Is the Chromebook the New Android Tablet? (computerworld.com) 182
An anonymous reader shares a report from Computerworld, where JR Raphael makes the case for why it's time to call the Chromebook the new Android tablet: What does a traditional Android tablet do that a convertible Chromebook doesn't? No matter how long you mull, it's tough to come up with much. Nowadays, a Chromebook runs the same apps from the same Google Play Store. It has an increasingly similar user interface, with a new touch-friendly and Android-reminiscent app launcher rolling out as we speak. It's likely to have an Android-like way of getting around the system before long, too, not to mention native integration of the Google Assistant (which is launching with the newly announced Pixelbook and then presumably spreading to other devices from there). But on top of all of that, a Chromebook offers meaningful advantages a traditional Android tablet simply can't match. It operates within the fast-booting, inherently secure, and free from manufacturer- or carrier-meddling Chrome OS environment. The operating system is updated every two to three weeks, directly by Google, for a minimum of five years. That's a sharp contrast to the software realities we see on Android -- and if you think the updates on Android phones are bad, let me tell you: The situation with Android tablets is worse.
In addition to the regular selection of Android apps, a Chromebook also gives you a desktop-caliber browser experience along with a laptop-level keyboard and capable trackpad. (And, as a side perk, that means you've got a built-in multi-mode stand for your tablet, too.) It's the best of both worlds, as I've put it before -- a whole new kind of platform-defying, all-purpose productivity and entertainment machine. And while it won't immediately lead to the outright extinction of traditional Android tablets, it certainly makes them seem like a watered-down and obsolete version of the same basic experience.
In addition to the regular selection of Android apps, a Chromebook also gives you a desktop-caliber browser experience along with a laptop-level keyboard and capable trackpad. (And, as a side perk, that means you've got a built-in multi-mode stand for your tablet, too.) It's the best of both worlds, as I've put it before -- a whole new kind of platform-defying, all-purpose productivity and entertainment machine. And while it won't immediately lead to the outright extinction of traditional Android tablets, it certainly makes them seem like a watered-down and obsolete version of the same basic experience.
ASUS C302CA (Score:2)
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indeed. biggest problem i have with android app support is scrolling. they don't respond to mouse wheel or two-finger on the touchpad, so half of the apps (like email clients) are useless.
"laptop-level keyboard" (Score:2)
What on earth does "laptop-level keyboard" even mean?
Also, the only specific Chromebook mentioned is the new Pixelbook. Aren't those in a slightly higher price class than most Android tablets?
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Indeed, I use a keyboard with my android tablet at times for certain tasks for convenience, no problem
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Stupid questions by stupid people... (Score:5, Informative)
My wife's $99 Android tablet is thinner and doesn't have a keyboard. That makes it great for watch a movie while she knits, or listen to music or read an e-book.
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How about a laptop that folds right around for watching video? Then you have a built in stand and a real keyboard when you want to use social media.
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How about a laptop that folds right around for watching video?
$12 folding "leather" case cover that doubles as a prop.
Then you have a built in stand and a real keyboard when you want to use social media.
She does FB and email on her iPhone, and doesn't have Twitter or Instagram accounts.
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Re: Stupid crappy clone of Windows (Score:2)
If you can take the loss of some inches, the galaxy tab s3 (9.7 inch) is superb, i moved from a pro 12.2 to that, and the mobility i gained was worth the size reduction. It still has tbe full featured s-pen/wacom combo, but has the most amazing screen to be found on any tab.
Blazing fast, 7.0 and soon 7.1.
Can I use it without Google? (Score:4, Informative)
Can I use it without it ever having to talk to Google's servers? If not, then it's no replacement for Android.
"What does a traditional Android tablet do that... (Score:2)
Not cost $500.
The end of Microsoft if.... (Score:3)
If either had even close to the same app ecosystem I'd do so instantly. Or if Linux did (and had the price of a Chromebook/etc.) same thing there. As it is I like to play games and end up using Lightroom, Photoshop, and etc. a lot. But damn am I tired of vastly overpaying for what feels like ever worse tech.
