Chrome OS Build 35.0.1883.2 Developer Channel

The Chrome OS Build 35.0.1883.2 Developer Channel includes new features some of which are carried over from the Chrome OS 34 build on the Developer Channel.

New features

1. 3 finger Expose ( this feature has been around a while when pressing the Window Switcher key, but now the ability to swipe up on the Trackpad will bring up the open window spread, while swiping down will put all windows back how they were). This new Trackpad gesture is far more convenient than having to press the Window Switcher key when you want to switch between open Windows.


2. Multi-Profile support is currently in testing, this allows you to run Multiple-Profiles in the same Desktop session without having to login to the other Profile, the only useful use for this feature is to be able to check Multiple GMail Accounts at the same time.


3. A new Wallpaper API is available to allow Application Developers to create new Apps that allow you to customize the Chrome OS Desktop how you want it.


4. Black & White Web Page History, this feature renders previously visited webpages in Black & White when you do a 2 finger Horizontal swipe on the Trackpad (but I've been unable to get this new feature of the 2 finger Horizontal swipe gesture to work on the new Developer Channel build).


5.  Quick App Info, this feature allows you to see App permissions from the Right Click Menu ( currently hidden behind a Chrome flag).


6. Android Style On-Screen Keyboard, This feature is only useful if you're rocking a Touch-screen device such as the Google Chromebook Pixel or Acer C720-P Touch-screen Chromebooks & could also be a hint towards a future Chrome OS Table.


7. App Launcher Folders, this feature is useful if you want to Organize your App folder (especially if you want to keep all your Google Drive Office Applications altogether).


8. New look Chrome OS Audio Player that has a speech bubble style pop-out from the Shelf instead of the box pop-out of the earlier version.


9. Chromecast Streaming fix, this fix allows Chrome Tabs to be streamed to a Chromecast enabled TV even when the lid of a Chromebook is closed.


10. Transparent App Windows Dropped, Google has dropped Transparent Application Windows borders in favour of the gray Maximized border. Ether Google are facing a Copyright Law suit from Microsoft due to the Transparent Window borders looking Windows Aero-esque or they want to move away from an Aero styled Desktop & Develop their own style.

Conclusion

With these new features being added to Chrome OS in the Developer Channel build of Chrome OS 35, it's making Chrome OS a serious alternative to a Traditional Desktop OS, but as always none of the features in the Dev Channel are guaranteed to make it to the Beta Channel or as with the webpage history changes in the previous Dev Channel Chrome OS 34 build they're not even guaranteed to make it to the next Dev Channel build.

Roland

Google Chromecast Officially Hits The UK

Google officially launched the Chromecast HDMI dongle in 11 new countries on Wednesday and the UK was one of them, this means that anyone wanting to get their hands on one will no longer have to go through the time-consuming and expensive route of having to get one imported from the US. This also means that there will be more streaming services than just YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music & Netflix will be available with the BBC's on-demand service BBC iPlayer being available at launch (through the BBC iPlayer Android & iOS App). But all the UK on-demand services are available through their respective websites, although you've got to be a Google Chrome user and have the Google Cast Chrome extension installed on your Desktop or Laptop computer.



The UK Chromecast is exactly the same as a US import with one exception the UK one comes with a UK USB mains adaptor, and it's also fully configured for the UK services meaning that iPlayer will work out of the box.

Set up

Set up is a simple matter of plugging the Chromecast into a free HDMI port on your TV, connect the Micro USB to USB power lead to the Chromecast then plug it into the USB socket on your TV or to the mains outlet on your wall via the mains adaptor, switch to the HDMI input that you plugged it into and follow the on-screen instructions.

Initial impressions

I've only been using my Chromecast since Wednesday when it was launched, and picture quality from YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Google Play Movies & TV & Netflix is just as good as what you get over the air on any SD or HD channel that's available. If your Broadband connection is anything less than 2mbps+ then your experience will be less than satisfactory.

With the 12.51mbps Broadband connection that I've got streaming BBC One programs live is exactly the same quality as watching BBC One SD via Freesat, with no signs of compression for streaming via the internet. The same can't be said for streaming a YouTube video as that depends on the equipment used by the YouTube channel as most YouTube channels are amateur the recording and editing hardware & software won't always be the top of the range or of the same quality as Professionals, but with the 12.51mbps Brokadband Connection on a 42" 1080p TV YouTube videos are just as good as what they are on a Laptop or Tablet & Smartphone screen.

