Cr-48 Chrome Notebook - Features, Review, Specifications and Photos of Google Cr-48 Chrome Notebook

Google has recently announced a Pilot Program for its new notebook PC 'Cr-48' which have been unveiled for test purpose only. This is the first notebook of its kind to feature the new Google Chrome OS and is accordingly known by the name of Google Chrome Notebook by many. As a test project, this notebook is intended to be delivered to the participants of the pilot program for free and in return collect the valuable feedbacks regarding the various features and functionalities from the users. Since this notebook is based on new features and design along with a new operating system too, Google expects the same to be perfect enough to meet the expectations of the various category of users before it is commercially made available and is hence distributed for testing among the selected citizens residing in United States. Google Cr-48 Chrome Notebook is unique of its kind and the Chrome OS or Chromium OS speaks all about the usage concerning the internet and World Wide Web. This being one of the subject of the pilot program from Google is not meant to be a commercial product which would be available for sale in stores even in the days to come but instead is available for selected users only to be a part of the testing phase of their new operating system which is still under development phase as of now. The product bears a simple and attractive design without any logos or labels as found in most notebooks which are commercially available. Although simple in design, it comes bundled with a lot of features and some very good technical specifications which all makes it quite impressive and worthy to achieve wide acclamation when released officially.

Review of Cr-48 Chrome Notebook Technical Specifications

• Display Screen: The notebook sports an impressive 12.1-inch screen which have a display resolution of around 1280 x 800 resolution. It may be a surprising element for many to see the 12-inch notebook come with that resolution because the latest trends of the 12-inch and 13-inch laptops or notebooks usually carries a standard 1366 x 768 resolution. However, the present display is not bad at all and is considerably good even at that resolution which it has. The output is slightly darker than what would have been expected and can be used only within a certain viewing angle.


• Keyboards: It has a full size keyboard and are well spaced for ease of use with great feel when you run your fingers over the keys. Being made up of a very soft rubber coated material, it is very pleasant to type with it and the difference in using it can be easily distinguished by the user. The layout of the keyboard is another notable aspect which do not resemble with the normal keypad pattern of netbooks or notebooks which are commercially available from various established brands. For instance, we can mention the Caps Lock button which is being replaced by a search button and the Function controls usually placed under the top column is also missing which is now occupied by some multimedia and other shortcut keys instead. The Enter key is made much more flat than what it usually looks like under traditional keyboards and the power button lies in the top row of the keys above the backspace key. The Windows button no more exists and the absence of it is utilized by the ALT and CTRL keys which got some room to stretched out.


• Touchpad: The touchpad as would be expected in notebooks do not come in the Cr-48 Chrome Notebook in true sense of the term. It is more-or-less like a ClickPad instead and with mouse buttons built into it which is definite surprise to one and all. The surface is flat and plain and no distinction is being offered between the scrolling areas or the button controls. You can get some annoyance when trying out on this new ClickPad but after some hours of practice you may perhaps enjoy navigating through the various features using the ClickPad which is offered. One major drawback with this is probably the missing feature of dedicated right-click button and it is needed to be used from the main pad area itself with the two fingers pressing down simultaneously. Hence, it is not something which many regular computer users would be really impressed about and there is certainly many elements of shock and surprise which is attached with this notebook.


• Processor, Memory and HDD: The Cr-48 Chrome Notebook is powered by an Intel Atom N455 processor and has a single core which is based on Intel's CG82NM10 PCH. However this being only a test machine, it is expected that any stable release from Google in the future would definitely carry a dual core processor. The memory is fair enough with an average 2GB module which is among the Hynix RAM. The storage capacity is however very minimal at 16GB Solid State Drives from Sandisk as compared to what is offered with netbooks but here again it is acceptable keeping in mind that this is only pilot program product to test the various features only. Overall, this small notebook which resembles much like a netbook computer has specs which are enough to perform the basic features and functionalities that it offers.


• Other Specifications: In addition to the various core specifications mentioned above, it comes with many other components so as to serve most common requirements of modern computing. It comes with a Qualcomm Gobi 3G chip (Gobi2000 PCI Express Mini Card) which can be used with the Verizon data within United States and is also compatible for other carriers as offered internationally but since its availability as of now is limited only to US, hence Verizon data is the only option. It also got a dual-band WiFi which is supported by AzureWave Atheros 9280 802.11 a/b/g/n and also comes with other regular wireless features which includes that of the Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and is supported by Atheros AR5BBU12. It has a decent battery which can deliver a standby time of as long as 8 days or probably more and can be used for upto 8 hours under normal circumstances. It weighs around 3.8lbs approximately and also includes an integrated webcam within the Cr-48 Chrome Notebook.

Google Chrome Cr-48 Pilot Program

New Features in Google Chrome Cr-48

• Fast and Instant Web Feature: The Cr-48 Chrome Notebook is generally targeted to provide its service for people who particularly depends on the World Wide Web for all their common tasks such as for business, education etc. and working with online data and other web related tasks. It provides the very good service for the web users with speedy boot time of less than 10 seconds which can even wake up from the sleep mode relatively fast. It provides all the support for the latest web technologies and standards being in use now-a-days with support also including that of Adobe Flash. The browsers are very fast and the page-load time can be expected to be the least compared to other systems.


• Remote Access: It offers you the freedom to work from anywhere in the world by simply logging in to your account and perform all your tasks as usual. It allows you to make use of the cloud technology and accordingly store your files and folders, documents and important data within the safe boundary of the cloud. Hence, you will no longer have to bear any insecurity of data loss and hence can remain at work from virtually anywhere with ease and without any specific problems.


• Connectivity: The connectivity features is another notable aspects of the Chrome Notebook which provides reliable solution to all of your connectivity requirements. Built with high speed technologies like 3G and WiFi, the Google Cr-48 Chrome Notebook can allow you to remain connected always. The fast boot time of the Chrome Notebook assist in providing instant connection to the WiFi network and even if you are far way from the reach of any WiFi hotspot, you can still make use of 3G connectivity being provided by Verizon to avail the connectivity features.


• Security: The Chrome Notebook has focused on all the security concerns of computing both online and offline and accordingly has made available many security measures. It includes the Sandbox which is known to provide a safe environment for working with even potentially harmful websites and other infected programs. In addition to the Sandboxing measure, it provides another shield known as Verified Boot which can detect and fix any malware or virus attack on its own. There is also the feature of Automatic Update for ensuring that the latest hotfixes and security updates are installed in the system. Apart from the cloud for storing files, it also offers encryption technology with its temper-resistant hardware to protect the locally stored files and folders from any unauthorized access.


• WebStore and WebApps: There is a wide range of useful applications available through its online webstore. It contain all categories of applications ranging from Productivity to Communication and Games, News and Entertainment which can be directly downloaded and installed in the Chromium OS. It also facilitates the auto-upgrade and auto-update feature of all the software and applications which are installed through the online Chrome WebStore. There is a large collection of applications to select from and hence you need not search for those elsewhere as the same is easily available under a single roof without any problem to download and install