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But at this point I'd take evil as hell over slothful and expensive.
That's not the choice, really. Microsoft is also evil as hell.
What does a traditional Android tablet do... (Score:2)
"What does a traditional Android tablet do that a convertible Chromebook doesn't?"
Be just a tablet. It does less than a Chromebook. Perfect for some people. Throw the Chromebook stuff in there and you'll have to start explaining stuff, it won't be as idiot proof. I mean it's already too complex as-is for some people I know.
It is about $$$ (Score:3)
One point worth highlighting... (Score:5, Interesting)
and if you think the updates on Android phones are bad, let me tell you: The situation with Android tablets is worse.
100% absolutely true.
Four years ago, our school district decided to pilot devices. And when I say device, it seemed like nothing under $400 was off the table. We bought an iPad, an iPad mini, a Chromebook, a Nook, a Kindle Fire, an iPod touch, a Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet, and four different Android tablets, a Samsung Galaxy 10, an Asus Nexus tablet, and two white-box $100 Android tablets from Amazon. We gave each one to whoever wanted to try it out, we got feedback, and we choose Chromebooks.
Last May, I dug the unused tablets out of the drawer, looking for one that I could use to use as a Wi-Fi analyzer. Updated every tablet to its highest-supported version. One Amazon tablet could only run Android Honeycomb (3.2), the other got to Jelly Bean (4.3), the Samsung Galaxy went up to Lollipop (5.1), and only the Asus Nexus tablet could run Marshmallow (6.0). (That Nexus was great for the job...modern OS, still fast, perfect size & portability...needed a new battery, though.)
Four Android devices, all purchased at the same time, and four different levels of Android. None of us would have had any clue at the time how far each would last in terms of a functional cloud-based OS.
But our Chromebook? Samsung 303c. Still works, still can browse the web with it w/o any issues (except for slowness). Updates guaranteed through next March, which means it will still work through the remainder of our school year. And it cost $239 at the time. I'd call that value.
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You failed to demonstrate that they don't have a functional cloud based OS, or won't continue to have the same in the future.
Interesting that you criticize the other equipment based on their OS - but you praise the Chromebook based on it's performance.
Apples and oranges much?
Details left out... (Score:5, Insightful)
You failed to demonstrate that they don't have a functional cloud based OS, or won't continue to have the same in the future.
Then let me elaborate. It's all about anticipated value.
The key variable here on each device is its web browser. Web browsers are critical for any schools dependent on Google Apps for Education. That Honeycomb tablet can't even run Chrome browser, and Ice Cream Sandwich only supported Chrome up through v.42, which lost its support around the end of 2016. All the websites teachers depend on daily would, bit-by-bit, lose their ability to function in these old browsers. At the time of purchase, did we know the software limitations of these devices? Absolutely not. There was nothing in any documentation telling us how long Android would remain current with these tablets, making it impossible to gauge an anticipated value at purchase.
With Chromebooks, Google clearly communicates to the world that the software on a Chromebook was guaranteed to stay updated for five years. Therefore, our anticipated lifespan of four years was only physically limited by the wear and tear our students would put on it. We could anticipate its value and budget accordingly. But with Android, half the devices we tried had OS's that would not have lasted us four years, without our knowing which of them would. That makes it impossible to plan a device's anticipated value, and our district already experienced devices that fail sooner than they should, and didn't want to go through that again. (That experience involved LearnPads [learnpad.com], but that's a whole different story.)
And I didn't praise the Chromebook at all for its performance. That 303c was slow as molasses out of the box, and it only got worse with time. But its browser still works, making it still useful for its intended purpose. If you like using older Android tablets because it still serves its intended purpose for you, then good for you, you're getting good value out of it. I'm praising the Chromebook because it's delivering our district good value.
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Sounds to me like you also had two Android tablets whose browser still works too, and possibly at least a third that still works, but may slowly start to develop problems. Considering that tablet has to be AT LEAST 4 YEARS OLD (Jellybean was the latest release from mid 2012 to October 2013), that isn't bad at all. Even your sainted Chromebook won't necessarily support OS updates much past that point.
