Day 3: Google Docs and ChromeOS

Today I experimented with my ChromeOS notebook to see if I could find any hidden features in it. I haven't really had an formal instructions from Google as to what type of feedback they want, nor have they completely outlined all of the features that of ChromeOS. I guess since it's still under development they can't really outline all of these things. Things like bluetooth and the SD card reader on the side of the laptop will probably come into play in future software updates.

The main thing I was hoping to find was a way to view ChromeOS's file system. I briefly looked around the Internet, and it does not seem that there is a way to "hack" ChromeOS to see the underlying file system. To my dismay, Chrome is not another Windows Explorer. After several failed attempts of typing in various directories, I gave up. I did hear, however, that ChromeOS runs off of a Linux kernal, so it's only a matter of time before someone figures out how to "hack" it. I did figure out a trick though. You can view parts of the ChromeOS file system by visiting a site that allows you to upload or download things. For example, I was able to visit Google Docs and download a PDF. I was then greeted with a little pop-up window that showed one folder - "Screen Shots". I was actually able to save the PDF and then view it later in the Downloads page of Chrome. But so far that's as close as I've gotten to seeing any resemblance of a file system.

Another thing I got to play with today was the battery life. I have not been keeping the screen at full brightness, so I've been getting pretty good battery life. Google claims that a warning will pop up when your battery level gets too low, but currently I am at 3%(19 minutes) and no warning (the battery icon did turn red though). Nevermind, there it is. Apparently I have less than 15 mins left. Time to fumble for the power cord.

I also noticed today that the time to go from sleep to awake is very fast. Before, when I needed to check something on the Internet, I would have to pull out my MacBook, open the lid, wait for Chrome to load, and then surf the web. But with the Cr-48, I can go from sleep to surf in less than 30 seconds. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but Cr-48 really does make it easy to get on the web.

I've heard some complaints in the blogosphere that Flash runs a little slow. I'll have to watch a video or two on Hulu tonight to test that out, but so far I haven't noticed any issues.

That's all for now. Tomorrow I plan to show it to the guys at work and get their take on it. Who knows, maybe I'll be the envy of the office.