Chrome OS In The Future

With Samsung launching the Chromebook 2 in 11.6" and 13" varieties and the Education focused Chromebooks from new Chrome OS OEM's Dell and Lenovo, what's the future got in store for Chrome OS? The  Lenovo ThinkPad 11e yoga looks the most interesting of the new entrants to the Chromebook market, and could be the Chromebook that kickstarts the idea of having a Chrome OS Tablet in the future. We've already got Chromebooks, Chromeboxes & LG launching an iMac styled Chromebase then a Chrometab seems to be the obvious progression in the evolution of Chrome OS.

What I'd like to See in Chrome os in the future

With Google hinting at introducing an Easy Unlock feature, what would I like to see in the future of Chrome OS?

I'd like to see a way to integrate OneDrive, Box & Dropbox into the files app and improvements to the Offline capabilities of Google Drive.

Yesterday April 29 Acer announced an as yet unnamed Chromebook that will be powered by an intel Core i3-4005U running at 1.7GHZ and boast intel HD4400 grapics. as yet there is no word on a release date, price, amount of RAM or storage size, source OMG Chrome.

Roland

Other External Hardware That Works in Chrome OS

 

I was going through some of the external hardware that I've got lying around in my Windows Laptop bag to see what is compatible with Chrome OS and what isn't compatible with Chrome OS.

Generic USB 2.0 webcam

 

I originally got this Webcam as an experiment using face tracking software for gaming which has sat in my Laptop bag ever since. So I decided to try it in my Chromebook, it works flawlessly in Hangouts call and is so much clearer than the built-in one and the 6 LED's get rid of any artifacts created by low light. Unfortunately the Chrome OS Camera app doesn't support the use of external Webcams, but the LED's will help get rid of low light artifacts.

I don't really use the built-in Webcam that much, so I won't be using my external Webcam all that much, but it might come in handy if I attempt to do some Unboxing videos on YouTube.

Generic Wireless USB Mouse

I originally got this mouse because I'm not a fan of the tiny portable wired Mouse that came with the Laptop bag. For the small amount that I paid for it on eBay it's an excellent Mouse. It works perfectly with Chrome OS, but yet again it'll not get much use as I really like the gesture control of the multi-touch trackpad.

If I could get hold of an Apple cheaply on eBay I'd give it a go with my Chromebook as I'd like to re-setup a little office space in the Livingroom to get a comfortable work area than having my desk pretty much being my knee and the spare seat on the sofa.

Conclusion

Chrome OS is really good at supporting external hardware no matter how cheap or generic it is.

Planned Projects

I'm hoping to get a replacement HDD Caddy for my 2.5" external HDD, as I've had my current one since about 2009/10 and it's seen better days. I'm also considering upgrading the 16GB internal SSD by adding a 32GB SD card, whether I keep the SD card in the SD slot permanently or keep inserting it every time I take it out to use it I've not decided.

I'm hoping to do these over the weekend or in the week as I've got to order them on eBay and await delivery. I'll not be doing any Articles on the's upgrades but I might do a review of the SD Card and the HDD Caddy.

Roland

Targus Slim Netbook Case Review

I was looking for a bag for my Acer C720 Chromebook as the Targus Laptop Messenger bag that I'd previously been using was starting to get uncomfortable to as it's a heavy bag when it's empty.

How I came across the Targus Slim Netbook Case was purely by accident while searching eBay for Chromebook Cases and it popped up on the listings, so for the price I decided to buy it & yesterday it was delivered. So after over a days use here's my review.

Review

The Targus Slim Netbook case states on its information tag that it's for Netbooks up to 11.6", but it comfortably fits my Acer C720 even when its got its iPearl cover on it.

[caption id="attachment_2092" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Targus Slim Netbook Case information tag showing dimensions[/caption]

The Case is a good size and is very well made, it's got the same quality feel about it as my old Targus Laptop Messenger Bag the only difference is that it's made from lightweight material.

