. The best things: no crashes, no waiting time, no annoying updates (it did one two days ago that took about one minute including restart), no virus definitions popups, no problems doing flash video and animations, and no heating up with fans making sounds. The experience is so light and intuitive that it seems like it has always been that way with every computing device. It makes you forget that other machines are constantly crashing.

Chrome OS Pilot Program: Applying - Receiving - Setting Up!

On Tuesday December 7 of 2010 Google's Chrome Team announced  that Chrome OS was ready for real user testing. The Chrome Web Store opened and a Pilot Program was launched for qualified users to try out the Cr-48 notebook, which would be sent free. Of course, I immediately applied for mine, hoping to be selected to participate and have input into what promises to be a turning point not just for innovators but for all who live life on the web. I have been living a virtual life for years and every day it mimics my real life more and more. After becoming a Google Certified Teacher, and even before, most of it has been linked to Google in a big way. The support team for their products is what makes them a great company. Every time something comes up they are and have been very responsive, so every time something new comes up I want to be there ASAP, knowing that if the product is good it will change and or transform how I live my life.

Since the release of the Chrome browser there has been a change in how I live life on the internet. The announcement last year of a Chrome operating system was a real hope of a new way of doing so. Applications that are web based means no hard drive spinning under my fingers, unnecessarily consuming energy. I do most of my word processing using Google Docs, maybe about 90% I would say. There is very little I save in my devices other than video editing. My pictures live between Picasa, Flicker, Facebook and others I have forgotten already; my videos after editing live mostly on youtube; I don't archive email to my hard drives; hey, I learned from many crashes that whatever I put in local drives will follow Murphy's law! My 'stuff' lives in many places, most of them not local. My backup drive still exists, but it is mostly for video that needs to be edited sometime. In all, I want to live life not worrying about my 'stuff' being lost when I leave my laptop behind and without having to rely on the life of computing devices that have proven to be unpredictably reliable.

So, nack to the pilot program, I received my Cr-48 on Friday December 10 of 2010. What a thrill! The device looks awesome. No brand, no logos, just a black laptop. The keyboard is all lowercase and without a caps lock key, so no more yelling online! (Yes, you can reassign the search key that is placed where the usual caps lock key was to be what you are used to having there, but why would you? I know I won't.) The simplicity of it is exhilarating. Computers tend to have too many buttons, which is why Macbooks look more attractive than PC's most of the time. Minimalism is attractive for someone like me who prefers to understand the fundamental aspects of life over the complexities of appearances. Function keys are replaced by buttons that are easy to understand - back, forward, refresh, next tab, full screen, brightness and volume. Great, they make guessing a thing of the past! Everything else on the keyboard is what we are used to.





Once turned on (it turns on right away, very fast!) the setup is simple: choose your location in the world and of course, choose your internet access point. Remember, it lives to go online. Next step is you as a user: setup your username and password - Google account of course. Then take a picture, if you want of course, but how could you say no? It's the first chance to test the camera! Once the picture is taken the notebook does some update for a few minutes as it gets ready to be used. After this you are immediately greeted by the Pilot Program's welcome screen. This makes you realize that you are in the Chrome browser and that there is no exit button. No desktop, no Start button, no Finder, just Chrome. The same experience I have been having for some time now browsing in Chrome is extended now to be the only thing I do. Simplicity again makes for bliss. My computer is setup and works without me having to name it three times, go through pages of agreements and warnings - it just works. Up to now it has been a beautiful experience.

As the title of this post says, up to setup. Now it's time to use it and see what it's like to have the latest innovation in my hands and have the opportunity to give feedback to a great team of developers that have been putting forth great products for years. Thanks to the Chrome Team of course! Next post will come shortly - there's much to say about the experience - right now of course I am blogging from the Cr-48!!!