Pro's

1. Cheaper than having to pay a premium for a Smart TV


2. More convenient than having to use a computer screen to watch YouTube, BBC iPlayer & Netflix

Con's

1. Takes up a HDMI input on your TV or AV amp


2. Currently only limited to Google Services for Streaming and BBC iPlayer for on-demand


3. Needs an Android or iOS Tablet or Smartphone to control the Chromecast


4. Limited to Google Chrome & Google Cast to stream a Google Chrome tab for on-demand services that don't currently support Chromecast via their Smartphone/Tablet Apps

Despite the Con's out weighing the Pro's at the moment the Chromecast is still well worth the £30 price tag as over the coming weeks and months more services should start to support Chromecast.

With the Chromecast being a plugin Dongle it means that you can quite easily move it from TV to TV around your home or even move it from old to new TV so that you don't have to pay a premium for a smart TV. Since Wednesday I've not used my Chromebook to watch YouTube videos as I've used the Chromecast instead as it's much more convenient to just use my Google Nexus 7 Tablet and Google Chromecast to do the same thing.

Roland

Why I Chose The Acer C720 Chromebook

I chose the Acer C720 Chromebook for  5 reasons:

1. I wanted a Ultrabook style computer without having to pay a premium for a Windows 8 or MacBook Air, when all the time I spent on my Windows 7 Laptop was online and using Google Chrome.


2. The Acer C720 Chromebook is the only Chromebook that looks like a Ultrabook.


3. the price, at £198.99 The C720 is the cheapest of the Chromebook line and I didn't want to break the bank on a second Laptop.


4. The Acer C720 is more portable than the only other Intel based Chromebook, the HP Chromebook 14 and I didn't want a Laptop with a comparable screen size to my Windows 7 Laptop that is 15.6" as I wanted something that I could take everywhere with me.


5. The Samsung Chromebooks along with the HP Chromebook 11 are nice looking but are a little over priced to say that they're using Arm Processors.

I also thought for the price the Acer C720 Chromebook is pretty well specced for the price and looks as stylish as any of the Windows Ultrabooks that are out there. Why pay more for a HP or Samsung Chromebook that runs an Arm Processor when you can get a more powerful x86 Intel Processor based Chromebook for less than £200.00, I know that the HP Chromebook 14 is Intel based but as it's a larger size than the Acer C720, Samsung & HP Chromebook 11 it's not fair to include it in this comparison of Arm v Intel Chromebooks.

Roland

Previous

iPearl mCover Hard Shell Case for Acer C720 / C720P series Chromebook Review (Part 2)

The iPearl mCover Hard Shell Case comes well packed. Not only does each individual piece come individually wrapped for protection, but it comes in a thick plastic bag that can be used as a pouch for the C720.

Installation went like a breeze and the Covers hold on pretty well considering that the C720 has some unusual design elements. even though I've got the mCover on my C720 I still keep it in the original fabric pouch that it's wrapped in along with keeping the fabric sheet that protects the screen from the Keyboard, I also keep it in the plastic pouch that the mCover came in. Since the pouch that the mCover comes in has a handle it makes it easy to pull my C720 out of the Laptop Messenger bag that I use to keep my Chromebook along with accessories and the charger.

Using the iPearl mCover for a week

After using the iPearl mCover on my C720 for a week I've got to say that it adds a good layer of protection without adding extra weight or obscuring the ports. I managed to get a slight but noticeable scuff on the rear right comer of my C720 and after adding the mCover it totally obscures the scuff thanks to the dark but translucent base cover. The lid cover is opaque but translucent enough that the Acer and Chrome branding still show through, the bottom cover is totally translucent.

The mCover definitely adds a noticeable layer of protection without sacrificing any of the stylish looks of the C720 or adding any noticeable weight. even though the rear of the C720 is left un-protected  to allow for the C720 to open and not obscure the rear vent, along with the sides being left un-protected to allow easy access to all the ports it still will give protection to the sides and rear of the C720.

The bottom cover has loads of ventilation hole. The front feet are made from Silicone rubber while the rear feet are made of the same material as the cover but do have a soft touch feel to them to aid in gripping to a table. There is a nice bonus on the bottom of the cover in the form of two-fold down legs that are positioned just in-front of the rear feet and slightly in from the edge of the cover.

The fold down feet allow for a more comfortable angle for the keyboard for typing, to add a slight raised position of the screen when using the C720 on a desk ether while using an external keyboard, mouse & external screen or if just using the C720 with an external screen.

