The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Conclusion)

Well the month is up and I've fallen in love with the Chromebook concept, as they're more affordable than the Windows powered Ultrabooks on the market & the MacBook Air.

The big selling points in my opinion are:

1. Lightweight & Portable
   Chromebooks are more lightweight and portable than Netbooks that are on the market and have a bigger screen and keyboard making them easier to use.


2. Affordable Computing
   They are more affordable than Ultrabooks that use Windows 8.1 or the MacBook Air meaning that anyone can afford one.


3. Don't have to re-install all Applications or Drivers when re-install Chrome OS
   All your Applications saved in your Google Account meaning that if you buy a new Chromebook or do a factory reset everything just syncs back to your Chromebook, & you don't need Hardware Drivers for all the Hardware in your Chromebook.

Storage Upgrade

The only drawback to a Chromebook is the measly 16GB of SSD Storage meaning that you don't get much space to store files locally & with the internal SSD being of a super slimline portable format to a regular SSD you can't go to PC World or an independent Computer shop and buy an SSD to upgrade and it's probably going to take a bit of searching online to find anywhere to get an upgrade from. I found a website that makes the form factor SSD's used in Chromebooks, but they only do 128GB which is still on the small side compared to a regular 2.5" Laptop SSD that can go up to 240GB of Storage, and the retailers that sell the Chromebook size SSD's only seem to be USA, Australian or Chinese based meaning that if you live in Europe you'll be having to wait a while for one to arrive and will possibly have to deal with import duty if you purchase one meaning that it could be a costly upgrade.

Usage

The reliance of being online all the time to do anything that can't be done offline means that you'll need to have a MiFi unit or Mobile Phone with Tethering when you're away from home or anywhere without an Internet connection.

Chrome Web Store

One big problem that's not to do with Chromebooks or Chrome OS/Chromium OS is the rather poorly designed Chrome Web Store that says that all Apps are Free even if they're only limited trials that then need an ongoing Subscription, or in the case of some games on the Chrome Web Store needing an in Game Purchase to unlock the game fully.

This can  be a bit miss leading especially if you install a game and get nearly all the way to the end and find that you can't complete it without an in-game purchase to unlock the full game.

Chromium OS on none Chromebook Hardware

The drawbacks of using Chromium OS on none Chromebook Hardware are.

1. There is no Search Key on none Chromebook Hardware Keyboards
   The lack of a Search key means that even if you set the Search key within Chrome Settings nothing happens, but you can disable the CAPS LOCK Key.


2. Still Heavy and lacks portability
   Making your own Chromebook using Chromium OS still means that you've got the lack of portability and weight of the Laptop you've used unless you use a pre Windows 8/8.1 Ultrabook.


3. Poor Battery life
   You still have the Battery life of the Laptop you've used, but you do get a slight increase in Battery life over Windows or Linux, but you can always purchase an extra battery or two and swap them out as required.


4. A redundant internal CD/DVD Drive
   You've got a CD/DVD Drive built into your Laptop that you'll probably never use while using Chromium OS & I'm not even sure if an internal IDE CD/DVD Drive will even work within Chromium OS.


5. Lack of Flash Player Support
   Adobe Flash Player isn't supported in Chromium OS so you'll struggle to watch most YouTube Videos and won't be able to listen to music on Google Play Music.


6. Lack of Media Support
   mp3,mp4 and some other Media Codecs aren't supported meaning that you'll not be able to listen to locally stored music or watch locally stored videos.

Conclusion

If you want a distraction free work environment to write letters, create Spreadsheets & Presentations along with check your email & social Networks e.t.c then Chromium OS is the ideal OS for you, but if you need full Media & Flash Player support then you're better off just getting a Chromebook (which I'll be doing at some point in the future).

Roland

Previous

The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (1 Month Review)

I originally intended this series to chart a month of me living entirely in the Google Chrome Web Browser then do another month of me living in Chromium OS via a virtualbox Chromium OS Virtual Machine, but after not being able to get the Chromium OS Virtual Machine to work properly I decided to go and nuke my Windows 7 Ultimate Install and use Chromium OS only.

This post will review my two weeks of living in the Google Chrome Web Browser & one week living in Chromium OS.