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It's like the early days of home computing all over again. Rapid product updates, and if you had the old hardware you were probably stuffed... At least now there is mostly backwards compatibility though, so your older hardware isn't unusable for most modern applications.
I'll Stick with my S8+ (Score:2)
Pffft. Ridiculous (Score:2)
Chromebooks (I have one) run one browser (three guesses which one). It doesn't run Thunderbird, NetBeans or anything else that's not a browser extension. I have a Nexus 7 Android pad-form device that runs a TBird-like email client and a few other things that aren't browser-based, And I have a Win-7 laptop (that'll boot Linux Mint) that does about everything I need on either platform, albeit with reduced screen real estate compared to my (Win-7) desktop.
Chromebooks are being issued to my grandchildren in 7t
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It's like trying to do fluid dynamics on a TRS-80.
I wrote a potential flow solver for NACA 0012 airfoil with 50x20 C Grid in an IBM PC-XT you insensitive clod!
I haven't seen a Chromebook under 10 inches (Score:2)
Easy (Score:5, Insightful)
>"What does a traditional Android tablet do that a convertible Chromebook doesn't?
Let's see how easy that is:
1) It is not as light as a tablet.
2) It is not as thin as a tablet.
3) It typically (but not always) costs more than a tablet.
4) It doesn't have an upside-down keyboard I have to worry about getting damaged, dirty, wet, etc.
5) It isn't typically available as small, like 10", which means even further weight savings, thinness, battery life, and portability.
And when the idea is portability, those matter a lot. Some of us want a tablet because we have no desire to use the tablet as a laptop. I have never, not even once, wanted to type on my tablet or use a trackpad with it. I use it to play games mostly, with some weather checking, music listening, watching video, and photo browsing.
Now, if it has a completely REMOVABLE keyboard and then was exactly as thin and light as a typical tablet, and available in several sizes/prices from 7" to 12", then yeah, it could replace a tablet for practically everyone. Until then, the concept of a "tablet" isn't moot.
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>" I'm not arguing with you, I'm saying that tablets are dumb."
Show me an 8" or 10" phone...
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>"What does a traditional Android phone do that an Android tablet doesn't?
Let's see how:
1) It is not as light as a phone.
2) It is not as thin as a phone.
3) It typically (but not always) costs more than a phone.
4) It isn't typically available as small, like 5", which means even further weight savings, thinness, battery life, and portability.
And when the idea is portability, those matter a lot. Some of us want a phone because tablets are redundant.
For many of us, even 5" is too big for a device that needs to be carried at all times. But it is too small for many of things that tablets are good at. That is why tablets are not redundant.
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What you're really saying is that a 7 or 8" screen is dumb because you've never wanted one yourself.
Nice "story" you've got there "anonymous reader" (Score:2)
Here's Mine.
In today's world of $20 smartphones and $50 android tablets, lets indoctrinate our children into the chromebook's cloudbased world of for profit data mining, lack user control, and corporate ownership of personal data! Gotta spend this budget on something!
BONUS! This puts a state/Alphabet controlled computer system in every family home in America, and
BONUS! makes the sucker parents accept responsibility for the hardware, and
BONUS! they have no control over the hardware they are responsible for!
Public library closed for weekend (Score:2)
how many students honestly don't have access to a smartphone, personal computer, or a public library? I'm guessing maybe 1 in 10?
I'm guessing that the number goes up sharply on weekends, when public libraries have reduced hours or are closed entirely. (Source: acpl.info)
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I'm guessing that the number goes up sharply on weekends, when public libraries have reduced hours or are closed entirely.
Shorter hours for the public library is the result of taxpayer choices - if the community wanted the libraries open all weekend, they would simply raise taxes and do it.
Campaign contributions are also an expense (Score:2)
if the community wanted the libraries open all weekend, they would simply raise taxes and do it.
Those who cannot afford a home computer and home Internet access nor a smartphone and cellular Internet access probably cannot afford campaign contributions to candidates who promise to fund library service expansion by raising the tax rate on other constituents.
