Competition

I’ve been testing Chromebooks quite a bit lately and after reading this review of an inexpensive Windows 8 machine versus a Chromebook I can agree with at least one overarching thought …

Here’s the bright side of the Chromebook vs. Windows battle. The longer it rages on, the better these modern Windows netbooks will get. This fight isn’t for our $200. It’s about keeping us plugged into Microsoft’s services and software rather than Google’s.

via HP Stream 11 Review: A $200 Windows Laptop That’s Worth the Price – WSJ.

Chromebook Thoughts

This isn’t my first foray into the world of Google Chromebooks, but I am looking at them through a new lens after seeing some interesting things at the Gartner Expo last week. I will have lots to say about these things as I spend my time using it more and more. I am not yet committing to a 30 Day CB Challenge or anything, but I am considering it. I like the ease of use of the devices and I really like that they promote the use of Drive and the overall Google Apps for Edu suite we have in use here at Stony Brook.

ChromeBook

If I did do a challenge, I would want to invite an handful of participants to spend 30 days living on a CB as their primary machine. I’d love to have a few students, some faculty, and some staff to put these things through the paces and report on our collective experiences.

The overriding question is, can something as simple (and yet powerful) as a machine that runs really only a browser be competent as a work class machine. That is a worthy experiment that has been answered in other contexts, but not quite ours.

Until then I’ll be bouncing back and forth between this little device and my MacBook, iPad, and iPhone. The immediate limitation I have discovered is that so far I haven’t gotten 1Password to work, but I am guessing a simple google result will help that. If you are interested in exploring this territory with me, leave a comment or come find me.