Two weeks of living in the Google Chrome Web Browser

The two weeks of living in the Google Chrome Web Browser was easy, but it provides the option to go back to Windows 7 Ultimate with it being at its heart, and things like being able to take Screenshots had to use Windows Paint to save them . I even themed my Windows install to look a little like Chrome OS to help with the experiment.

[caption id="attachment_1511" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chrome OS Styled Windows 7 Desktop, Showing Windows 7 Taskbar[/caption]

Working with a Chrome OS themed Desktop helped with the experience a little, and the two weeks I spent living with this setup was enough to convince me to have a look at living solely in Chrome OS and attempt to Install Chromium OS.

Two weeks of living solely in Chromium OS

My two weeks of living in Chromium OS has been really easy as I've not had any distractions from Windows or Windows Programs.

[caption id="attachment_1627" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chromium OS/ Chrome OS Desktop[/caption]

Chromium OS is more minimalistic & lightweight than Windows with my 1TB HDD having 908.2GB of free space left when I'd first booted into Chromium OS. The Chromium OS Desktop isn't as cluttered as the Windows 7 Desktop with just your Desktop Wallpaper and the Taskbar (Known as the Shelf in Chrome OS/Chromium OS), Chromium OS also has a fast Boot time along with a fast Shutdown time which means there is no need for a Hibernate function like in Windows, you also are more productive as you're not waiting as long for the OS to boot.

Battery life is also increased, but not to the quoted level that you get with official Chromebooks, there is also the lack of updates that you will get with official Chromebooks & Flash Player doesn't work in Chromium OS. Sound will vary depending if you have a Sound Card that's compatible with Chromium OS (Which the Sound Card on my Toshiba Laptop isn't compatible with Chromium OS) Sound actually works in Chromium OS, it was that I was using my USB Microsoft Life-Chat Headset that doesn't seem to work with Chromium OS/Chrome OS and will need an official Chromebook to verify if USB sound Cards & Headsets are supported or not.

Printing in Chromium OS

Printing is handled via Google Cloud Print in Chromium OS, so as long as you've got a Google Cloud Print ready Printer or a spare Computer with the Chrome Web Browser Installed to use as a Print Server you'll have no problem Printing in ether Chrome OS or Chromium OS (a feature that I've not used from my Chromium OS Install yet) Your Google Documents will print perfectly fine within Chromium OS but pictures don't printout without having to first create a Google Document and inserting pictures into it (shouldn't have to use this work around for pictures on an official Chromebook, but without having a Chromebook to hand I'm unable to test this out).

Applications in Chrome OS/Chromium OS

There is a wide choice of  applications that can be Installed in Chrome OS/Chromium OS, from the Chrome/Chromium Web Store. Chrome OS/Chromium OS Applications aren't traditional Applications and are just bookmarks to Websites.

All the Google Services are present such as Google Search, GMail (including GMail Offline) Google Calendar, Google Keep, Google Maps, Google Drive/Docs (With Offline Support), Google Play (Music, Books, Play Website), along with a large list of other third Party Services such as Microsoft Outlook (outlok.com) and Games. If you're a Microsoft Office user you'll need to use the Microsoft Office Website (http://office.microsoft.com) and use the Microsoft Office Web Apps.

If you need more powerful Software such as Adobe PhotoShop, Premier Pro, After Effects e.t.c then your out of look as there are only basic photo editing Applications, unless you can find Online services that allow you to do what you want you'll be out of look.

Files in Chrome OS/Chromium OS

before you start using Chrome OS/Chromium OS you'll need to make sure that your files are on a FAT 32 formatted external HDD, USB flash drive, SD Card or online using Microsoft SkyDrive, Dropbox, Box or Google Drive otherwise you'll not be able to use them when you switch.

Storing your files on Google Drive is the easiest option as there is Google Drive support built right into the Chrome OS/Chromium OS File Browser. Chrome OS/Chromium OS allows you to store your files locally. In the case of Chromium OS you'll have whatever is left of your HDD/SSD after you've Installed Chromium OS. If you're using an official Chromebook then you'll have whatever is left of the 16GB SSD that's installed.

Chrome OS/Chromium OS has limited offline video & music playback functionality and some basic photo editing as well as limited Document creation & editing using Google Drive Offline.