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Kids (Score:2)
Barring the obvious... (Score:2)
Ignores privacy (Score:2)
Google does not respect your privacy. Integreation does give minor benefits to the consumer, but it ensures massive information benefits for the company
I know it for sure (Score:2)
"What does a traditional Android tablet do that a convertible Chromebook doesn't? "
Not hurt my arm after a few hour of holding it in 1 hand.
Voice assistants (Score:2)
Who cares? Both OSes are closely related anyway. (Score:2)
They're both just about the same thing anyway. Yeah, Android is built around the JVM and has some low-level stuff concerning cellular connectivity and such, but I expect such things to be covered with in an afternoon of recompiling kernel modules for whatever OS (read: customised cross-platform FOSS *nix variant) Google has lying around, be it Chrome, Android or something else
As for the Chromebooks getting Android: That's a nice thing and of course will push back an android tablet if you have money to spare
If the Chromebook has the right specs, then maybe (Score:4, Informative)
I suspect the Computerworld article author has assumed that a typical Chromebook has the same specs as a tablet and *then* has a (hopefully detachable) keyboard on top of that. I just spent $230 on a 10.1" Android 7 tablet that has 4GB RAM, 64GB of local storage (that's rare for a Chromebook because of its cloud leanings), a 2560x1600 touchscreen (again, very rare for a Chromebook to have that res and not all Chromebooks have touchscreens either) and the usual GPS/accelerometer stuff too. I suspect you're talking *big* money to match those specs with a Chromebook.
Yes, I have a bluetooth mouse and keyboard I can optionally use with the new tablet (which will give a better experience than most Chromebooks' trackpads and keyboards) - it has mini-HDMI too if I wanted to hook it to a bigger screen. The tablet form factor is so much better for media consumption, particularly when you're on the move and don't have anywhere to rest your device on.
No (Score:3)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
so explain me this (Score:2)
if google can keep such a tight control over its chromebook range, which is also produced by different brands and use different arch's like intel & i don't know how many different arm cpu's, WHY CAN'T IT DO THE SAME FOR ANDROID?
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android devices are intended to be disposable, thus they don't care
All it needs (Score:2)
Android update on tablet? (Score:3)
> if you think the updates on Android phones are bad, let me tell you: The situation with Android tablets is worse.
Oh yes, I bought a few years ago the $$$ top of the line Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro tablet, it came with Android 4.4, it never had any update.
Tablet (Score:2)
Fit in my pocket.
Tablets better for dedicated projects .... (Score:2)
I see a lot of demand for Android tablets for use in automotive applications .... custom projects to put one in the dashboard in place of a double-DIN car stereo.
I think some are also surely getting used as single-purpose kiosks or remote controllers for things. You can, for example, dedicate one as the controller for videoconferencing systems built around the Zoom software (http://www.zoom.us).
For general purpose use? It's really the same argument you get on the Apple side of things. Why buy an expensive
Nope (Score:2)
I have a Galaxy Tab S2. A Chromebook cannot replace it. I don't hate it or anything like that, but it's all about the formfactor and usage.
First of all, it's extremely disingenuous to brush off something like "Nowadays, a Chromebook runs the same apps from the same Google Play Store". Sure, if you consider the fact that most apps don't work well, several of them crashes, have weird bugs, etc etc. No, a Chromebook does not run the same apps from the same Google Play Store. Far far faaaar from it. It might ev
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What about the opposite question. Why do you want a Chromebook?
exactly, a better question is does Chromebook serve any real purpose anymore when a good Android device can do everything it can do and more. I don't like Android much, I more endure it, but compared to a chromebook it is awesome.
Re:Chromebook is Intel, not ARM. (Score:5, Interesting)
does Chromebook serve any real purpose anymore when a good Android device can do everything it can do and more.
Chromebooks are widely used in schools. They are way better than tablets if you need to do a lot of typing.
In my neighborhood school, the kids start using Chromebooks in 3rd grade, and they now teach touch typing instead of cursive writing.
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They didn't teach us cursive at school. It hadn't been invented.
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Indeed. Latin wasn't under classics, it was in the modern languages department.
