18 ms·

Chromebox

367 points by zoowar 14y ago

Groxx 14y ago
Interesting. Too bad the 'specifications' tab is so anaemic - I'm curious how this stacks up against e.g. a Mac mini, or other mini computers. edit: Amazon has a lot more info: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE300M22-A01US-Series-3-Chromebox/dp/B007Y8DJEA/ref=br_lf_m_2858603011_1_4_ttl?ie=UTF8&s=pc&pf_rd_p=1370516602&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=2858603011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1GNK507R1N4S1TG2F3YT http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE300M22-A01US-Series-3-Chrome... edit the second: it seems pretty competitive with a Mac mini, actually. 1.9ghz Celeron instead of 2.3 i5, same RAM, and same graphics card. The 16gb SSD vs 500gb HDD might make the Chromebox feel snappier, though. And at $329 vs $599, it's quite a bit cheaper.
- maguay 14y ago
  Afraid a Celeron isn't very competitive with an i5, even at the same speed. At least not comparing to similarly clocked computers running here. A dual-core Celeron based PC here is significantly slower than a similarly clocked i5 Mac Mini.
  - magicalist 14y ago
    The Ars article said it's a sandy-bridge celeron, which are actually halfway decent.
  - weiran 14y ago
    It's not the same graphics card either, although they're both bad enough that you probably won't be playing intensive 3D games on them. The main difference is that the Chromebox is limited to 4GB of RAM, whereas you can put upto 16GB in the Mini.
    - mda 14y ago
      See the spec links I posted above, Graphics technologies are also similar. Seems like Intel disabled some extras on Celeron's GPU.
  - mda 14y ago
    They are both based on same sandybridge architecture, i5-2415M has 3MB L2 versus celeron B840's 2MB. i5 also has 4 threads. So Clock frequency IS the main differentiator here, 1.9Ghz vs 2.3-2.9Ghz (with turbo), which probably corresponds to 30% to 60% difference in general. Specs of both processors: Celeron B840: http://ark.intel.com/products/59801/Intel-Celeron-Processor-B840-(2M-Cache-1_90-GHz) http://ark.intel.com/products/59801/Intel-Celeron-Processor-... i5-2415M: http://ark.intel.com/products/53449/Intel-Core-i5-2415M-Processor-(3M-Cache-up-to-2_90-GHz) http://ark.intel.com/products/53449/Intel-Core-i5-2415M-Proc...
    - maguay 14y ago
      Oh interesting. The desktop I was referring to has a 4 year old Celeron at 1.9Ghz, so possibly its older architecture makes it more different, but not sure.
- taligent 14y ago
  You can't possibly be serious. There's a tiny little thing called the operating system which makes significantly more of a difference to the overall experience, performance and value of a computer than a few GHz.
  - vladd 14y ago
    Only for those that need it.
    - fullmoon 14y ago
      Yeah, nobody needs an OS
      - corin_ 14y ago
        He worded his point badly, but no need to be so sarcastic when it's obvious what he means, which is that choice of OS only matters if you need it [for more than to sit in the background behind your web browser].
  - krzyk 14y ago
    For me first thing to do when I would receive either Chromebox or Mac Mini, I would format the disk and install my Linux distribution of choice. So, also from my point of view the OS provided in the beginning is not interesting.
    - suboptical 14y ago
      1. The Chromebox has 16gb of internal storage. I'm fairly certain it's using the same SSD model the Cr-48s and other Chromebooks used, which is not easily replaceable (difficult to find a fitting card) 2. Chrome laptops and (now) desktops use verified boot, you won't be able to install your own OS unless you literally crack open the case (there are physical implements to prevent firmware flashing) and flash your own BIOS.
      - 14y ago
- 89a 14y ago
  > I'm curious how this stacks up against e.g. a Mac mini Easy… one of them is a full computer and one of them is a web browser with 6 USB ports and 16 gig of storage
- hollerith 14y ago
  >it seems pretty competitive with a Mac mini, actually. . . . same RAM Actually, the Chromebox has 4 GB of RAM whereas the mini with the $599 list price has only 2 GB. So, technically your statement "same RAM" is incorrect even though upgrading the RAM on the mini to 4 GB will not cost very much.
  - Groxx 14y ago
    Ah, thanks - not sure how I missed that.
wamatt 14y ago
Hope this works for Google, but my suspicion is consumer segment will be tough for them. Iterative design methods ("lets release and see what happens") in consumer hardware, may not be as suited as the Apple method viz. highly designed, integrated (aka ecosystem) and engineered approach.
tbundy 14y ago
Looks fun, but $329 isn't throw-away money. Given that I don't need another computer, the price just isn't cheap enough to say "yeh, why not:.
