Chrome Notebook CR-48: light hearted but heavy handed

Google made a computer. A laptop, a notebook. It does one thing and it wants to do it well: go online. The entire operating system is a browser. Open it up: browse, post, read, chat.  If you can do it in a browser, you should be able to do it on this notebook, the CR-48.

I’ve been playing with my Chrome Notebook (CR-48) for a few days. It came to me in the mail last week as a gift from a friend at Google. But, I’m still not comfortable calling it a CR-48; I’m not a robot.

The first use experience was better than most computers but did not have a magical presentation like Apple’s packaging. I had to ruffle through a few layers of plastic to get to my computer. The battery came charged and setup should have been easy except I had to wait at least 15 minutes for the OS to upgrade which was just long enough to be a buzz kill. The very subtle smiley face has been an incredibly redeeming factor.

The notebook came with a large sheet of stickers to lay over the cover. The undesigned looking design of the notebook begs for it to be personalized. I’m far from being a “bumper sticker person” on my cars, guitars, bikes and computers but the silicone-like texture and very neutral design politely asks, “please make me yours.” I’m now making a personal relationship with my notebook, de-homogenizing it. Slapping a few stickers on the machine transformed it from a CR-48 to my notebook.

I, like may people, lay in bed and on the couch with my laptop. I prop my knees up and type across my lap. But computers that overheat either leave my legs burned or require me to put on a snuggie. This notebook does not set fire to my flesh, and to no surprise, it is wicked fast. As someone who only uses Google Apps for word and spreadsheet processing, this notebook makes sense for me. However, it is not compatible with the Indiana University wireless secure network nor Netflix (and Hulu is sometimes choppy) deeming it significantly less useful for me, at least while I’m in Bloomington.

Below are my major pros and cons with the my notebook. I have only been using it a week and am only reviewing the features I found myself needing so far. I’m primarily a heavy, Macbook Pro user and have been using a desktop pc 20 hours a week for work at Indiana University.

Pros

• It does not overheat (and burn my thighs)
• Chat persistent across tabs
• Easy setup thanks to sync
• Pleasant logoless design
• Fast startup and shut down
• Great battery life
• It is narrow, durable and light enough for me to slip in my purse
• It has a keyboard
• It has a search button
• It has a video camer (though I haven’t used it yet)
• Important buttons on the keyboard are bigger (shift, arrow, search)

Cons

• Gmail loads with a horizontal scrollbar
• For a computer that’s just a browser, it’s quite heavy
• The tint of the screen at night burns my eyeballs (maybe because I’m a f.lux user)
• Minor adjustment needed from Macbook Pro keyboard
• Does not connect to Indiana University Wireless
• Difficulty switching between wireless networks across different locations (home, work, starbucks, etc)
• Does not stream Netflix
• Streams Hulu slowly
• I cannot figure out how to sign out of chat
• The letters on the keypad are impossible to see at night
• Trackpad is fussy and sometimes unresponsive

How does it stand against the iPad? Well, at this point, iPad with the keyboard mate seems like a better bet. But who knows what the future holds and how much one of these puppies will cost?