[caption id="attachment_2094" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Targus Slim Netbook Case outside[/caption]

The case looks more like a Netbook Sleeve than a Netbook Case as it doesn't have a full Zip main compartment, but the handles and the front zip pocket are a give away that it's a Case and not a Sleeve, it's also got a rear baggage trolley loop with Velcro fastening.

The main compartment has a double zip fastening with an elasticated Velcro strap to stop your Netbook or Chromebook from slipping out. The main compartment is spacious with more than enough space for an 11.6" laptop.

[caption id="attachment_2095" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Main compartment with Velcro fastening closed[/caption]

The front compartment has room for 3 pens,a small expanding pocket with a Velcro fastening, a big pocket with 2 medium-sized pocket in front, another big pocket with 4 pockets the size of USB flash drives on the front, as well as a spacious pocket to hold a Power supply, the only down side is that a UK mains lead is a bit too bulky to fit in unless you're using the case for an 11" MacBook Air.

[caption id="attachment_2096" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The front organizer Accessory pocket[/caption]

The case also comes with an extendable shoulder strap that makes it easy to carry your laptop around without the risk of dropping it.

[caption id="attachment_2097" align="aligncenter" width="300"] extendable shoulder strap[/caption]

The case is so spacious that I can get my Asus Google Nexus 7 Tablet as well as my Acer C720, power supply, headphones and a few other accessories including a Chrome OS Recovery USB Flash Drive.

[caption id="attachment_2098" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The contents of my Targus Slim Netbook Case[/caption]

Conclusion

The Targus Slim Netbook Case is a quality case with plenty of space for carrying your 11.6" Chromebook along with all your essential accessories, keeping the Chromebook power supply with you is probably not necessary, but I keep it in so I can find it when I need it as well as it's always ready for when I go away for a few days and need to charge. The only chargers I can't carry with me are my phone and tablet ones, but there is room for a USB to iPhone Dock Connector cable and a USB to Micro USB cable.

I'd recommend this case for anyone who has an 11" Chromebook  as there is plenty of space to keep everything that you need together.

 

Roland

New Easy Unlock Feature Coming Soon To Chrome OS

In the latest Chrome OS Development release there is a new feature hidden under a Chrome Flag, this feature is called Easy Unlock.

[caption id="attachment_2087" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Easy Unlock Chrome Flag[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2085" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Easy Unlock option in Settings.[/caption]

Once enabled Easy Unlock Setup can be found in Settings > Show Advanced Settings, once you select Setup Easy Unlock you get a Setup Wizard.

[caption id="attachment_2086" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Easy Unlock Setup Wizard[/caption]

The Easy Unlock Setup Wizard currently doesn't work, but it does point towards how it will work as when you select Find your phone it switches on the Bluetooth Radio in your Chromebook.

Conclusion

The Chrome OS Easy Unlock reminds me of a tiny hardware device that I saw in my local PC World years ago where you plugged a USB Dongle into your Windows Computer or Laptop and a puck was used to lock or unlock your Computer depending on if the puck was in rang of the USB Dongle in your Computer.

At present it's impossible to tell if Easy Unlock will only unlock your Chromebook or if it'll lock your Chromebook as well. If it only unlocks when it goes live it'll be nice if Google improve Easy Unlock to lock as well.

Roland

What's On My Chromebook Shelf Right Now

THE MOST USED APPS ON MY CHROMEBOOK, AND

WHY THEY'RE THERE

While my iPhone and Google Nexus 7 Tablet are mainly used for leisure, my Chromebook is used mostly for work, I spend most of my day, it's what I use to update this blog and work on various other projects. So I thought I'd do a post in the style of the what's on my Mac Dock and why, but for Chromebooks, so here's what's on my Chromebook Shelf and why. First off we'll cover some of the stock Chrome apps, and there are a few. The first is Chrome as it's permanently placed on the Shelf by default, Files as it's easier than having to go through the App Drawer to find it, finally I've got the Wallpaper Picker as it's convenient for quickly changing my Desktop Wallpaper.

