Review : The ARM-Powered Samsung Chromebook

 Summary: The new ARM-based Samsung Chromebook is far more than an amazingly cheap, good lightweight laptop. It will revolutionize how we use PCs.

I was already a big Chromebook fan before I got my hands on Samsung's just-released ARM-powered Chromebook. Now, after a weekend with it and with its  amazing price of $249 I think it's going to find a few million more fans. Indeed, as of October 21st, the ARM-based Chromebook is Amazon's best selling computer.

Why? It's not that the new model Samsuang Chromebook has awe-inspiring hardware. It doesn't.

The Chromebook 2012 Gallery

If you popped it open, you'd find a Samsung Exynos 5 Dual (5250) system on a chip (SoC). This ARM-processor implementation contains a dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex CPU, 802.11n Wi-Fi support, USB 3.0 support, and 1080p, 60 frame per second (FPS) graphics support. It's quite nice, but it doesn't scream speed.

Indeed, it doesn't "scream" in any sense of the word. It has no fans so the only sound you'll hear from it is from your typing or whatever music you decide to play through its built-in speakers.

You'll also find 2GBs of RAM and a mere 16GB Solid State Drive (SSD). I say "mere" because the name of the game with Chromebooks is that they are all about the cloud. A Chromebook's real storage is the cloud-based Google Drive. This model comes with a free 100GBs of Google Drive storage for the first two years. That would normally cost you not quite $120.

So, how fast is it really? Well, it's nothing like as fast as its "big" brother, the Samsung Series 550 with an Intel Celeron 867 Processor and 4GBs of RAM. On the FutureMark’s PeaceKeeper Web browser test suite, the ARM Chromebook scored 1.123 compared to the 550's 1,888. On the other hand, its score makes it only a little slower than IE 9 on Windows 7 SP1 on a Gateway DX4710. This PC is powered by a 2.5-GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor and has 6GBs of RAM and an Intel GMA (Graphics Media Accelerator) 3100. In short, the ARM Chromebook does a lot more with a lot less hardware than a stock Windows PC does.

It's also very fast to boot up. My boot times were always around 10 seconds. In practice, I found it to work very quickly. With only 2GBs of RAM, it will start to slow down once you're over about a dozen open tabs.

For ports, it comes with one USB 3.0 one USB 2.0 port, and an HDMI port. It also has a combo headphone/mic jack, secure digital memory slot and a low-resolution Webcam. For networking, it's purely Wi-Fi. It supports the 802.11 a, b, g. and n family with dual antennas and Bluetooth 3.0. There is no Ethernet port.

Samsung says its battery will hast for six and a half hours. Mine lasted for over seven on a single charge. For a device that weights less than two and a half pounds that's amazing.

The display is only 11.6-inches with a resolution of 1,366x768. I like huge screens myself—hence my main work laptop is a ThinkPad T520 laptop with its 15.6" display—but for a small display it's quite nice. It's also much easier to travel with.

The keyboard was a pleasant surprise. Samsung may sell this device for not much more than a song, but they didn't cheap out on the keyboard or its touchpad. When it comes to laptop keyboards, my gold standard is still the Lenovo ThinkPad, but short of that, both current model Samsung Chromebooks are great to type on.

The Chrome OS interface itself is, as ever, a pleasure to use. While it's based on Ubuntu Linux, anyone who's ever used a Chrome Web browser can use it. There is zero learning curve when you move to a Chromebook.

Chrome OS also has all its usual built-in benefits. There's no need to ever update any applications because everything is based on the cloud. The operating system itself, unless you go out of your way to stop it, automatically updates it. You also don't need to customize it. Once you're signed into Google, it automatically syncs all of your Chrome bookmarks, settings, extensions and applications. Share it with a friend? No problem, they login to their Google account and they get all their Chrome settings, apps, and so on.

So, what's so special about this ultra-light laptop that I think it's going to change everything? Easy. It's $249. Take into account the Google Drive, and it's $130.

Think about that. It's a reasonably fast, go anywhere, do anything computer that will cost you less than an iPod. My colleagues have been following this to its logical conclusion. Eric Lai looked at what comes with it and it's pricing and said, "At these prices, what CIO or IT manager wouldn't give the Chromebook a serious look? You'd be crazy not to."

Jason Perlow wrote, "The significance of this particular product release isn't about UX and Apps. It's about bringing down the cost of of computing down to affordable, almost disposable levels, and leveraging the Cloud to do the heavy lifting which we've otherwise relied upon much more powerful personal computers to do before."

Exactly. This Chromebook represents the true future of the PC. It's cheaper than any device that's remotely comparable to it be it tablet, laptop or any of the hybrids. It depends not on the local computer but on network services to get things done. Sun's motto used to be the network is the computer. Today, that motto has been made reality in my hands by Google and Samsung with the ARM Chromebook. This really does change everything.

Posted by Unknown Monday, October 22, 2012

New Samsung Chromebook : ARM Processor And $249

Summary: Samsung and Google have unveiled the next generation Chromebook. The new Samsung Chromebook sports an ARM processor, a MacBook Air form, for only $249.

Google had formerly mentioned it was working to get the Firefox OS operating on the ARM foundation, and the New Samsung Chromebook is the outcome. The 11.6-inch Chromebook is less than 2.43 weight and is costing a ground-breaking $249.

I have been using the New samsung Chromebook for a few time and am already preparing to buy one. The Firefox OS operates wonderfully on the ARM foundation, producing excellent performance and excellent life cycle of power supply.