Media Playback in Chromium OS

Previous Articles

1. Part 1


2. Part 2


3. Part 3


4. Part 4


5. Part 5


6. Part 6


7. Part 7


8. Part 8


9. Part 9


10. Part 10


11. Part 11


12. Part 12


13. Part 13


14. Part 14


15. Part 15


16. Part 16


17. Part 17


18. Part 18


19. Part 19


20. Part 20


21. 3 Week Review


22. Part 21


23. Part 22


24. Part 23


25. Part 24


26. Part 25


27. Part 26

Roland

The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 26: 1 Day To Go)

With only one day left on this experiment and another two posts at most to go, it's been a great experience using Chromium OS and even though my fake Chromebook doesn't have the Battery life of a real Chromebook and there isn't a working search key on the keyboard and some other things that I'll discuss in the final part that will come possibly on Friday (depending how quickly I get it written).

Chromium OS is a pleasure to use, with its lightweight UI that makes it lightning fast, the only thing that's really holding Chrome OS back is the need to be online all the time, meaning that people who have used Computers since the early days of the Internet won't want to rely on keeping everything online, especially with the small amount of SSD space for local storage.

I'll go into more detail in my Conclusion Post that's to come.



Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 25)

Chrome Web Store

The Chrome Web Store is chock full of Apps, Themes, & Extensions, & the Web Store will probably have an Application that you need or use from Google Drive to games such as Angry Birds & Solitaire.

The Extensions range from Ad Blockers to Twitter Notifications, & there is Google Chrome Themes (Chromium & Chrome Web Browser not Chromium or Chrome OS Themes).

But there is a big problem in that it doesn't always define what Applications are free and which need to be paid for via in App purchase's such as Monthly or Yearly subscriptions. If Google want to see a big take up of Chromebooks then they really need to address this, as Installing an Application on the basis of it being advertised as free could leave some people feeling ripped off.

If the Android Google Play Store can say which Applications are free and which are paid for then why can't the Chrome Web Store? Surely it would be easy to implement, & even get any Subscription info in the Applications description.

Chrome Applications may just be glorified Bookmarks, but it would make perfect sense to display any pricing within the App listing so people know what to expect when downloading, especially when it comes to games where you can get really into the game only to find that you have to pay to unlock the rest of the game.

[caption id="attachment_1765" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chrome Web Store Application Listing Page.[/caption]

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 24)

Applications in Chrome OS/Chromium OS

There are 1000's of Applications, Extensions & Themes in the Chrome Web Store and unlike Games (Also falls under Apps) they all state whether you have to buy them, unless they're subscription based where you get a free trial or limited feature free version or if they're totally free, Google really needs to bring more parity into the Chrome Web Store and display if there is a cost involved with a Game as a lot of the games what I've tried aren't free at all but are a Demo version where you have to buy the game to continue.

I've even played a game early on in my experiment in living in Google Chrome that let me get all the way to the end, but I was then unable to complete the game without purchasing, the Game is Murder Files (which I'm now unable to find).

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 23)

Gaming in Chrome OS/Chromium OS

Gaming in Chrome OS/Chromium OS is in the Chrome/Chromium web browser, so is mostly small simple games in HTML 5 like Solitaire,

[caption id="attachment_1738" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Solitaire game selection screen.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1739" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A new game of Klondike Solitaire.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1740" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A game of Klondike Solitaire in progress.[/caption]

but there are more complex 3D games. along with a large list in the Chrome Store that I've not  looked at yet.

The only thing is that some of the games although they are marked as Free actually need an in App style purchase to Unlock the Full game, but this can be highly miss leading as it makes you think that a game is free when it's actually a demo of the game.

So far out of the games that I've had chance to try Solitaire seems to be the best of the bunch & Cut The Rope seems to be the worst as it doesn't really translate out of Mobile gaming due to the lack of Touch screen Chrome Devices & that it's probably going to be a pain in the rear getting Chromium OS running on a Touch screen Windows 8/8.1 Ultrabook.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 22)

British On Demand services & Chromium OS

The BBC's on Demand service iPlayer along with itv's itv Player, Channel 5's Demand5 & Channel 4's 4od are other video service that are not able to be used on Chromium OS due to the lack of Flash Player support, even though the Adobe Flash Player website says that Flash Player is installed.