- koide 14y ago
  You are likely not the target
  - GFischer 14y ago
    Who is? (honest question). I don't get the target from the page.
    - koide 14y ago
      I see two main targets: Grandmas (sorry to stereotype the tech savvy grandmas out there) or rather tech savvy sons of grandmas which want something that just works for their mothers and that automatically backs things up for them. And enterprises who want to kick Microsoft prices in the nuts.
      - tbundy 14y ago
        I see the Grandma use case, but it's so niche I can't see that being viable. As for enterprise, you'd have to have a pretty "progressive" company... and one that would be very sure that you'll never need a desktop app. Again, I would think very small numbers. I realise Chrome OS is somewhat still a market experiment, but I think it would've gone a lot further at a better price point. For ~$200 I would put one in my living room for checking the web & controlling my home web apps. I see that as the perfect way to get people familiar with it (thinking of it more like a tablet, a limited utility), then once NaCl goes mainstream, you have a who market who's ready to start replacing their other PCs.
        koide 14y ago
        I can tell you that a huge international bank (as far as "progressive" as you can get) went Google Apps and ditched Office, so your thinking might be a bit off.
markessien 14y ago
Try answering the question "What does it do?" by reading the copy on the website. Almost impossible. The questions I wanted to know were: Will VLC run on this? Can I download stuff and put on a hard drive? The website does not seem to indicate this.
- Groxx 14y ago
  I'd guess everything the Chromebooks can do. Which essentially means: run Chrome. They're meant to be (rather exclusively) always-connected devices, and not for heavy offline use. And you can run VLC if/when they target NaCl. That said, I don't have a Chromebook, and haven't watched the changes for a while. Anyone have a link or something handy for what they're up to lately?
  - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
    https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html
- valugi 14y ago
  I guess you will store the files on google Drive in the cloud
- Juha 14y ago
  I agree, it doesn't even mention that it runs Chrome OS or offer links to more information about its operating system. Not all people even know that there is such thing as Chrome OS, or what it can do.
robin_reala 14y ago
I’d assumed Displayport had died off in favour of mini-Displayport. Is this common any more?
- lparry 14y ago
  Was It ever common?
- aidenn0 14y ago
  I've not seen mini-Displayport on a non-apple desktop
- hollerith 14y ago
  Maybe they do not want to take the support calls from users who would have mistaken the mini-Displayport for Thunderbolt. (Not that I approve of the effect of such a decision on the proliferation of port types, just that I can see it from Google's point of view.)
llgrrl_ 14y ago
It'll be a very capable PC or thin client if that's at all possible. I wonder how feasible it is to put a Linux distribution here and get it working. I know it is possible with the Chromebook, and if it's gonna work for the Chromebox, then shut up and take my money.
- jyap 14y ago
  16gb SSD of hard disk spare really limits your options if you're loading up a Linux distribution. But seriously you can something with cheaper and better specs for less that $329 to run Linux.
  - jrockway 14y ago
    But seriously you can something with cheaper and better specs for less that $329 to run Linux. But as small and quiet and that can drive two 30" monitors? I have an Eee Box running Linux; it's physically larger, only supports one monitor (as far as I can tell), and the hardware video decoder can only do 720p. (The hardware video decoding is important because the Atom cannot decode 720p H.264 in real time itself.)
  - llgrrl_ 14y ago
    There are several things that puts the Chromebox ahead: 1, It is as small, slick and quiet as a Mac Mini. 2, It is designed to run Linux. 3, The hardware is backed by Smasung/Google. 4, It has a freakin' SSD? Unless you're compiling AOSP or put all of you music on it, 16GB is some space to spare. I guess there are ways to expand the internal storage too.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
ksat 14y ago
I think it's a good choice in india. We have customers who bought our software but first they need a computer to use it. $329 is not cheap but there's the 'google' brand to it, so to customers 'we are not recommending something bad'. Wonder how much will it cost in india though.
- Garbage 14y ago
  Currently, it's available in selected countries. And India doesn't seem to be one of them. :(
- fierarul 14y ago
  I think it's too expensive to be a good choice in any country, especially India where I assume it will cost even more than in the US. I assume you are selling some software solution to your customers and they also need hardware to run it. It might be a good purchase for some companies but at this price they can also get a standard desktop.
- 89a 14y ago
  > We have customers who bought our software but first they need a computer to use it Is your software a web app then?
