ChromeOS - On the road

I went on my first, out of country, trip with my ChromeOS netbook, over the weekend, and had a taste of how well ChomeOS does without Internet access. At home and on the road in my home country I'm always online, using WiFi or 3G, but outside Denmark using 3G is simply way to expensive, and I have to stick to WiFi whenever its available. First time without access was on the plane, but since I had not turned on offline mode for any of the Google apps, the netbook was simply unusable. I could have turned on offline mode in Google Docs and Google Calendar. Angry Birds should also work in offline mode. On the flight I could have watched a movie, but my tests earlier showed me that almost no video codec is supported, so any movie I would have liked to watch would have to be converted, even if I’m not 100% sure to what format. After connecting to a WiFi at my destination I activated offline mode on Google Docs and Calendar. I had some problems with Angry Birds, but I know that it works from earlier tests. In Google Docs you get the ability to view any document you have created earlier, but you cannot create a new document for later upload. It’s the same in Google Calendar. You can view all appointments, but not create new ones.

Being able to look up appointments and read though uploaded or earlier created documents is of course valuable, but the major reason for bringing a netbook on a trip is usually to create content of some kind. Google’s move to open up offline mode is a really good start, but for ChromeOS to take off they need to expand offline mode for their main apps. I’m not asking for the same usability as in online mode, I know that ChromeOS is a Cloud based system, but the ability to add content is essential. Writing a document, creating a spreadsheet, adding an appointment or replying to an email is actions you at a minimum would expect to be able to do even if you are not connected. Other things I would not mind seeing on ChromeOS in offline mode would include, reading up on Google+ and replying to posts, browsing pictures from Picasa and maybe even editing a little, watching cached videos from YouTube and planning my trip on Maps after downloading a map of my destination from home. There is lots more I would like to do, but these things are all things Google have the power to make come through, and I’m sure that there will be lots of other companies that will make their site available in offline mode for the Chrombooks out there also. On the media side Google have to include more video codec. I’m sure there will be improvements on this in the future, since playing videos is a very common thing to do on a netbook.



So have my offline experience turned me off ChromeOS? No I still use ChromeOS every day as my primary netbook OS. All the gains it gives me when connected outweigh the downsides of the current offline features. It does sober me up a bit on what is still needed for ChromeOS to be a true competitor to the super smartphones or the tablets out there. You do need a minimum of features even when your Cloud based OS is offline, and you need to be able to play movies, listen to music and view pictures in a easy to use interface and without having to do the converting game ahead of time.

Read my impressions of ChromeOS on a netbook here, http://chromebooknews.com/2011/06/19/chrome-os-on-aspire-one-a110-user-report/

How Google/Motorola could make the Atrix perfect

How the Atrix could look if running ChromeOS

Now Google owns Motorola Mobile Division, thoughts on that new and interesting products will emerge from the joint forces, can begin. One of the products I would really like to see is a updated version of the Motorola Atrix. The phone gone netbook idea really appeals to me and a couple of minor fixes to the existing platform could make it a real game changere.



The Atrix today uses the Firefox browser as the main feature of the Webtop system that starts every time the Atrix is docked. From what I understand from the reviews I have seen and read, it is also the Achilles' heel of the system. The promise of the full browser experience is not there and the system is slow. Google now have the change to chance that and at the same time make the perfect bridge between its to major OS’es. If they change the Webtop OS to ChromeOS, it will secure the full browser experience and make sure that the Atrix platform is 100% integrated into Google infrastructure. We have all ready seen ChromeOS running on Android hardware, ChromeOS on the Asus transformer, so the hardware and software is compatible. Actually I always wondered why Motorola decided on Firefox and not Chrome for the Atrix. If Google/Motorola at the same time upgraded the hardware so it included the latest quard core processor, the processing power should be there to make the entire experience like using one of the Chromebooks all ready in the marked.



A ChromeOS Atrix will address a lot of needs in the marked. Firstly it could easily be the benchmark Ice Cream Sandwich Android phone. Secondly it will be able to eat in to the netbook marked in a very price competitive way. The netbook dock is prices at around $200, a lot for at dock, but not if you get a Chromebook out of the investment. This setup could be very interesting for for the average consumer, but its one of the software developers for ChromeOS that will make this a killer product. Citrix launching its viewer for ChromeOS will open up a ChromeOS based Atrix to the businesses traveler and could very easily be all the hardware a company would have to give them. Since they will be working via a Citrix connection data is secure, even if the unit is lost.



So by changing 1 - 2 components in the existing Motorola Atrix, Google/Motorola could win over not just the consumer marked, but the business marked at the same time.