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Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Review: Chrome OS -- Give Chrome OS a try (Updated)





Apple vs. Windows?  That's the question we often hear.  Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS have dominated the computer industry for a long time and comparison between the two is often a heated debate among computer enthusiasts and fanboys.  The two tech giants are synonymous with modern-day computing.  But there is a contender on the block and its name is Chrome OS.

I have an Acer Spin 13 Chromebook, a Google Slate tablet, as well as a Core i7 Chromebox, which is my main desktop.  And my Windows desktop?  Given to my parents and converted to Chrome OS by installing the CloudReady home edition by Neverware.

What is Chrome OS you might ask?  Well, Chrome OS is a brand new operating system built by Google from the ground up with a view toward the web.  If you have used a Chrome browser, you have pretty much used the operating system.  Chrome OS is lightweight and requires very few resources.











There is plenty of misinformation going around that Chromebooks are useless and cannot run Windows software.

While it is true that Chromebooks cannot run Windows software like Microsoft Office or iTunes, the bigger question is there replacements for that software? And the answer to that is yes.

Photo editing

Photo by Caio Resende from Pexels
Chromebook naysayers are often drumming on how Chromebooks can't run Photoshop.  But how many people actually use Photoshop to touch up holiday pictures.  Photoshop is really resource-intensive and expensive so unless you're a professional photographer or your work deal with photographs, I bet you don't really need to use the software just to crop a few images or touch up your snaps.  Pixlr is a perfectly good replacement to Photoshop and Chrome OS can natively crop your photographs.  Another good alternative is LunaPic and Fotor. In addition, new Chromebooks can access the Play Store and almost all the apps available to Android.  That means that you can install the Adobe Photoshop Express software.  You can also access these apps made by Adobe.

Word processing

No problem.  Two solutions are available: Google docs or Microsoft Office online.  Also, you can access all these Word Processing apps made for Android.

In addition, if your Chromebook supports Linux apps (Crostini), you can install all the various open software out there like Libreoffice.

Video editing

You can cut or trim videos using the various online editing tools available.  You can also use Android apps from the play store.

Music

No biggy.  I'm pretty sure most of you are on YouTube anyway.  You can also access the large library on Spotify or Amazon Prime Music.  Plus you can upload your music to Google Play Music online and it will work on any PC.  With the advent of the Play Store, the Android version of Play Music is also available.

Android Apps

Almost all modern Chromebooks have access to the Android Play store.  That means that any apps that you use on your phone will now run on your Chromebook.  This includes popular applications like WhatsApp and Microsoft Office, your bank's app for online banking, and games like Candy Crush.  However, to take full advantage of Android apps, I would recommend getting a Chromebook with a touch screen display.

Linux Runtime
Image by User:Qubodup
on Wikimedia Commons.

Also, many Chromebooks can run Linux apps (Crostini)!  The beta feature will allow you to access all the apps available on Linux including LibreOffice and Gimp.  These are the Chromebooks that currently support Crostini aka Linux on Chromebooks.

Codename/BoardnameBrandModel Name
banon [R70]AcerChromebook 15 (CB3-532)
bob [R69]ASUSChromebook Flip C101PA
celes [R70]SamsungChromebook 3 (XE500C13)
coral [R69]AcerChromebook 11 (C732, C732T, C732L & C732LT ),
Chromebook 11 (CB311 - 8H / 8HT),
Chromebook 15 CB315-1H / 1HT,
Chromebook Spin 15 CP315-1H / 1HT,
Chromebook Spin 11 (CP311-1H & CP311-1HN)
ASUSChromebook C223 / C423 / C523,
CTLChromebook J41 / J41T,
Chromebook NL7,
Chromebook NL7T-360
DellChromebook 11 5190, Chromebook 11 2-in-1 5190
Lenovo100e Chromebook, 500e Chromebook
cyan [R70]AcerChromebook R11 (CB5-132T / C738T / CB3-132)
edgar [R70]AcerChromebook 14 (CB3-431)
elm [R72]AcerChromebook R13 (CB5-312T)
eve [R69]GooglePixelbook
fizz [R69]AcerChromebox CXI3
ASUSChromebox 3
CTLChromebox CBx1
HPChromebox G2
ViewSonicNMP660 Chromebox
hana [R72]LenovoN23 Yoga
kefka [R70]DellChromebook 11 Model 3180 / 3189
kevin [R69]SamsungChromebook Plus
nami [R69]AcerChromebook 13 (CB713-1W ),
Chromebook Spin 13 (CP713-1WN-53NF)
DellInspiron 14 2-in-1 7486
HPx360 14
LenovoYoga C630
nautilus [R69]SamsungChromebook Plus (V2)/(LTE)
nocturne [R70]GooglePixel Slate
pyro [R69]LenovoThinkpad 11e Chromebook (4th Gen),
Thinkpad Yoga 11e Chromebook (4th Gen)
reef [R69]AcerChromebook Spin 11 (R751T / CP511)
ASUSChromebook C213NA
reks [R70]LenovoN22 (Touch) Chromebook,
N23 Chromebook,
N23 Chromebook (Touch),
N42 (Touch) Chromebook
relm [R70]AcerChromebook 11 N7 (C731 / CB311)
CTLNL61 Chromebook
EdxisEducation Chromebook
HPChromebook 11 G5 EE
MecerV2 Chromebook
PositivoChromebook C216B
sand [R69]AcerChromebook 15 (CB515-1HT/1H)
scarlet [?]AcerChromebook Tab 10 (D651N / D650N)
snappy [R69]HPChromebook 11 G6 EE,
Chromebook 14 G5,
Chromebook x360 11 G1 EE
setzer [R70]HPChromebook 11 G5,
Chromebook 11-vxxx
soraka [R69]HPChromebook x2
terra [R70]ASUSChromebook C202SA,
Chromebook C300SA/C301SA
ultima [R70]LenovoThinkPad 11e Chromebook 3rd Gen (Yoga/Clamshell)
wizpig [R70]CTLJ5 Chromebook
EdugearCMT Chromebook
HaierConvertible Chromebook 11 C
MultilaserM11C Chromebook
PCMergeChromebook PCM-116T-432B
ProwiseProLine Chromebook
ViglenChromebook 360

Expected to get Crostini soon

The following list of devices is expected to receive Crostini soon based on recent code commits (source).
Codename/BoardnameBrandModel Name
nasher/coralDellChromebook 11 5190
nasher 360/coralDellChromebook 11 2-in-1 5190

Unsupported Devices According to Google

Device DescriptionReason
Any device with BayTrail.No VT-x.
Any device with Linux kernel 3.14 or older.Requires backports.
Any device with a 32-bit ARM CPU.Firmware issues, limited storage/RAM.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Crostini/wiki/getstarted/crostini-enabled-devices

And as an added bonus, Chrome OS cannot be infected (unless you install a dodgy Linux app)!  It is basically a web browser so there is nothing to infect.  No nasty viruses or spyware.  Also, updates install in the background and simply require a reboot to start.  In addition, Chrome OS takes mere seconds (around 7 in my tests) from pressing the power button to being on the web.

So for hassle-free computing, give Chrome OS a try.

This blog post was created and edited on Chrome OS.

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