  - ksat 14y ago
    Yeah
recoiledsnake 14y ago
Hope it does better than the dismal sales of Chromebooks last year. The consumer space between cheap laptops/netbooks and an iPad is vanishingly small.
simonz05 14y ago
How does Google manage to only have one retailer who actually sells the device in Europe. It feels as if every time they [Google] introduce something new and cool (phone, computer ...) it is only available for a selected few. Then when we all forgot about it they add a few more retailers.
- jeffool 14y ago
  That's not by accident. Exclusive partners gain that status by agreeing to help subsidize the product in some way, shape, or form. And they want their money's worth, so they (the partner) make sure the contract lasts just long enough for you to not care after the contract ends. Of course, the first party is hoping the product catches on, is insanely popular, and continues to drive demand after the contract is up. That doesn't always happen. So, it's a catch-22. Do you as a first party go it alone, and incur more cost, or curtail your retail spread and take less of a hit up front? From the disinterest in the retail Chromebooks, Google made the right call there. That said, I wouldn't have minded a CR-48... But it was a little costly, and the other models were a little too wimpy. I'd think Google would take a risk by taking a loss on one huge product push... But I guess not.
  - simonz05 14y ago
    I guess my problem, as a consumer, is that I never expect to actually to be able to buy a Google hardware product. Compared to a hardware company like Apple, I know I can go to my local store to get that fancy device I just heard about on the radio. While, with Google, It's like their glasses, their autonomous car, their phones, their computers; it seems to only be some really polished R&D thing.
    - jeffool 14y ago
      Oh no, I get you, and it sucks.
nodesocket 14y ago
Assuming this runs ChromeOS, which is basically just the Chrome browser. Can it download, install apps?
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  You don't strictly "download" or "install" web apps, Chrome's "installed" apps are glorified shortcuts. There is a Chrome store full of web apps. However, thanks the HTML5 and app caching, these applications will work offline.
  - magicalist 14y ago
    That's not really true, it's more that installable apps can just be a glorified shortcut. The majority of apps that did that at launch of the store hurt them on that perception, I think. Installable apps, like extensions, usually reside mostly locally and can have elevated permissions on some things: https://developers.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide https://developers.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_gu...
    - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
      Well yes, that's true. They do have elevated permissions. I didn't know they resided locally though, I thought they just used cache manifests.
robmcm 14y ago
It's the perfect PC for the majority of non savy users, who unfortunatly will probibly never hear about it...
- hollerith 14y ago
  I am struggling to imagine a situation where I would be tempted to recommend a Chromebox over an iPad to a non-savvy user. (The iPad 2 is currently available from Apple's online store for $399, and remember that the Chromebox's $329 price does not include keyboard, mouse or monitor.) The only thing coming up for me is if the non-savvy user's vision is really horrible, such that he or she will always be using a big TV as a monitor, then the Chromebox wins because even with Airplay Mirroring, the user would have to look at the iPad to manipulate the elements of the iPad's user interface. I think you are letting your enthusiasm for Google's commitment to innovation or your enthusiasm for ChromeOS's being based mainly on open-source codebases or your enthusiasm for the open web bias your thinking about what would be best for a non-savvy user!
keithvan 14y ago
It seems Google is trying to break into the consumer hardware space to compete against Apple -- Chromebox + Chromebook + Nexus (and likely Motorola developments)... I'm not sure how I feel given they haven't been blockbuster successes thus far.
georgemcbay 14y ago
For $199 I'd consider it. For $329, no way.
- mtgx 14y ago
  I think $150-$200 would've been the sweet spot for a ChromeBox, and $200-$300 the sweetspot for a Chromebook, depending on the configuration, quality of materials, etc. Also, I see no reason why these shouldn't be running ARM chips. All you're using is the web, so it's not tied down to the x86 architecture like Windows is.
  - hollerith 14y ago
    >I see no reason why these shouldn't be running ARM chips. Because there are no ARM chips as powerful as the Celeron in the Chromebox.
  - MatthewPhillips 14y ago
    Desktop Chrome is definitely tied to x86.
- genwin 14y ago
  Agreed. Just paid US$377 for a quad-core desktop.
vlad 14y ago
For only $70 more, Google also sells the Galaxy Nexus, which is a similar Samsung device but contains more storage, runs a lot more apps, can make or receive phone calls and data over a cell phone connection, and even includes a high definition display, and a (removable) battery, and NFC, and all in a smaller package. Since the Galaxy Nexus can use a keyboard and mouse over Bluetooth and run a 1080p display over HDMI, the advantage of the Chromebox is that it can run multiple displays and connect external storage devices. With Ubuntu for Android scheduled to be released later this year, a logical progression is that Google's future home appliances and mobile devices will run the same exact operating system, rather than two different ones. However, Android is supposed to be open and has many different App Stores like Amazon Appstore that compete with Google's Android Play (Android Market), while Chrome O.S. will allow Google to own the entire purchase process (like Apple), which benefits the consumer by allowing them to purchase an app they already own on their iPad, Android phone, Mac, PC, and XBox a 6th time.