Conclusion

The iPearl mCover is definitely worth getting if you want to protect your C720 or if you want to add a splash of colour to your C720. With a choice of 9 colours there is definitely a colour that will suit anyone.

Would I recommend the iPearl mCover 

When it comes to recommending a cover for the Acer C720 then I'd definitely recommend the iPearl mCover as it's the only cover available that's not a pouch or a sleeve.

The mCover is a case that will add a splash of colour to any C720 and allow you to give your C720 a personal touch that goes way beyond just the Desktop Wallpaper while still keeping the sleek stylish looks of the C720 as well as adding a minimal amount of weight and minimal bulk, but also adding a very noticeable amount of protection.

the iPearl mCover is definitely worth the £19.99GBP price tag on Amazon, and I can see myself using the mCover for the life of my C720 as it's the only cover on the market, but it'd be nice to see some of the folio cases that are available for Mac Laptops along with some of the other hard shells available for Macs having Chromebook versions as well.

A keyboard cover is now a sorely missed piece of protection for Chromebooks.

Roland

Previous

RollApp Adds The Ability To Use LibreOffice And More For Chrome OS Users

For anyone considering getting a Chrome OS device but feeling put off by the lack of powerful applications like LibreOffice and Open Office there's now a new Cloud based Service called RollApp.

What's RollApp?

RollApp is a web service that allows you to use popular Desktop Apps like the Linux staple Office suite LibreOffice along with some other popular Linux applications.

RollApp has a few Chrome web Apps in the Chrome Store like the full LibreOffice & Open Office suite, The Gimp and Inkscape image editing tools. but on the RollApp website there are loads of Applications that can only be run from the website (No Chrome web apps).

RollApp comes in two versions free with Ads or for $6.99 (approx £4.17) Ad free, or you can subscribe to individual apps for $0.99 (approx £0.59), or for $1.99 (approx £1.18) you can subscribe to individual recourse hungry applications.

RollApp can connect to various Cloud Storage services including Google Drive which is ideal for Chrome OS users.

I'm currently using the free version of RollApp to add LibreOffice compatibility to my Acer C720 Chromebook.

[caption id="attachment_1985" align="aligncenter" width="300"] LibreOffice Writer running as a native Chrome OS web app[/caption]

LibreOffice Writer looks and behaves as a native Chrome OS web app, and looks and behaves like it does natively in any other OS. There is one down side to using RollApp is that the service has a signal strength meter and if the signal strength is low you're unable to do anything.

RollApp seems to be a little temperamental as regards to the signal strength. Once the signal strength drops from green to red the applications lock-up and you can't do anything. I don't know if this is down to the newness of the service, or whether it's the developers of the service are promising something that they can't simply provide due to bandwidth or there are simply too many new users that want more powerful applications on their Chromebooks.

Before anyone suggests that it could be down to the signal strength of my WiFi. My router is a dual band one and I'm connected to the net using the 5GHZ radio in the C720, also from my position in the living room I've got full signal strength as the router is at the other end of the living room, my connection speed from my ISP is 8.27Mbps down and 0.39Mbps up (using speedtest.net).

Conclusion

The RollApp service in principle is a good idea, but until the developers can get the service to be more reliable and accommodate the increase of users that they'll now get from Chromebook users then I'd stay away, especially if the free service is anything to go by. If the free service has been deliberately crippled to get people to sign-up to the paid service then it's not doing them any favours, but since you get 14 days of the Premium service for free when you sign-up to the free service I can only conclude that there is a bandwidth issue ether from their ISP or on their servers but it's spoiling what could be a great service for Chromebook users.

Roland

Microsoft Considering Chromebook Rival

Microsoft are reportedly considering a Chromebook rival called the Bingbook. The Bingbook will be powered by a light version of Windows 8.1 with key Microsoft Services, and is intended as a free or low-cost Upgrade to Windows 7.

Microsoft are that desperate to get people to Upgrade to Windows 8.1 that they would go against their anti-Google Scrooogled campaign to get people to Upgrade to Windows 8.1.

Microsoft need to seriously update their web services before even contemplating a Chrome OS rival.

1. The outlook.com web-mail service needs to be brought up to the same level as GMail as it's pretty basic.


2. The Microsoft Calendar within outlook.com needs to be brought outside of outlook.com.


3. OneDrive needs to be brought outside of outlook.com, and have an increase of free storage from the current 7GB.


4. The Office web apps need to be updated to allow direct printing instead of converting to a PDF and then printing at draft quality at best.