This means that if you use video services such as YouTube as well as listen to music on Google Play Music on a daily basis using Chromium OS isn't recommended, but if you do none media playback stuff then Chromium OS is recommend, but if you do a mixture of Media Playback & none Media Playback on a daily basis then I'd recommend using Chromium OS only as a test to see if you could live with a Chromebook on a daily basis.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 21)

Flash Player Update

I've tried several solutions to the lack of Flash Player support in Chromium OS, and all the solutions that Google turned up haven't worked. So it looks like if you want to use Chromium OS you'll have to live with no Music playback including from Google Play Music, no Video playback including Google Play Movies and TV and partial YouTube playback.

I suppose this is the only drawback of using Chromium OS as it doesn't have the same level of support that Google puts into Chrome OS as relying on a third-party to compile a generic build of Chromium OS is asking too much. The version of Chromium OS that I'm using hasn't been updated by the dev Hexxeh since he put up Build 4028 on the 20th of April 2013, so I'm not holding my breath at a newer version or even a way to get Flash working.

I've asked Hexxeh on via his Google + Profile if he's going to bring out a new build or if it's possible to get Flash working, but I'm not holding my breath for a reply.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (3 Week Review)

I originally intended this series to chart a month of me living entirely in the Google Chrome Web Browser then do another month of me living in Chromium OS via a virtualbox Chromium OS Virtual Machine, but after not being able to get the Chromium OS Virtual Machine to work properly I decided to go and nuke my Windows 7 Ultimate Install and use Chromium OS only. This post will review my two weeks of living in the Google Chrome Web Browser & one week living in Chromium OS.

Two weeks of living in the Google Chrome Web Browser

The two weeks of living in the Google Chrome Web Browser was easy, but it provides the option to go back to Windows 7 Ultimate with it being at its heart, and things like being able to take Screenshots had to use Windows Paint to save them . I even themed my Windows install to look a little like Chrome OS to help with the experiment.

[caption id="attachment_1511" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chrome OS Styled Windows 7 Desktop, Showing Windows 7 Taskbar[/caption]

Working with a Chrome OS themed Desktop helped with the experience a little, and the two weeks I spent living with this setup was enough to convince me to have a look at living solely in Chrome OS and attempt to Install Chromium OS.

One week of living solely in Chromium OS

My full week of living in Chromium OS has been really easy as I've not had any distractions from Windows or Windows Programs.

[caption id="attachment_1627" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chromium OS/ Chrome OS Desktop[/caption]

Chromium OS is more minimalistic & lightweight than Windows with my 1TB HDD having 908.2GB of free space left when I'd first booted into Chromium OS. The Chromium OS Desktop isn't as cluttered as the Windows 7 Desktop with just your Desktop Wallpaper and the Taskbar (Known as the Shelf in Chrome OS/Chromium OS), Chromium OS also has a fast Boot time along with a fast Shutdown time which means there is no need for a Hibernate function like in Windows, you also are more productive as you're not waiting as long for the OS to boot.

Battery life is also increased, but not to the quoted level that you get with official Chromebooks, there is also the lack of updates that you will get with official Chromebooks & Flash Player doesn't work in Chromium OS. Sound will vary depending if you have a Sound Card that's compatible with Chromium OS (Which the Sound Card on my Toshiba Laptop isn't compatible with Chromium OS) Sound actually works in Chromium OS, it was that I was using my USB Microsoft Life-Chat Headset that doesn't seem to work with Chromium OS/Chrome OS and will need an official Chromebook to verify if there is support  for USB sound or not.

Printing in Chromium OS

Printing is handled via Google Cloud Print in Chromium OS, so as long as you've got a Google Cloud Print ready Printer or a spare Computer with the Chrome Web Browser Installed to use as a Print Server you'll have no problem Printing in ether Chrome OS or Chromium OS (a feature that I've not used from my Chromium OS Install yet).

Applications in Chrome OS/Chromium OS

There is a wide choice of  applications that can be Installed in Chrome OS/Chromium OS, from the Chrome/Chromium Web Store. Chrome OS/Chromium OS Applications aren't traditional Applications and are just bookmarks to Websites.