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In my neighborhood school, the kids start using Chromebooks in 3rd grade, and they now teach touch typing instead of cursive writing.
Because no one needs to know how to sign their name...
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Most signatures are just chicken scratches anyhow. I learned cursive in second grade and never used it again after fifth, it was a complete waste of time.
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These days, I sign my name on some electronic doodad. I don't think I've signed on paper in nearly a century. Everyone's signature is chicken-scratch on those things, even if it isn't on paper.
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Everyone's signature is chicken-scratch on those things
Mine isn't -- I just draw a straight horizontal line.
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firstly that is a fail school if they stopped teaching cursive writing.
I haven't written a letter in longhand in at least 30 years.
I use block letters for the grocery list.
There is nothing else I write by hand.
My eldest daughter learned cursive.
This is the number of times she has used it since: 0.
It would make more sense to teach kids to shoe a horse.
secondly are you really claiming you need a chromebook to be able to have a keyboard and mouse?
No, not the only way, but likely the cheapest for a useful system (no a Raspberry Pi is a very useful system for schoolwork).
Re:Chromebook is Intel, not ARM. (Score:4, Informative)
Acer and Lenovo both make ARM powered Chromebooks.
There's probably others too.
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I used an Acer Chromebook 13 (Nvidia Tegra K1-based) for a while. The build quality, keyboard, touchpad, battery life and just about everything else was amazing. However, the screen was a horrible TN panel (1080p, though), and the performance was absolutely garbage-tier.
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Comfortable to use a keyboard without a desk (Score:5, Informative)
The Chromebook works far better for me if there is any appreciable amount of typing involved. Sure, you CAN put a tablet in a case with a little keyboard, but it's not made for that, and it shows. It doesn't sit comfortably in your lap as you type away like the laptop / Chromebook form factor does.
Chromebooks also tend to have much longer battery life.
I mostly use a large Android phone if I'm not working. I couldn't very well do much work on my phone. On a Chromebook I can (mostly I work in a terminal and a web browser). There is definitely a place for a Chromebook. Most of what I do, for work and play, I can do just fine on a Chromebook. The one thing that comes to mind it doesn't work well for is using Microsoft SQL Server Studio.
Offline use (Score:2)
I couldn't very well do much work on my phone. On a Chromebook I can (mostly I work in a terminal and a web browser).
How much of that can you do away from an Internet connection? Is there a viable pocket-sized, battery-powered server that one could carry in order to use "a terminal and a web browser" with a Chromebook?
It's Linux. Terminal plus a web browser (Score:2)
> Is there a viable pocket-sized, battery-powered server that one could carry in order to use "a terminal and a web browser" with a Chromebook?
It's Linux. A terminal is the native interface. What makes it a Chromebook is that rather than a standard server-side install of Linux (no GUI) or standard desktop install (lots of GUI shit I don't use anyway), it has a web browser a couple other things in a small, very efficient GUI. No GUI for partitioning hard drives, no pre-installed solitaire game. Which is
Boot, Space, Enter = goodbye data (Score:2)
It's Linux. A terminal is the native interface.
But what executables can you build and run on a Chromebook without first putting it into the fragile developer mode? I call Chromebook developer mode "fragile" [slashdot.org] because anybody who turns on a Chromebook, presses Space as prompted, and presses Enter as prompted will inadvertently trigger a factory reset.
Then you asked if browsing the web works without an internet connection? Huh?
If you're privately developing a web application, you may want to be able to test it even if you're riding public transportation with no Wi-Fi. Not everybody can afford to either A. move to a city whose public
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It is true that you need to put the silly thing into developer mode to do anything "fun" to a chromebook, but the decision to LEAVE it in developer mode is up to you.
There is a custom firmware called MrChromebox, which is fairly painless to install. (you DO need to open the chromebook and remove the write protect screw temporarily to do a full system flash) However, in many cases, you can do a full system rom replacement, which completely removes "Developer mode" altogether. You get a pretty stripped down
How does CFW affect the warranty? (Score:2)
There is a custom firmware called MrChromebox, which is fairly painless to install.