Now onto the rest of my Apps.

• Dashboard. I use Dashboard as it adds a Mac OS X style Dashboard to Chrome OS.


• Google Calendar. I Use Google Calendar on a daily basis, not always to add events. So it's essential to have Calendar in easy reach.


• Google Drive. It's essential for me to always have quick access to all of my work with more advanced features than using Files.


• Full Screen Weather. I use Full Screen Weather, because it's always nice to keep an eye on the weather.


• Google+ Photos. I use Google+ Photos as it's a nice simple way to view all my photos that are backed up on Google+& even shared to Google+.


• Google Play Music. I use Play Music as a lot of my music is already stored on Play Music, and having it on the Shelf makes it easy to use when I want to listen to anything.


• Hangouts call. Hardly ever used, but it's still there if I need it.


• OMG Chrome. As it's nice to keep an eye on the latest Chrome & Chrome OS news.


• Spotify.  I like using Spotify & it's nice to be able to use Spotify from the Shelf.


• WordPress.com. Since my blog is hosted on WordPress.com it makes sense to keep the WordPress.com app on the Shelf.


• YouTube. I watch YouTube videos nearly every day, so keeping the YouTube app on the Shelf makes sense.


• Google Play Music Mini Player. Having the Google Play Music Mini Player on the Shelf means that I can get access to some of the Google Play Music features without having to go into the Google Play Music app, would be nice to be able to use the Google Play Music Mini Player while the Google Play Music app is closed though.

That's everything on my Chromebook Shelf. I've got loads of other apps on my Chromebook, but the list I've provided in this post are the select few that I use enough to allow to grace a spot on my Shelf. That's enough about my Chromebook, what about you? Be sure to share your Chrome Shelf setups in the Comments.

Roland

WeVideo - Video Editor & Review

 

WeVideo - Video Editor & Maker is similar to the old Windows Live Movie Maker, it has a simple UI that anyone can find their way around.

[caption id="attachment_2069" align="aligncenter" width="300"] WeVideo Timeline & UI[/caption]

 

You can upload your finished videos to Google Drive, instaGram, flicker, facebook, Dropbox,  Picasa, box & SkyDrive OneDrive. YouTube uploading is notably missing, so if you want to upload to YouTube you'll have to download your video from Google Drive & then upload to YouTube. The long-winded YouTube uploading isn't ideal, but it gives you more flexibility when it comes to uploading to YouTube.

I've not had much of a play with WeVideo yet but it works extremely well on my Acer C720 Chromebook, but then again the short video that I recorded using WeVideo didn't give my Chromebook that much of a workout.

Conclusion

The WeVideo - Video Editor & Maker is probably the best Cloud Video Editor on the Chrome Store, as it's got the highest Star rating out of all the Video Editors on in the Chrome Store.

I'll do a follow-up post at some point in the future as I'll need to have a good play with WeVideo before I can post a more in-depth review.

Roland

Programming In Chrome OS Choices

 

If you're a Programmer and use Chrome OS you've got a choice of applications that you can use.

Text

Text is a simple text editor, it has line numbering and syntax highlighting. Text is ideal for anyone who prefers to Code in a minimalistic environment .

With Text there is no Debugging menu or on the fly Compiling to test your Code.

Text can also be used as a simple notepad as well.

Nitrous.IO

Nitrous.IO is a basic IDE for Ruby On Rails, node.js, Python & GO along with C/C++. Nitrous.IO uses a subscription model if you want to create more programs than what you get with a free account.

Nitrous.IO isn't one of the best designed IDE's around as it's a very basic IDE.

Neutron Drive

Neutron Drive is as fully featured IDE that allows you to program in a large range of languages, and is ideal for any type of project that you might want to create.

best of all Neutron Drive is free, but as of writing I'm unable to find Neutron Drive in the Chrome Store.

Conclusion

Neutron Drive is probably the best programming app in the Chrome web Store, Neutron Drive seems to be hidden if you do a search from the Chrome Store homepage but a link is available from the Neutron Drive website, here is the neutron Drive Chrome Store listing.