- Achshar 14y ago
  > Android is supposed to be open and has many different App Stores like Amazon Appstore that compete with Google's > > >Android Play (Android Market), while Chrome O.S. will allow Google to own the entire purchase process (like Apple) That's not true. You can install crx files from places other than the webstore. Infact there are a few app stores out there if anyone tries to google them.
- saraid216 14y ago
  > but contains more storage Wait, doesn't that defeat the entire premise of the Chrome OS? Also, what does this have to do with Android?
- etherealG 14y ago
  I think your point about the hardware is a good one. All these "small pc equivalent" boxes seem to be overpriced to me, especially the arm-based ones that are essentially competing with smart phones. From the software side, it's a whole different animal. ChromeOS is intended to be very different from Android. I don't think you can compare some of the features like verified boot or integrated cloud services. Also, you can install apps on android as you like with the flick of a setting. ChromeOS doesn't have installed apps in the sense that they reside on the device. Apps are websites in ChromeOS, no difference. I'm pretty sure "installing an app" and "bookmarking a website" are the same thing in ChromeOS.
wavephorm 14y ago
Raspberry Pi makes products like this completely obsolete. I see nothing here worth paying an order of magnitude more money for. Google seems to have a really bad habit lately of building products that nobody wants.
- AntiRush 14y ago
  The Raspberry Pi is targeted squarely at enthusiasts (which, granted, is probably most people here). It comes without an operating system, any storage, a case, or even a power supply. This is a huge, if not insurmountable, barrier to entry for a large portion of the population. The Chromebox is a turnkey, plug in power, plug in TV, surf the web product. They couldn't be more dissimilar.
  - corin_ 14y ago
    > plug in TV Just a quick note: The biggest piece of feedback I got from a journo friend of mine who just reviewed this chromebox is actually that out of the box it won't do HDMI or VGA (without buying an adapter separately that is), which seemed odd to me (and to him) given being easy to connect to a TV seems like a big use case for the chromebox. edit: In case anyone wants to see his hands-on piece, it's at http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-mac-desktops/samsung-chromebox-1082362/review http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-mac-desktops/sams...
    - hollerith 14y ago
      >out of the box it won't do HDMI or VGA (without buying an adapter separately that is) Some DVI ports can send VGA signals, in which case it would just be a matter of getting a cable with DVI pins on one end and VGA pins on the other. In other words, the DVI spec contains a VGA-compatible part and an HDMI-like part so that a single DVI port can send VGA signals or HDMI-like "DVI-D" (DVI digital) signals. Moreover, DVI-HDMI cables are common although some DVI ports cannot provide audio to go along with the video and others cannot speak the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection protocol.
- zoul 14y ago
rkwz 14y ago
Who is this aimed at?
- klapinat0r 14y ago
  Small businesses (think store clerk, hotel lobby), for instance. Alternatively as a mediacenter or server. I've used an Acer Revo for exactly this for the past two years now. The low power consumption maked it great for at-home development and hosting in my case.
- mikemoka 14y ago
  I have no idea. Why would a business buy something like that? Please elaborate.
  - netcan 14y ago
    I can think of some. A lot of people use browser almost exclusively at work. Salespeople, customer service people, etc. If the business software they use is web based, they use a browser.
    - mikemoka 14y ago
      I don't know, what if they need to edit a report with a company template someone made in Word? There are full fledged PC for sale at less than that price. Salespeople are often on the move and would probably use a netbook I think.
      - raldi 14y ago
        How do businesses currently share Word docs? They either email them around or put them in a shared folder. And when that happens, and the ChromeBox user clicks it, GMail or Google Drive will happily open that Word doc in Google Apps.
        mikemoka 14y ago
        I may be mistaken but I don't remember being able to keep the template of a word document while editing it in google docs, changing examples anyway, slightly more complex excel files could also not be supported I think.
orionlogic 14y ago
Majority of these mini PC's used in conference or meeting rooms, as an easy way to hook up PC with TV. However, next month when Apple announce to open Apple TV as an development platform, there will be an interesting convergence of mini Pc's and tv boxes. Which will probably lead to long rumored Apple TV box. You don't know what this Chrome box do because Google doesn't know either. Companies threw hardware and see what developers can do, and see where it evolves.
fruchtose 14y ago
Everything about this product is bizarre. My prediction: low sales. Google does not understand physical products very well.