Does installing MrChromebox or the "boot legacy OS" module void the warranty on a Chromebook's screen, hinge, and keyboard? If so, how would a MrChromebox or "boot legacy OS" module user who needs the screen, hinge, or keyboard serviced go about having the device repaired?
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You can install legacy boot option rom without removing the screw Tepples. :P It's only if you want to muck around inside the rom parameters and other stuff that you need to remove the screw. Also, you normally dont need to disassemble the hinge mechanism to get to the screw. It is usually accessible just after removing the back of the clamshell.
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You can install legacy boot option rom without removing the screw Tepples. :P
Based on the results of a Google search for legacy boot chromebook, such as this [chromium.org] and this [jrs-s.net] and this [archlinux.org], I'm under the impression that legacy boot can be reached only from developer mode, which we've established is fragile, and it tends to corrupt itself when the battery runs dry. What keywords should I have used to find a guide to setting up legacy boot on Chromebook?
Also, you normally dont need to disassemble the hinge mechanism to get to the screw. It is usually accessible just after removing the back of the clamshell.
That's not the scenario I had in mind. What I had in mind was that the hinge would eventually develop a fault through wear and tear unrelated to t
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https://mrchromebox.tech/#fwsc... [mrchromebox.tech]
While it requires removing the write protect screw (which means opening the unit, and voiding warranties, (overrated, if you ask me, on a system with no moving parts.) but you use said script to:
1) Remove the bitmaps instructing to press the button combos to do the wipe, replacing with a black screen instead. (wooo.)
2) change the default boot target from chromeos to legacy boot, so that it does not even try to boot chromeos anymore.
3) On supported devices, COMPLETELY REPLACE
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you asked if browsing the web works without an internet connection? Huh?
I often use a web browser on machines that have no network connections, to view locally stored pages (mostly manuals and other documentation).
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Of you want to avoid Android. More Linux (Debian) (Score:2)
The only reasons I can think of, based on the older version I've used, is if you have your own reasons to avoid Android, or you want to run Ubuntu or Debian userland on your phone.
Android seems to do fine on phones - it works well enough that most devices sold in the last few years are Android phones. Obviously some people would prefer an alternative, other than Apple iOS.
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I can see the argument that little more than browser
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What about the opposite question. Why do you want a Chromebook?
Because makers of traditional laptops designed for GNU/Linux have as of late left the compact laptop market underserved. System76, for instance, doesn't sell anything smaller than 13 inches. People might be tempted to work around this by installing the "GNURoot Debian" and "XSDL" apps into a Chromebook's Android subsystem.
Wrong. (Score:5, Informative)
Chromebook is Intel, not ARM.
??!? Huh?
Sorry, but I'm writing this on an official ARM Chromebook and things are working just fine, thank you. Wether Chrome OS or Android is running on x86 or ARM makes just about no difference at all for the upper layers, OSes included.
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I think you missed the biggest thing that a Chromebook doesn't do that an Android tablet does. It doesn't fit in my pocket.
One of the reasons I use my tablet more than my laptop these days is that I can toss the tablet in my pocket (I wear cargo pants usually so can fit an 8 inch tablet easily).
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There are ARM Chromebooks, aren't there? The high end ones are Intel, because Intel processors are still more powerful. They may not compete on power consumption with ARM, but they do on processing power.
But I guess your last question (Why do you want a Chromebook?) is the most telling. People want Chromebooks because they have different needs than you do. They care mostly about the zero administration aspect - and the ability to share them and have all your data available. And they care about price.
Re:Huh (Score:5, Informative)
my android tablet does everything I'd want an ipad to do, at 1/4 the price. nothing shitty about it and quite frankly apple's UI jumped the shark a few years back
Re: Huh (Score:3)
I migrated from an ipad to an android (samsung 12.2) tablet, and when that became long in the tooth shifted to a samsung tab s3, which i love deeply. Android tabs generaly have phone functions which you generaly dont find on chromebooks, i dont want to have to have a dongle stuck out the side
Try pairing a bluetooth mouse to an ipad, does not work, but it works just fine in an android tab, you can even use usb, adding a keyboard and mouse to an android tab changes the experience
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My wife uses a £35 Amazon Fire tablet. It has the same form factor as my old Nexus 7, runs everything she wants without complaint and we can easily sideload apps that are missing from the Amazon store. She is over the moon with it and the only reason I haven't bought one myself is that I really have no need for a tablet (I use my phone for anything I don't do on my laptop).