There are other programming environments available on Chrome /Chrome OS, but this is just a small selection of what I've ether had installed in the past or currently got installed.

Roland

Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 And Chrome OS

When I was using Chromium OS on my Toshiba Satellite C660-15R I was unable to use my Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 USB headset as it wasn't detected by the OS.



Today I tried using the same headset on my Acer C720 Chromebook running Chrome OS 35.0.1916.27 dev and my Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 gets detected by the OS and the headphones work perfectly fine, but I've not had chance to check the Microphone side of the headset yet.

The microphone side of the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 gets detected by Chrome OS so I assume that it will work with Chrome OS, I'll update at a later date when I've had chance to try it out properly.

On a side note my Bluetooth headset that I got for my mobile phone works with Chrome OS but only as headphones as Chrome OS doesn't detect that it has a microphone built-in and instead uses the Chromebooks internal speaker.

Conclusion

The sound coming from the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000's headphones is comparable to that of the internal speakers of the Acer C720 Chromebook, but the Bass coming from the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000's headphones could be slightly more noticeable compared the Acer's internal speakers.

The Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 make the perfect headphones for anyone who listens to music via Spotify or Google Play Music & for watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV or any of the other video streaming services that are available.

If the microphone side of the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 works in Chrome OS then it's the perfect headset for YouTube Producers or anyone that uses Chrome OS for creating videos and needs a headset for monitoring audio as well as adding voice overs, & for anyone that uses Google Hangouts and wants to use something better than the internal speakers and microphone.

Roland

Microsoft Launch Office Web Applications Launchers for Chrome & Chrome OS

Microsoft have now launched their free Office web apps as Chrome & Chrome OS app launchers. Joining the existing Chrome & Chrome OS app launchers for OneDrive & Outlook.com launchers for Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote, all but Excel are available by searching for the relevant app in the Chrome web Store, for anyone who wants the PowerPoint launcher here's the Chrome web Store listing (courtesy of OMG Chrome).

The Microsoft Office web apps work like Google Docs, Google Slides & Google Sheets by auto saving your document while you work, the only difference is that the Microsoft Office web apps look exactly like the Microsoft Office 356 Suite with exactly the same UI as the full Office 365 Suite, the only difference is that the File Menu is slimmed down slightly with the lack of  a manual Save & Save As.

The Office 365 web apps look more professional compared to the Google Office suite due to the more complex UI, but they both do the same tasks with ease even though the Google Office suite offers the ability to work Offline where as the Office web apps are purely online only.

Google was the first to launch Office in the cloud when it Launched Google Docs (now Google Drive), closely followed by Microsoft with office web apps. Naturally Google Drive was the only installable web apps on Chrome OS although Microsoft Office web apps was available through Live.com and now Outlook.com websites, when RollApp recently launched it gave Chrome OS users the ability to use the full & not modified for Cloud Computing LibreOffice suite (with installable web app launchers), now Microsoft join in late to the party bringing their 3 web apps to Chrome OS as installable web app Launchers, Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote join the already available Outlook.com & OneDrive web app launchers.

Can Microsoft entice none Office 365 subscribers to Office Online or will the small amount of free storage on OneDrive compared to the 15GB of free storage space on Google Drive & the offer of 100GB of free Google Drive storage on top of your standard free storage for 2 years for anyone who buys a Chrome OS device be enough to keep Chrome OS users with Google Drive.

I've got  Google Drive, LibreOffice on RollApp & the Microsoft Office web apps installed on my Chromebook, but other than giving LibreOffice via RollApp a go for articles on the Blog I tend to use Google Drive exclusively (probably due to the extra 100GB of free storage space for 2 years & it's integration with the Chrome OS Files App), but I'll probably give the Office web apps a try as I used to use them before I started using Google Drive (Docs as it was known as at the time).

