Chrome CR-48 Netbook Features, Pilot Program, Benefits, Drawbacks, Price & Comparison vs MacBook Air

Chrome CR-48 is a small notebook which belongs to a special category called netbooks. Netbooks are specially used for internet browsing and minimal office work, as the name suggests. It is one of the most anticipated and welcomed notebooks of 2010 as has been listed one of the most popular pages of Google itself, officially. To add to the excitement there were two facts related to this netbook. The first one was the pilot program by Google where they offered free notebooks for testing by general users and the second one was the Google Chrome OS as Chrome CR-48 was the first product to ever ship with that OS.

What is Chrome CR-48 Netbook?

Chrome CR-48 is a minimal netbook with limited capability for computing which means that it can be used for smaller tasks or those works which do not demand a lot of processing power. Since it is a 'net' book, and Google is a company which heavily depends on the Internet for its bread and butter, it is obvious that Chrome CR-48 would be tailored specifically for the same purpose. It comes with one of the most hyped Operating Systems of its times the Chrome OS. It has a few good things and as always a few bad too. We will have a look on those aspects further in this article.

What is Google CR-48 Pilot Program?

Chrome CR-48 Pilot Program is something similar to the beta programs by the other companies including microsoft. The difference here is that while most beta programs deal with software, Google has decided to launch a beta program (the so called pilot program) for both hardware and software. According to the pilot program of Google, users can register for it and if selected, the user will be allowed to take home the Google Chrome CR-48 notebook for free and test it for some time. The users can test the speed and the ease of use of both the hardware and the software of Chrome CR-48 notebook through the Google Chrome CR-48 pilot program.

Hardware Features of Chrome CR-48 Notebook

Chrome CR-48 notebook is a small one and hence has limited hardware features. It is mainly designed to do smaller works and hence all the hardware such as processor, screen, graphics adaptor etc. are less powerful. Let us see what is inside it.

Dimensions - Chrome CR-48 notebook is 11.8 inches long, 8.6 inches wide and merely 0.9 inches thick. Since it is quite small it will not be able to contain big components inside itself. This means that the processor, hard disk, etc. have to be small. It is made for basic net browsing and search the purpose very well.

Processor of CR-48 - CR-48 notebook contains an Intel Atom N455 processor. This processor is a single core 64 bit processor and it runs at a speed of 1.66 GHz and has 512 KB of L2 cache. With HT technology enabled, this processor will be able to do a small amount of multiprocessing quite well. Since for a netbook, power consumption as well as size is very important, this processor was a very good choice as it is very small in size and the power consumption is quite low at 6.5 watts.

Memory in CR-48 - Chrome CR-48 notebook has 2 GB of RAM which is also called the main memory of Chrome CR-48 notebook. It is quite a nice amount of RAM considering the smaller and lower power processor. A nice amount of RAM is very much needed for fast working for a computer. Since the processor in this case is slow and the software of Chrome CR-48 limits the use further, 2 GB RAM is quite sufficient for the work.

Motherboard chipset of CR-48 - Chrome CR-48 notebook is based on Intel CG82NM10 PCH chipset which is quite a good choice with low power consumption of 2.1 watts and facilitates all the nice features needed by this miniature size machine called the Chrome CR-48.

WiFi in Chrome CR-48 - Chrome CR-48 is fully compliant to the wireless standards. It supports all the major wireless technologies, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n standards for wireless access. What is means is that you will be able to connect to almost any wifi hotspot with Chrome CR-48 notebook. Chrome CR-48 is also able to provide wireless encryption in both in WEP and WPA standards. It also supports both the WPA-1 and WPA-2 standards allowing for maximum compatibility across the globe. Powered by AzureWare PCI-E half mini card, it is a power aware machine.

3G Adapter in Chrome CR-48 - Chrome CR-48 comes with the 3G adapter, Qualcomm Gobi2000 PCI Express Mini card. This allows you to connect to the internet while you are on the move. Since this is a netbook, the Chrome CR-48 needs to have various connectivity options. Nowadays, there might be many netbooks which have wi-fi and bluetooth etc. but not many have the 3G adapter like the Chrome CR-48. This makes it a good netbook.