5. Internet Explorer needs to be made a little more lightweight to support lower screen resolution and hardware spec of a Netbook.

For Microsoft to make a competitor to Chrome OS they'd have to abandon the Modern UI of Windows 8.1 which I can't see them doing in a million years as they seem to think that it's perfect despite the dismal uptake of Windows 8/8.1.

I can see several catches to the Microsoft Bingbook idea and one of them being having to buy a yearly or monthly Subscription to Microsoft Office 365 once you've purchased a Bingbook, which is fair enough if they make a free version for people who have a Windows 7 Laptop or Desktop that works perfectly fine, but if people have to buy new Bingbook then people aren't going to be too pleased after paying $250 or £149 (based on current exchange rate and the proposed $250 retail price).

Microsoft will then have to suck up to Google to licence Google Cloud Print or develop their own version, as well as tailor the Office web apps for better printing as at present both the free Office web apps and the paid Office 365 versions convert documents to PDF before downloading them and sending them to your printer, and the quality is only Draft quality at best and not suitable for anything professional such as business use and for say job applications e.t.c, and since the largest group of Windows 8/8.1 hold outs are Enterprise users.

This proposal also contradicts Microsoft's announcement of extending the pre-install and support life for Enterprise users of Windows 7. But with the amount of U-turns that Microsoft have done since the initial release of Windows 8 then this proposal wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Conclusion

If Microsoft does go ahead with this proposal the initial release would be worse than the initial release of Chrome OS as Microsoft will probably rush through the initial release to try and claw back some of the money that they have lost due to the poor sales of Windows 8/8.1.

If Microsoft want to build a true competitor to Chrome OS then they will have to create a stripped down Windows 8.1 that doesn't use the Modern UI, and instead go down  the Chrome OS root and build a lightweight Internet Explorer and call it the Bing Browser and build a kind of Bing OS around it with all the apps e.t.c being web apps and browser add-on's as the main selling point of Chrome OS is being that a Chromebook is light weight and portable with excellent battery life. I can remember my first Netbook ( an Advent one, can't remember the model) it had a 10" screen a keyboard that was so cramped it was impossible to use, the battery life wasn't the best and it wasn't that light. It also ran Windows XP when it was more than capable of running Windows Vista, which I then put Windows Vista Ultimate on before installing Windows 7 Ultimate on which it still had on right up until dying earlier this year.

Since then I moved on to an Acer  C720 Chromebook that's lightweight with excellent battery life. It's so light that I carry it around with me everywhere I go even if it doesn't get used.

Microsoft need to take note of Chrome OS if they really want to create a Chrome OS rival, and I think they're going to struggle to get many OEM's on board as Bingbook partners since Chrome OS's popularity has risen in recent months and the Scroogled campaign hasn't done Microsoft any favours. I think that the only realistic way that Microsoft can make a go of Bingbooks is if they retire the Microsoft Surface RT line of Tablets and replace them with the Bingbook line.

The proposition of giving away the Bingbook OS to OEM's or even making it a free Upgrade to Windows 7 is probable all talk by Microsoft as Windows licence sales both to OEM's and through Retail channels makes them money, buy giving the Bingbook OS away to OEM's and possibly even as a free Upgrade to Windows 7 means that they're going to have to find a way to make money from Bingbooks, but then the increased sales of Office 365 Subscriptions or OneDrive Storage Upgrade Subscriptions will more than make-up for the loss of revenue from Bingbook licences, but considering that Windows 8/8.1 take-up has been slow I can't see anyone adopting the Bingbook concept as the Microsoft Services aren't as mature as their Google counterparts, also Microsoft really need to make a cloud version of the VBA Scripting language to allow for people who have spent time creating Scripts or even extensions to the likes of Word and Excel to be able to use the Microsoft Office web apps and re-create all of their Scripts.

The real beauty of Google Services is that the Google Apps Script language that's used to create custom functions, extensions and scripts for the various services is all cloud based and stored in Google Drive meaning that they'll be available no matter if you're using a Mac, Windows, Linux or Chrome OS Device meaning that your Google Sheets functions and extensions will work no matter what OS you're using.

Chrome OS is being constantly updated with new features and you can always switch between the Current Stable, Beta and Development releases without too much trouble, but I can see Microsoft abandoning Bingbooks once Windows 9 is released as supporting low-end hardware isn't really Microsoft's thing, also the Bingbook concept is about boosting Windows 8.1 take up.

Roland