Conclusion

 Microsoft must really see Google Drive as serious competition to launch Office web app launchers for Chrome/Chrome OS, but for Chrome OS users it brings more choice to the table.

Roland

Chrome OS More Than Just The Chrome Web Browser

  Chrome OS & Chromebooks have a long-standing false reputation of not being a real OS or a real Laptop, but being just the Chrome Web Browser. Back in 2007 this was the case as Chrome OS was basically a full screen Chrome web browser with an app launcher tab and the ability to pin frequently used tabs, now fast forward to today and Chrome OS has evolved into what is more like a version of Windows than what it started out as, but yet it's still stuck with the it's just the Chrome web browser reputation and Chromebooks are getting called not real Laptops just because they don't run conventional programs.

Everything is synced to your google account

Unlike Windows 8 where only certain settings are backed up to your Windows Account (Hotmail) all your documents, Chrome extensions, Bookmarks & Apps are backed up to your Google Account (GMail), and the only  things that aren't backed up are anything that you've got stored on your local storage (Downloads folder), anything stored on an SD Card or USB Flash Drive is of course backed up away from the Local Storage.

This is a huge bonus as if you buy a new Chromebook, Chromebox or recently released Chromebase then it's just a case of logging into your Google Account and all of your apps and extensions are automatically installed for you to use & if you log into the Chrome web browser on a Windows, Mac or Linux machine your bookmarks, extensions & a limited amount of apps are installed (I've not managed to get all my Chrome apps to install in the Chrome web browser on Windows yet), & since all your documents are stored in Google Drive there ready to use no matter what web browser or OS you're using.

Chrome OS is secure

Chrome OS doesn't require Virus Protection & if you lose your Chromebook or if it gets stolen all you have to do is change your Google Account password and all your data is safe. Chrome OS also has built-in security that wipes your Chromebook should anyone try a brute force attack to gain access to your Chromebook. There is a Developer mode in Chrome OS, but should anyone try to enter Developer mode to gain access to your lost or stolen Chromebook it'll get wiped while entering Developer mode. Since not much is kept on the internal storage of a Chromebook if anyone tried to gain access to your data simply by creating another user account on the device all they will get is a blank Downloads folder & a Google drive folder and no way to browse to your data.

Chrome OS is based on Linux

From Chrome OS's Launch in 2007 to February 2010 it was based on Ubuntu Linux, then in February 2010 Chrome OS switched to Gentoo Linux.

Chromebooks for everyone

Chromebooks are truly for everyone, they're cheap compared to their Windows or Mac counterparts, they're easy to use with a simple UI that anyone could navigate easily, they don't have any software pre-installed that's not needed and only come with the basics pre-installed like a Camera app for the built-in Webcam, a Calculator, File Manager, Wallpaper switcher, Chrome web browser, Chrome web store & a basic help system. Chromebooks are also maintenance free and all OS updates are applied when the Chromebook is restarted.

Conclusion

While the false reputation of Chrome OS being just the Chrome web browser and Chromebooks not being real Laptops was true in the early days of Chrome OS today Chrome OS has evolved to an OS in its own right and it's evolving with every new update, and more and more Offline apps are making Chromebooks more functional when away from an internet connection.

Chrome OS can now be seen as a low-cost competitor to Windows and Mac for people who need a cheap lightweight Laptop that they can take everywhere with them or for someone who doesn't want the expense  of an all bells and whistles Windows or Mac Laptop that's expensive, high maintenance and in Windows case Trialware riddled Laptop that needs a lot of cleaning to regain HDD space that could be used for more apps or data.

Cloud based computing where all your data and apps are backed up Online is definitely the future of computing as it takes all hard work out of buying a new computer in the future as everything is just there ready for you to use once you've logged in & the same goes for restoring your computer back to factory defaults.

Roland

Developing In Chrome OS Using Neutron Drive

Neutron Drive is a fully featured Cloud based IDE that allows you to code in a large selection of Programming Languages, Scripting Languages, Markup/Template Languages, Query/Data Languages as well as others including CSS.