Storage in CR-48 - Currently this is one of the areas in which CR-48 is not very good. It comes with only one 16 GB SSD which is quite small considering the space we get in other netbooks. However, at the same time, since Chrome CR-48 is mainly a cloud device, it is expected that it will not matter much for the basic works.

Trackpad in CR-48 - It is one of the few netbooks in the market which will come with a multi touch feature on the trackpad. This significantly increases the ease of use in few cases which become annoying when done repeatedly.

Screen in CR-48 - Screen resolution of CR-48 is 1280 x 800 which is somethin which we get in larger laptops. With a display size of mere 11 inches, this resolution will produce a very crisp and clear look on the screen.

Audio and Webcam in CR-48 - There is one 3.5 mm output jack on the machine. There is also a built in microphone at the top. The top lid also contains a small camera which works as the webcam.

Card reader in CR-48 - Google Chrome CR-48 notebook comes with an SD card reader which is good for the people who keep taking photographs and share it on the Internet.

Keyboard in CR-48 - Google has done some changes in the keyboard layout of the standard netbook. They have removed the function keys and also the caps lock key. The caps lock key is now replaced by a search key which when pressed will allow google search to come up in Chrome CR-48.

Graphics in CR-48 - Graphics in CR-48 notebook is powered by the processor itself. The N455 atom processor has a built in graphics adapter running at 200 MHz which shares the memory with the RAM and provides an energy efficient replacement for a separate graphics adapter. In addition, there is also a VGA port to which you can connect an external monitor.

Battery life – CR-48 - The average operating time of this notebook on battery is about 7 hours. While this is the running time for the normal operation, it will decrease if you are running videos or doing computationally more intensive work.

Software Features of Chrome CR-48 Notebook

Chrome CR-48 is powered by Google Chrome OS which is basically a cloud operating system. When you are using Chrome CR-48 notebook, you are restricted from many sides. Before we go into the drawbacks of Google Chrome OS, let us see the features.

10 Benefits of using Chrome CR-48 notebook

1.Everything is on the cloud - Any content that you create on Google Chrome CR-48 notebook is by default stored on the Internet somewhere. You will be able to access it from any other computer as well as long as you are using your Google account. The biggest advantage of this is that you will not feel that you have less memory in your Chrome CR-48 notebook.

2.Very fast boot - Chrome CR-48 can boot up in about 10 seconds which is quite fast when compared to most other netbooks. This is due to the linux operating system on which Chrome CR-48's operating system viz. Google Chrome OS is based.

3.Price of CR-48 notebook - Although this is not sure when it will be launched, will it be really launched even or not, but even if Google launches any notebook in the future, it will run on Google Chrome OS and will be free from the taxes and extra price which Microsoft windows adds to the machine. This is one of the best things about Chrome CR-48 notebook.

4.Software updates no CR-48 - Software updates adds features to softwares and also protects against the vulnerabilities. It is one of the confusing things for a non-technical user as they might not know which update to install and which not. Since Chrome OS is designed to be automatically updated, it will provide ease of use for the end user.

5.Portability of CR-48 - Running a cloud operating system that is Google Chrome OS, Chrome CR-48 notebook is highly portable as it stores all your data on the Internet. You are able to access your data on not only the notebook itself but also on other computers. It is a lightweight machine and is easy to carry as well.

6.Extension to Google accounts - You do not have to remember one extra password for your machine. Actually, you can just use your Google account username and password to log into the machine. Everything afterwards is customized according to your preferences stored with Google in your Google accounts.

7.Android on Google CR-48 notebook - Android OS was designed to be run on portable machines and CR-48 is surely one of them. There has been news lately that CR-48 can also run android. You can see more details about Android on Chrome CR-48 Notebook.

8.Security in CR-48 - Viruses is one of the big problems for Microsoft Windows. Since Google Chrome CR-48 which runs on Google Chrome OS which is based on Linux, viruses will not be a problem and your security will not be compromised. Since most of the things are not stored on the machine itself, even upon the theft of the machine, your data will be secure and everything will be safe on the Internet and no one will be able to access it without your password.