All the Google Services are present such as Google Search, GMail (including GMail Offline) Google Calendar, Google Keep, Google Maps, Google Drive/Docs (With Offline Support), Google Play (Music, Books, Play Website), along with a large list of other third Party Services such as Microsoft Outlook (outlok.com) and Games. If you're a Microsoft Office user you'll need to use the Microsoft Office Website (http://office.microsoft.com) and use the Microsoft Office Web Apps.

If you need more powerful Software such as Adobe PhotoShop, Premier Pro, After Effects e.t.c then your out of look as there are only basic photo editing Applications, unless you can find Online services that allow you to do what you want you'll be out of look.

Files in Chrome OS/Chromium OS

before you start using Chrome OS/Chromium OS you'll need to make sure that your files are on a FAT 32 formatted external HDD, USB flash drive, SD Card or online using Microsoft SkyDrive, Dropbox, Box or Google Drive otherwise you'll not be able to use them when you switch. Storing your files on Google Drive is the easiest option as there is Google Drive support built right into the Chrome OS/Chromium OS File Browser. Chrome OS/Chromium OS allows you to store your files locally. In the case of Chromium OS you'll have whatever is left of your HDD/SSD after you've Installed Chromium OS. If you're using an official Chromebook then you'll have whatever is left of the 16GB SSD that's installed. Chrome OS/Chromium OS has limited offline video & music playback functionality and some basic photo editing as well as limited Document creation & editing using Google Drive Offline.

Previous Articles

1. Part 1


2. Part 2


3. Part 3


4. Part 4


5. Part 5


6. Part 6


7. Part 7


8. Part 8


9. Part 9


10. Part 10


11. Part 11


12. Part 12


13. Part 13


14. Part 14


15. Part 15


16. Part 16


17. Part 17


18. Part 18


19. Part 19


20. Part 20

Roland

Next

The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 20)

In this part I'm going to update on Printing within Chromium OS.

Printing Update

After originally talking about Printing in Chromium OS in Part 18 I thought I'd do a quick update with my findings after having to Print. Google Drive Documents such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides e.t.c print perfectly fine in Chromium but when it comes to printing Pictures they will not print (I'm putting this down to the lack of working Adobe Flash Player in Chromium OS, but without having an official Chromebook running Chrome OS I'm unsure), however if I insert pictures into a Google Docs Document they'll print perfectly fine.

Conclusion

If you don't mind finding work around to things that don't work, or live without them then Chromium OS is a perfectly usable OS, but if you want the full Chromebook experience then there is no substitute to an official Chromebook.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 19)

After  I started using Chromium OS I stated that YouTube Videos & Sound doesn't work. I've just discovered that Sound actually works along with YouTube videos posted by Google, but the other YouTube Channels that I subscribe to and Music via Google Play Music doesn't play along with videos in Google Play Movies & TV & Downloaded Videos, as they rely on Adobe Flash Player, that's ether broken or not present in Chromium OS.

I've tried one solution that I found on Google but that didn't work, I'll keep searching Google for solutions that will get Media to 100% work within Chromium OS. I'll ether post an update in my scheduled 3 Week review post or my 1 Month review post depending on how soon I find a solution that works.

I think that I thought that sound didn't work because I tried using my Microsoft Life-Chat USB Headset, so it looks like Chromium OS & possibly Chrome OS doesn't support USB Headsets, but I'll have to give it a try when I can get my hands on an official Chromebook.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 18)

  In this part I'll talk about printing in Chrome OS/ Chromium OS.

How is Printing handled

Printing is handled using the Google Cloud Print Service which can also be used in Windows, Android, (Linux & Mac OSX possibly).

The Google Cloud Print service acts as a web-based Printer Driver, and requires a Google Cloud Print ready Printer or a regular Printer connected to a Windows/Mac Computer via USB with the Chrome Web Browser open and on the Google Cloud Print website with your Printer then registered with the Cloud Print Service to Print.

[caption id="attachment_1678" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chromium Web Browser on the Google Cloud Print website, Showing my own personal Print Server.[/caption]

The preferably way of Printing is to use a Google Cloud Print ready printer as you're not relying on having to have another Computer switched on acting as a Print Server, but if you've already got a regular Printer or a WiFi Printer that isn't Cloud Print ready then having to use another Computer as a Cloud Print Server is your only option.