[caption id="attachment_2033" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Page 1 of the Languages available in Neutron Drive[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2035" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Page 2 of available Languages in Neutron Drive[/caption]

Once Neutron Drive is all setup for your chosen Language/Project it looks just like a conventional IDE such as Microsoft Visual Studio.

[caption id="attachment_2036" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Neutron Drive setup with code entered & tabs for various aspects of the Project[/caption]

Like all apps designed for Chrome/Chrome OS Neutron Drive uses Google Drive to store your Projects.

I'll go into Neutron Drive more in the future as I attempt to Program in the various languages available in Neutron Drive.

Conclusion

Neutron Drive looks to be the best Programming IDE for Chrome/Chrome OS and could be a way for Chromebooks, Chromeboxes & the recently introduced Chromebases into the Business/Professional world.

Roland

Using Folders In Chrome OS

With the release of using folders in the latest Chrome OS beta, I decided to try it out even though I'm using the latest Chrome OS dev build.

being able to use folders in Chrome OS makes it feel more like a proper Desktop OS and less like Android.

I've always kept my most used Applications sorted alphabetically on the shelf, but being able to tidy all my apps into folders within the App Drawer will improve productivity even more as everything is organised neatly.

[caption id="attachment_2026" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Folders in the Chrome OS App Drawer in Chrome OS 35 Beta & Chrome OS & the latest Chrome OS 35 Dev[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2027" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Apps in folders in the Chrome OS App Drawer in Chrome OS 35 Beta & Chrome OS & the latest Chrome OS 35 Dev[/caption]

I'd previously been sorting my applications in an alphabetical list, but this was getting a bit of a pain as I was having to scroll through the App Drawer to find what I want.

[caption id="attachment_1631" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My previous App Drawer Organization[/caption]

But since using the folders in the App Drawer I'm finding it far more easier to find what I want as my App Drawer is down to one Page of alphabetically sorted folders.

[caption id="attachment_2026" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My new App Drawer Organization using folders[/caption]

I've also got my Applications sorted alphabetically within folders.

 

[caption id="attachment_2028" align="aligncenter" width="300"] All my Google Docs Applications sorted alphabetically within a folder[/caption]

Google should really expand this App Drawer folder feature to include the ability to have folders within the Android App Drawer.

Roland

RollApp Adds The Ability To Use LibreOffice And More For Chrome OS Users (Follow up)

It's just over 1 month since I first reviewed RollApp and I've decided to re-visit the LibreOffice Chrome Apps from RollApp and compared to when I originally tried them they seem to be a lot more stable and actually work like they're supposed to. The one little annoyance is the introduction of a video ad trying to get you to subscribe to individual RollApp Applications for 99c a month or all RollApp apps for $6.99 a month, but I'll take this little annoyance for access to working LibreOffice Applications over no ad's and broken LibreOffice Applications.

GIMP Image Editor

 

After a positive experience with the LibreOffice Applications I thought I'd give the GIMP Image Editor App a try, so I downloaded the Chrome App for the  GIMP Image Editor RollApp App only to have  a less that expected experience as after the short ad and the Application Splash Screen it just dumps back to the Chrome OS Desktop.

After doing a quick search for the GIMP Image Editor on the RollApp website I discovered that the GIMP Image Editor isn't available on RollApp despite the fact there is a GIMP on RollApp Chrome Application available in the Chrome Web Store which seems rather strange.

Conclusion

Since the first time I tried RollApp it's come along way and gives Chrome OS users more choice of Applications to use, even though a lot are run via the RollApp website with only LibreOffice Writer, Calc & Impress along with openOffice Impress being available as downloadable Chrome Applications.

The only downside to using the RollApp Chrome Applications is that you can only save to Google Drive and not have the ability to save to your local storage, which is no big deal, but if you save a lot of files then you'll eat into your Google Drive Storage. As long as you remember to download and re-upload in google Docs formats any files that you're expecting to keep for a long time should minimize any high Google Drive usage.

Roland