Chrome OS and the CR-48 – First Impressions

I got a very nice, early Christmas present from Google yesterday, a CR-48 Chrome OS laptop.  I want to use it for a week or two before giving it a full review, but so far it has quickly found a warm place in my heart.

First, let me just tell you, the device itself is beautiful.  When I read other blogs’ review of the device, I wondered at them concentrating so much on the device, as it is just a “beta-test” model, and not for sale, but I have now seen the light.  I don’t think you can fully appreciate it until you hold it in your hands.  It has a very slick matte black plastic enclosure… very comfortable to the touch.  It almost feels like rubber.  The screen is bright, the speaker, while sometimes a little quiet, provides nice, crisp sounds.  The keyboard is one of the best I’ve used.  The click pad, though a bit jumpy at times, is one of the best I’ve used on any laptop or netbook.

The OS is surprisingly useful.  I was a bit wary of an OS dedicated almost solely to web use, but I’m actually getting quite used to it.  It’s simple, and the computer does almost everything I want a netbook to do, without the hassle of Windows bogging it down.  I don’t think this OS will ever be a primary computer for me, but it’s perfect for “couch use” or in a coffee shop.  The speed of this thing is amazing.  When you close the lid, it goes to sleep, like most laptops.  Unlike most laptops, however, when you open it up, it’s on and ready to go before I’ve even gotten the lid all the way open.  Also, when powered completely off, it takes all of 10 seconds or less to boot back to life.  Surfing the web is a breeze with its optimized keyboard, and pages load extremely quickly.

Again, I plan to write a full review in about a week or so, but first impressions of this thing are extremely positive.