9.Experience of the Internet - Being on cloud is a great experience, especially when all the functionality built right into the operating system. Now you do not have to worry about saving things on the Internet separately. This is done automatically. Moreover, you have everything in one window which is a feature of the Google Chrome OS, making it all easy for you to work upon the machine called Chrome CR-48 notebook.

10. Sharing Content with CR-48 - Since everything is on the Internet, sharing everything is as easy as you would like it to be, just a cakewalk.

10 Drawbacks of Google CR-48 Notebook

1.No Desktop - Users are usually used to a desktop with all their applications available as icons a task bar, etc. This feature is not available in Chrome OS as it is basically a browser based OS.

2.Less applications - There are very few applications available on the machine. Everything else has to be loaded off the Internet. This is painful especially if your Internet connection is slow.

3.Media Playback - We are used to custom playlists, media libraries, etc. on our regular machines. There is nothing as such in Chrome CR-48 because it is basically only a browser. So if you want to play some media, you are the mercy of the features provided by a web based media player.

4.Very less local storage - If you have shot 32 GB of pictures and your SD card is running out of space, this notebook cannot be used to transfer that data and relax because there is almost no space available locally. Without an Internet connection, this device is as good as nothing.

5.No pre-installed office application - If you want to edit or create a document, a presentation or a spreadsheet and you are at a place where you are not able to get an Internet connection, your are simply out of luck and nothing can be done when you are operating on Google Chrome CR-48 notebook. This is one of the most irritating things about this machine.

6.No Games - Of course, you would not like to play baby games like Dave and Maze only anymore. Today is the day when people want speed on their screens, shoot down the terrorists and destroy kingdoms. If you are an aspirant gamer, this machine is strictly not advisable for you. You will be disappointed I guess.

7.Long term costs - If you are using Internet for everything that you do and you have to pay according to the Internet plan, you are probably going to spend a lot of money after the Internet connection itself. This will increase your long term costs.

8.No programming - In case you are a student and want to create even a "Hello World" application, you cannot. This is because the operating system has only a browser and there is almost no possibility of installing anything else, at least not a programming environment.

9.No hardcore use - If you wanted to test file transfers and wanted to setup small servers to share files among friends, you will not be able to do so. Hence hardcore users will be extremely disappointed by the potential of the machine, the Chrome CR-48 Notebook.

10.Its all Google - Almost anything that you use is a web feature by Google so you are basically restricted to what Google allows you to do. Since most of the best products in the Internet market are by Google itself, it is alright. But it still lacks the ease of use of the desktop applications. Unless the quality and number of applications increased, it will not be quite so good to use this operating system.

Google Chrome CR-48 Price and Availability India

There is no news about whether Chrome CR-48 notebook will be available in India, or anywhere else, but it is definitely a matter of surety that you will get to use this notebook via the pilot program of Google as mentioned above. If however, Google launches the notebook commercially, then the Google Chrome CR-48 price in India would be Rs. 25000 (as estimated).

Comparison of Google Chrome CR-48 vs. Apple MacBook Air

When we talk about Apple MacBook Air, we usually say that it is a show off from Apple. However, I do not consider this to be fully true. What I like the most about it is its sizzling appeal, its slimness, its sleek body design and the beautiful experience that it renders. We complain that the price of MacBook air to be around Rs. 80,000 in India is too much. However, the configuration we get is not up to the mark people say.

Now what are you going to say about the Chrome CR-48 notebook. Is it really worth? When I look at the looks of Chrome CR-48, I am at once not very induced and stimulated to take it in my hands. But the Apple MacBook air does not need a comment from anyone. I would say it looks like a queen or a king [male users having it must not make me their enemy] among all the laptops when it comes to looks. The trackpad of MacBook Air is somewhat better than the CR-48 notebook.

The slimness, storage facility, the configuration, the ability to install more, everything is better than the CR-48. However, I would say that CR-48 is not all bad. It has features which the MacBook Air does not have. MacBook Air does not have the features of cloud computing as the CR-48 has. MacBook Air does not have many other facilities like 3G adapter etc. Both are one above the other, but due to the appeal, MacBook Air has convinced me to be its fan, however, CR-48 is still to go.