The new Chromebook looks like small sized MacBook Air, with a gold nasty covering that seems durable. The dimension is more convenient than that of most Ultrabooks at a cost far reduced than any current computer.

Hardware Specifications :

• Model Number: XE303C12.
• Display Size: 11.6-inches.
• Display: 1366x768 resolution; 200nit brightness.
• Weight: 2.43 lbs (1.1.kg).
• Less than 0.8 inches thick (17.5 mm).
• Battery Life: over 6.5 hours.
• Processor: Samsung Exynos 5250.
• Memory: 2GB.
• Storage: 16GB SSD.
• Ports: 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, combo headphone/mic jack, secure digital memory slot.
• HDMI Port.
• Bluetooth 3.0™ Compatible.
• Speaker: 1.5W speaker X 2.
• Keyboard: Full-size Chrome keyboard.
• Wireless: 802.11 abg/n 2x2.
• MSRP: $249 USD / 229 GBP.

The new Chromebook is operating Firefox OS edition 23.0.1271.39 daisy, the newest constant develop. Performance with the New samsung ARM processer is liquid and lag-free. I have examined enjoying full-screen HD movie and webGL applications and Samsung's statements of 60 fps are established.

What makes the New samsung Chromebook so troublesome in this author's perspective is the excellent performance, highest possible mobility, and the low cost. This new laptop computer performs better than the past design, the New samsung Sequence 5 550 for 50 percent the cost. Those on the barrier about Firefox OS should find the $249 cost a excellent motivation to give it a try.

I will be placing the new Chromebook through its steps as I get more time with it, but my few time already illustrate it is well worth the money. The Chromebook is available to preorder now from Best Buy, Amazon, PC World and "other retailers", with sales starting next weeks time.

Posted by Unknown Thursday, October 18, 2012

Microsoft's Surface Strategy May Force Us To Find Another Platform : Acer

Summary: The maker has cautioned that it and its competitors may need to look for an substitute foundation to Ms windows if Ms seriously goes into the components business

Acer go JT Wang has advised Ms to reevaluate launching its own Area components, caution that the shift will be bad for producers such as Acer.

Wang became the first primary of a PC producer to criticise Windows shift, when he informed the Economical Times on Thursday that Area risked eliciting a bad response from the Ms windows company's recognized components environment. The involvement came days after Ms itself cautioned of accurately the same thing, in a regulating processing.

"We have said think it over," Wang was estimated as saying. "Think twice. It will make a large adverse effect for the environment and other manufacturers may take a bad response. It is not something you are good at so please think twice."

Surface is an development of the Ms windows PC, but also Windows big wish in rivalling the iPad and Operating system operating system mobile phone pills — gadgets that are starting to supersede notebooks for some customers, at the same time currently a relatively few.

Wang's take care of may have been stiffened by a latest Ms writing that described Area as Windows "new family of PCs" — formerly, it was just one system that could probably have been considered as a shift to activate producers to enhance their own Ms windows product styles.

In the same item, the FT estimated Acer's international PC function primary Campbell Kan as saying Acer was discussing whether to "find other alternatives" to Ms windows, if Ms was really making a serious shift into the components market.

The first Area product — or rather, two pills, as one will use ARM structure and the other Apple x86 — will be launched together with Ms windows 8 on 26 Oct.

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, August 07, 2012

ARM Unveils Next-Generation Mali Mobile GPUs

Summary: ARM's new GPUs provide components creators up to eight cores of design performance, while designers get their hands on a new pressure codec.

ARM's current major GPU, the quad-core Mali 450-MP found in the New samsung Universe S III sensible phone, is set to be sidelined as ARM produces three new multi-core parts that will find their way into a variety of cellular phone gadgets by now next year.

The new GPUs are the Mali T624, T628 and T678. All three are built on ARM's Midgard design structure. These new GPUs provide up to 50 % performance improve over the first creation Midgard GPUs (T604 and T658). This performance improve is much needed as device screen solutions improve.

All also include assistance for a design pressure codec called Versatile Scalable Structure Compression (ASTC). Not only does ASTC increases GPU performance and increases power supply in gadgets by enabling designers to take advantage of texture pressure in programs, it also allows designers to pick a single codec for all pressure needs. ASTC is part of the Khronos open standard and ARM desires that it will become the pressure codec of choice for designers.

The Mali T624 machines from one to four cores, while the Mali T628 machines from one to eight cores; both of which are targeted at the sensible phone and Intelligent TV industry. The Mali T628 provides up to ten-times the design performance of the Mali 400-MP GPU that was present in the New samsung Universe S II.

At the top end is the Mali T678, which machines from one to eight cores, offering four periods the GPU performance of the Mali T624, and is targeted at the product industry. The Mali T678 provides a 50 % performance enhancement over the first-generation Mali T658.

The scalability of the primary depend means that components creators can select the appropriate level of performance to fit into a price segment. This makes ARM's GPU promotions incredibly flexible and suitable for a variety of programs.

As with all other Midgard GPUs, the new GPUs assistance GPU estimate with increases performance and energy-efficiency for numbers extensive activities, such as computational digital photography for improving images, video stabilizing, and real-time photo modifying on cellular phones and pills.

"People expect higher requirements of visible handling on their cellular phones, pills and smart-TVs with smooth access to their digital world and personal content," said Pete Hutton, ARM's gm for media handling.

"GPU estimate allows this as it increases the variety of features cellular phone gadgets can perform within the available power supply. ARM is constantly on the focus on system-wide search engine marketing by developing industry major CPU and GPU technology to drive both powerful and energy-efficiency."

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, August 07, 2012