Samsung Series 5 Chromebook: Review

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When I opened the Chromebook to the start screen, the machine prompted me to configure it. First, it asked for my language preference and network. I chose English and provisioned my home Wi-Fi network, then signed in with my Google account credentials, all steps with which I’d logged into the Cr-48 for the first time.

Then I was asked to select a user ID photo, either a picture from the 1MP Webcam or a stock photo. I chose a stock robot pic. Then I was in, or at least mostly in. Chrome OS, version .12 on this Chromebook compared to version .11 on my Cr-48, asked me to take a trackpad tutorial to get used to navigation.

The cloud keeps all your data

When I finished I realised the Chromebook had ported in all of the bookmarks I’d created on my Cr-48. This is a bigger deal than it seems because it speaks to the cloud computing vision Google has of user data and applications availability on any device, hosted in the cloud.

Not only that, but it prescribed all of the apps I installed from the Chrome Webstore via the Cr-48. So when Google officials joked at Google I/O that you could throw a Chromebook in a river and not lose important data, they weren’t kidding. This is obviously hyperbole; you might keep all your data, but you’d be out $500!

Viewing YouTube videos and Flash multimedia content was pleasant enough thanks to the 12.1-inch LED backlit matte (seriously!) display, which boasts 1280 x 800 resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio on 300 nits brightness.

Samsung claims its Series 5 Chromebook is up to 40 percent brighter than the average laptop. I do know that reading text and viewing other content was easy in light or dark environs. The screen is good, but nothing spectacular.

There are more than 4,500 apps to choose from in Google’s Chrome Webstore, most of which are free. I tested the Webcam with Google Talk video chats and found it to work well. I also ran Gmail Picasa, Google Docs, Google Reader and others, which all worked well enough, thanks to the Intel 1.66 GHz Atom Processor N570.

Then I installed the new Angry Birds Chrome version with a single click in a few seconds. Angry Birds was really where I got a feel for this Chromebook’s Intel NM10 graphics chipset.

I would be lying if I said the Web version of Angry Birds operated without a hitch. This is the Web. Hiccups in access are normal, whereas you wouldn’t see fits and starts on the native mobile apps for Android and iPhone. Overall, my experience gaming on the Chromebook was enjoyable.

To use this 3G model outside my house I went to the Chrome tools section, clicked on Settings, the Internet. Here I saw my Wi-Fi connection and an option to connect to Verzion’s network. To do this – inthe US – you must type your area code or town and choose options such as the free 100MB of data Verizon offers.

Once I entered my info, I was free to use the Chromebook courtesy of the carrier’s mobile broadband, as if the notebook were a smartphone or tablet.

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