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According to reports, Google is getting ready to announce a new "Student Package" for its Chrome notebook that will cost users $20/month. The announcement could come as early as today, and if it does, it might usher in a new era of netbook computing. The Chrome notebook, as you know, is all about computing in the cloud with very little emphasis placed on the actual hardware.
Who better to test this concept product than students? At $20/month, which will include both the hardware and online access, college kids can set aside a portion of their grant money or parents' funding that would have been used to buy a much more expensive notebook and necessary software. And as Forbes rightfully points out, these kids will eventually enter the workforce and have not only the experience of living in the cloud, but the expectation that you should work in one.
"Small and medium-sized business are banging on our doors to get something like this," Forbes quotes a senior Google executive as saying.
Google's Chrome notebook comes with built-in Wi-Fi and 3G, a 12-inch LCD display, full-size keyboard, oversized touchpad, weighs 3.8 pounds, and runs for over 8 hours (active usage) or a week of standby time. Our own Senior Editor Gordon Mah Ung took a quick look at the Google notebook and Chrome OS back in December 2010, which you can view here.
Image Credit: Google
Comments are closed on this article
ddimick
May 11, 2011 at 10:26pm
Once again, the entire bundled productivity suite is available and usable with your documents _even when there is no network connectivity_.
Those complaining loudly about cloud computing haven't the faintest clue about how it actually works.
k11k
May 11, 2011 at 4:47pm
Like the idea, but until the internet service provider get off a cap limit, then i'll think about cloud. Hopefully they don't piss of anon and get shutdown for a few weeks.
lindethier
May 11, 2011 at 12:58pm
Eh, idk about this one. It is an interesting idea, that could be helpful to some college students or casual users. I just don't have much faith in the cloud right now.
CaptainFabulous
May 11, 2011 at 11:30am
I dunno, there is too much info missing. Are you "leasing" it for $20/month or do you own it after a certain amount of time? Is there a minimum contract required? Do they periodically update the model as new ones become available? Can it be hacked to run something other than Chrome OS? Is 3G access included in the price, and if so, what's the monthly data allotment and who's the carrier? It better be a lot if the whole thing runs on the cloud cause everything you do will require data.
A whole lot of questions without answers. No way to really make an informed decision until we know exactly what the $20 a month is paying for. It could be a great deal. It could also be a shitty one.
ShyLinuxGuy
May 11, 2011 at 11:05am
For starters, I don't really like to pay for something I can't keep. I could somewhat understand leasing a car or a house, but a cheapie netbook (why don't they just sell it)??? Then, I can't upgrade, hack or mod it. I like to upgrade, hack and mod at my own whim, whenever I decide to and for whatever reason. So, no. I'd rather pay $500-700 for something more powerful *and* get to keep it indefinitely.
MleB
May 11, 2011 at 9:43am
Ooh, look - a dumb terminal that relies on access to a distant mainframe using sometimes dodgy connectivity. I suppose for an additional $10 per month you get a dot-matrix printer and a phone receiver modem, just to round out the whole retro 70s computing experience?
What part of Personal Computer does Google not understand?
kixofmyg0t
May 11, 2011 at 10:51am
you werent even alive during the 80's or even half of the 90's so saying that this is a "retro '70's computing experience" is just plain dumb.
What part of "cloud computing" do you not understand sir? Everything? Would you rather google just rebranded any one of the million other notebooks out there and called it a day? Guess thats what it would take to pull us out the "retro 70's computing experience" cuz you know, google was everywhere back then.
Keith E. Whisman
May 11, 2011 at 11:22am
Good job, you were a little rough in the beginning because how can you possibly know how old he/she really is, but in the end you added some class and I must say you did a fine job of splaining the complete wrongness of his/her post. Besides you made me laugh out loud!
kixofmyg0t
May 11, 2011 at 10:53am
I personally think its a good deal. The notebook itself has decent specs plus 3G, which is a deal maker for me.
Then again I cant wait for the day when googles cloud service goes down(again mind you) because someone complained in IRC that google charges "too much" for this whole deal and Anon decides to turn it's attention onto google to "protect our rights". Good luck trying to explain to your professor that the reason you lost all of your years worth of work was because a hacker group thinks your "rights" need "protected".
Keith E. Whisman
May 11, 2011 at 11:29am
You mention that 3G connectivity is a deal maker for you but that is what bothers me a little. 4G and LTE connectivity is starting to pop up everywhere now so getting a device that doesn't support 4G or LTE is a deal breaker at least for me. If Google can add support with a firmware update then great. 3G is like Disco, I still like it and listen to is but I don't like it as much as I like Heavy Metal and I surely listen to Heavy Metal a lot more than I listen to Donna Summer or KC and the Sunshine Band.
Keith E. Whisman
May 11, 2011 at 9:31am
OK $20 bucks a month and you get the hardware and access to 3G? Is that unlimited or is it the first 512K then everything after that is $10 a megabyte. Is it true unlimited porn, err, elmo and power ranger episode viewing?
Maybe this is the only way a cloud based OS is going to be marketable. It has to come bundled with interenet access.
I just hope this doesn't go the way of the DoDo bird and the BeOS.
Hamburger
May 11, 2011 at 9:23am
Hell no. One thing that people need the least, is yet another monthly payment and more debt..... oh and cloud computing.
reimermatt
May 11, 2011 at 9:19am
No way in hell! Think about it you have a week left to do your report. The "cloud" goes down! than what? you going to tell your teacher oh sorry I could not finish it because the server went down. get real. No way would i trust a cloud with my documents nor my other stuff.
ddimick
May 11, 2011 at 9:19am
I'm seeing a lot of comments about this thing being a paperweight without live network connectivity. That's not the case.
ebeale
May 11, 2011 at 8:44am
Better read the fine print. I’m sure they will indexing your whole educational experience.
Archtard
May 11, 2011 at 8:24am
Nope, it leaves you reliant on clouds (I really do not like the concept of cloud computing). Networks go down and with a conventional laptop you still have the ability to continue working even when there is no network. It also would not fulfill my broader needs ie gaming, movies, and industrial drawing/mapping programs.
Good for students and casual computer users sure, terrible for the gamers and professionals. Its an interesing and cool idea however, and it could be a good option for many others... just not for me.
US_Ranger
May 11, 2011 at 8:21am
I'm not sure why one commentor said it doesn't come with wifi when it does come with wifi. As for the comment about it being 700+ dollars over 3 years...I don't think Google has mentioned anything about whether or not you get an upgraded netbook every year or so. That could be a possibility. It could be like a cell phone service plan.
knexkid
May 11, 2011 at 7:37am
So if you use the computer for 3 years, which is don't think is unreasonable, you're paying $720 for a netbook. No thanks. Even at $240 for one year seems a bit much to me.
Keith E. Whisman
May 11, 2011 at 11:50am
That's actually not bad if that $20 bucks a month pays for 3G connectivity. I know on Verizon I pay $29 dollars a month for Data on a small cell phone.
Brdn666
May 11, 2011 at 7:30am
As a student and a current owner of a CR-48, I would gladly pay for the netbook (if I didn't already have it for free, ha). It's truly the epitome of what a netbook should be and with Google cranking out updates faster and faster now, it only gets better.