What I'd like to see

I'd like to see Google develop a way of allowing none Cloud Print Ready WiFi or even regular Printers being able to be converted into a Cloud Print ready Printer, by developing a USB adaptor that adds a Cloud Print Server for WiFi Printers or a USB WiFi/Cloud Print Server for regular none WiFi Printers.

But I can't see that happening as more and more new Printers are WiFi or WiFi Cloud Print ready.

Conclusion

Printing using Chrome OS/Chromium OS is far easier than using Windows as you don't need to Install & keep up to date the Printer Driver, & using the Cloud Print website you can view a history of everything that you've printed out. I'm not 100% sure if you can re-print from your Print history or not as I've never tried it (but I'll give it a try and report my findings in the end of Month review)

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 17)

Battery Life

The battery life of a Laptop running Chromium OS is comparable if not slightly better than what you get from running Windows. The 5200mAh battery in my Laptop is quoted at 2h 37min when I looked this morning and it lasted for about that length of time before I plugged it in.

While running Chromium OS on a Laptop increases the battery life significantly, but it doesn't increase it by the 6+ hours that is quoted by Chromebook manufacturers, this is more than likely down to Chromebook OEM's use internal batteries so they can make them bigger than an external battery used by Windows Laptops, also the ARM or Intel Haswell CPU's used in Chromebooks are more energy-efficient than pre lintel Haswell processors and the SSD's that are used in Chromebooks are more efficient than standard spinning HDD's combined with the internal SSD is mainly used for holding Chrome OS while having some Offline storage for storing pictures for uploading to Google Drive as well as for the Google Drive Offline Cache. The lack of a DVD drive not only keeps the weight of a Chromebook down it also keeps the power use to a minimum, and with a Chrome OS recovery only needing a USB flash drive, SD Card or external HDD for re-installing Chrome OS it makes a DVD drive pretty redundant.

Printing

Printing is handled via Google's Cloud Printing service so you ether need a computer hooked up to a Printer with Google Chrome installed as a Print Server and the Printer setup in https://www.google.com/cloudprint/ or a Google Cloud Print ready Printer that has the Google Cloud Print service already built-in. The most energy-efficient of the two options is a Google Cloud Print ready Printer as it doesn't need a Computer to be switched on all the time acting as a Print Server.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 16)

In this part I'll talk about the difference between the Windows 7 Desktop and the Chromium OS/Chrome OS Desktop as well as the Difference between the official Chromium OS/Chrome OS Desktop and the Chrome OS styled Desktop that I created earlier in this series

Chromium OS/ Chrome OS Desktop

The Chromium OS/Chrome OS Desktop is minimalist but functions just how it's supposed to.

[caption id="attachment_1627" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chromium OS/ Chrome OS Desktop[/caption]

The Chromium OS?Chrome OS Desktop can't have any icons, files or folders placed on it and has a very minimalistic Taskbar known as the Shelf, it has a quick launch area on the left with a very Android styled App drawer icon, and on the far right there is a minimalistic Tray with a Universal Notification area on the left, then a universal button that shows the time, WiFi signal strength, remaining battery and the current logged in users Google profile picture.

The Universal button brings up a pop-up that shows the currently logged in user picture along with Name, email address, log out button, WiFi Connection name, volume slider & mute button, Settings button, battery status, date, Help button, shutdown button & Lock button.

The Notification Centre shows the number of notifications & pops up to show a list of Notifications.

[caption id="attachment_1629" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Notification Centre with Notification waiting[/caption]

The App drawer is very Android styled with a side scrolling expandable grid of short cut icons.

[caption id="attachment_1631" align="aligncenter" width="300"] App Drawer open & on Page 1[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1632" align="aligncenter" width="300"] App Drawer open & on page 2[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1633" align="aligncenter" width="300"] App Drawer open & on page 3[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1634" align="aligncenter" width="300"] App drawer open & on page 4[/caption]

The currently open app shows up to the left of the app drawer icon instead of to the right of the quick launch bar like in windows.

[caption id="attachment_1635" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Open application icon on taskbar[/caption]

The Lock/login screen is very minimalist and very Linux like.