That's 1/10 the price of the cheapest iPad. This to me is the funniest thing about ipad owners looking down on android. They just
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I'm wondering what you're getting at with your multiple AC posts in multiple threads.
You should know that Linux zealots (such as I am to some degree) who are deriving value from Linux each and every day, will never agree with you.
Is it trying to be an irritant (with, I must admit, some success) what drives you? Does that give you some sort of psychological boost?
To each his own. Just don't expect to convert anyone to your viewpoint.
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> Android is Linux
Yep, it is indeed in nature, but there's a lot more in Linux that "they" won't let Android have. It's Linux no doubt, but has been kept underfed.
> and Linux just isn't useful for anything except servers.
Yeah, right. Routers use Linux, supercomputers use Linux, embedded hardware uses Linux (and likewise "things" like robots, toys, etc.), set top boxes uses Linux. Actually I've been using it since 18 years ago -- as a desktop, no less.
Kid, let me tell you one thing. Hear it and wake up
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No, it really is. Android is every bit a Linux distribution as Ubuntu or Fedora.
What it is not, is a GNU/Linux distribution. As if that mattered.
Not even POSIX (Score:3)
What [Android] is not, is a GNU/Linux distribution. As if that mattered.
I agree that GNU proper isn't essential, as other free userspaces such as BusyBox or that of FreeBSD can substitute for GNU. What makes Android less useful for some people is that it's not even a POSIX/Linux distribution, as it doesn't attempt to provide the programming languages and core utilities specified by POSIX unless you install GNU as an app [google.com].
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What makes Android less useful for some people is that [...] it doesn't attempt to provide the programming languages and core utilities specified by POSIX
Windows isn't a POSIX/linux distribution and 90% of PC's run it.
Windows (except Windows 10 S) also has Visual Studio available without charge, and rebooting a Windows PC doesn't cause the firmware to display prompts that that encourage someone to delete Visual Studio and all your unpushed changes to Visual Studio projects. What's the equivalent on a Chromebook?
And given that nearly every smartphone sold without a fruity logo runs Android
I'm conflicted about this. I know AIDE for Android exists, but I doubt its practicality with a 5-inch screen and juggling four pages of the on-screen keyboard.
Re POSIX: Crouton (Score:2)
You also have the option for crouton, which with the chrome browser extension is much more useful. If Google would make Crouton install-able to USB (without command line switches) and more integrated in terms of setup (no need to enter dev mode and less complicated but still "hidden" as an install) then it could better fill those niches. I suspect that most people would still use chrome for 90% of everything they do, meaning google looses little of their cloud computing and advertising agenda's via the ch
Highly conspicuous self-destruct button (Score:2)
If Google would make Crouton install-able to USB (without command line switches)
Agreed. That's my primary complaint about Chromebooks: a Crouton installation is fragile [slashdot.org].
Re: (Score:2)
Now that more and more Chromebooks can run Android apps, I've been wondering if Google's long-term play is to kill ChromeOS.
Re: (Score:3)
Google are working on "Fuchsia", which some speculate could be the replacement for both ChromeOS and Android.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
A very good point. My oldest Android tablet is 5 years old now, and I still use it for e-books, watching video content and puzzle games.
Still on Ice Cream Sandwich, and all offline (although when the need arises I can still load YouTube [albeit slowly] and play SD content from there).
Re: (Score:2)
How exactly is a Chromebook more complicated than an iPad? I have both and while they're both braindead easy to use, the Chromebook still has the upperhand in that department.
Re:chromebooks suck balls as an alternative (Score:5, Funny)
Worst haiku EVER!
Re: (Score:2)
Good idea. Let us know when you have gotten somewhere with it and I'll give it a test.