Lock/Login screen

Windows 7 Desktop

The Windows 7 Desktop can get very cluttered with files, folders & icons. Also with the extra power of Windows the Start menu can be very cluttered with all the built-in apps along with all the desktop programs which can make productivity slow with a load of programs that you don't need being pre-installed with Windows.

Chrome OS styled Windows 7 Desktop

Having a Chrome OS styled Windows Desktop still allows the power & flexibility of Windows with the streamlined work flow of Chrome OS.

Conclusion

There is no substitute for a Chromebook, but Chromium OS comes pretty close to having a Chromebook, the only drawback is that if a certain piece of hardware isn't compatible with Chromium OS then you won't be able to use it, in my case the Sound Chipset used in my Laptop isn't compatible with Chromium OS. One slight problem with Chromium OS is that the Adobe Flash player Extension doesn't work which means that anything that relies on Flash such as YouTube isn't accessible.

Chromium OS is a good introduction to Chromebooks for anyone that has a spare Laptop or Netbook and 4GB USB Flash drive or external USB HDD as it's pretty straight forward to install, but if you want to Duel boot with Windows it's a bit more complex to get a dual-boot system working.

Roland

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The Chromebook Test: Living In Google Chrome For A Month (Part 15)

This is just a quick run down of the Pros and Cons of Chromium OS (Chrome OS included) vs Windows 7.

Chromium OS vs Windows 7

Chromium OS Pros

• A lightweight OS that uses minimal system resources with plenty of HDD space left for Downloaded files.


• Easy to try out without installing, and easy to install if you decide to try it out properly.


• Doesn't need any Hardware Drivers as everything just works.


• All your Apps sync when you have to restore your Chromebook as they're web apps.


• Chromium OS is cheap as it's freely available, and official Chromebooks aren't that expensive.


• Easy to maintain as it just updates when a newer version is available (Chrome OS on Chromebooks only)


• Lightweight Laptops with long battery life.


• Boots up & Shutsdown fast.


• Sleek modern looking UI.

Windows 7 Pros

• More powerful OS.


• Plenty of specialist Programs.


• Works on a wide range of hardware.


• Can function just as easily Offline as it does Online.

Chromium OS Cons

• Works to its full potential Online, but has some limited Offline functionality.


• Not guaranteed to work 100% on all hardware.


• Only has a limited number of Offline capable Apps.


• Don't get as longer Battery life on regular PC's has you do on Chromebooks.


• Not guaranteed to get updates as it's down to the people who build Chromium OS to post an updated build.

Windows 7 Cons

• Close to reaching End Of Life, and virtually impossible to get hold of.


• Resource Hungary.


• Takes up a lot of HDD space.


• Prone to Viruses and Malware.


• Needs time to maintain as not all updates install automatically.


• Heavy and bulky Laptops with poor battery life.


• Slow Boot time even on Windows 8/8.1 & slow to Shutdown.


• Clunky UI.

Conclusion

Chromebooks are worth considering if you're in the market for an Ultra Portable lightweight Laptop with plenty of battery life as long as you don't need any specialist Programs or need to do masses of work Offline, as long as you can live with doing limited Offline work in Google Drive or have a Mobile Phone with Tethering or a portable WiFi hotspot for when you're not near a public WiFi Hotspot.

Star  Rating

Chromium OS/Chrome OS: 9.5/10

The lack of Offline Apps is the only drawback of Chromium OS/Chrome OS but other than that it does exactly what it says.

Windows: 4.5/10

The resource hungry nature of Windows combined with the potential for viruses and Malware and the lack of 100% automatic updating without some user intervention is a major drawback.

I've found one issue with running Chromium OS on my Toshiba Laptop in that the sound card doesn't seem to be compatible meaning I don't get any sound out of the speakers, also Flash Player seems to be broken meaning that YouTube videos don't play (I've not added these issues to the cons list as it could just be due to the particular sound chip set used in my Laptop isn't on the compatible list, and the Flash Player issue won't be present in a Chromebook running official Chrome OS built and supported by Google).

Other than the two little niggles with Chromium OS on my Toshiba Laptop it does everything that I need and boots up faster as well as shutsdown faster than Windows.

I'll definitely be sticking with Chromium OS for the rest of the remaining two weeks doing this experiment and into the future until I can get an official Chromebook.

Roland

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