- mtgx 14y ago
  There's no bad product, just bad pricing. I think Google and their partners really don't know how to price a new category product. They should be priced aggressively like the iPad was (when people expected it to be $800-$1000), and also as the iPhone, even though in the beginning Apple tried to sell to the "early adopters" with a higher price, too. But they quickly learned their lesson after just 2 months. Google has already been through a few of these situations already ($300 Google TV set top box, $430 Chromebook at launch, $800 Honeycomb tablet at launch) and they still haven't learned anything. They haven't learned that the "early adopter price" tactic doesn't work well anymore. You need to price it for mainstream from day one, maintain the price throughout the year, and then just update the hardware for the same price every year. Consumers don't want to be cheated into buying a product that is twice as much at launch, compared to 6 months later.
kapowaz 14y ago
It reminds me of some other similar device I can't quite put my finger on…
gouranga 14y ago
Sorry but for that price, no way.
cooldeal 14y ago
Looks like there's major spin on this on that page. Whats a Intel Core(TM) processor? Dig deeper and it's an anemic Celeron, not a Core i3 or i5 or i7 as the name implies. Why is there no mention of storage AT ALL? Because it's a 16GB(!) SSD. The Amazon page says "No Blue Screens"? What happens to ChromeOS if RAM gets corrupt? It doesn't crash and magically keeps running? Most BSoDs nowadays are due to hardware issues. Edit: Why the downvotes? Is it forbidden to criticize Google here? Or is it just Google employees? Care to reply instead?
- recoiledsnake 14y ago
  >Edit: Why the downvotes? Is it forbidden to criticize Google here? Or is it just Google employees? Care to reply instead? I think you have been downvoted _because_ you made a good point and the Google fanboys armed with downmods want to bury the comment. Unfortunate trend on HN here.
  - nik61 14y ago
    You should also realise that HN is run by Sheldon Coopers with the assistance of Ayn Rand, so don't expect any favours.
- stickfigure 14y ago
  You're likely being downvoted because your criticism shows no understanding of the market segment this product is aimed at.
  - cooldeal 14y ago
    You mean the market segment that is not technical enough to understand specs like HN'ers can? Note that my comment was more about the way it was presented rather than a complaint that it is slow.
    - stickfigure 14y ago
      I mean the market segment doesn't care if you can play Quake on it.
josteink 14y ago
While definitely an interesting development in computing, I find the advertising used disingenuous. They advertise "built-in anti virus" all over, when the truth probably is that there is no anti-virus at all. You can argue that there is a lack of need for this and as such advertising for a device without mentioning anti virus at all would make it seem "unsafe" or confusing for the less technically inclined. But still claiming it has things it doesn't just to make the marketing department's job easier is in my books disingenuous. It's factually inaccurate. It's a lie. To me it sounds like "Macs can't have viruses" all over again: It supposedly is safe and "has anti-virus" because it isn't Windows. That's pretty cheap and far from factual.
- ajuc 14y ago
  Why do you thik there's no antivirus? There are antiviruses that run on unices, like ClamAV for example - it's open source, they can include it for free - maybe they did.
  - vidarh 14y ago
    ClamAV for Linux et. al. primarily targets Windows threats. It's primarily used to filter e-mail or scan SMB shares, not look for threats that might affect the machine they run on, so it'd seem a very odd choice to include.
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  I wouldn't say that's strictly true. The Chromebook OS most likely has anti-virus in the same sense that Mac OS X does: A remote kill switch.
- CrazedGeek 14y ago
  The "built-in antivirus" probably has something to do with how heavily sandboxed Chrome is and Google's own virus detection for websites.
fierarul 14y ago
The UK store doesn't have any of the new generation Chromebooks and especially not the new box. So, select countries means only one: USA.
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  I'm not seeing the new units for sale on Amazon.co.uk (though they do have updated copy and product shots for the Chrome device range) but the second-gen Samsung Chromebook is listed on the John Lewis website, which is one of the other retail partners.
arihant 14y ago
I installed ChromeOS on my old VAIO recently. It is definitely not bad in the sense that things it cannot do don't fall in the 99%. I would be happier if Google manages to bring the Play store and run android apps on it. Anything I could imagine the machine couldn't do, there's an app on Android that does it. If this could run Android apps too, $329 would appear to be a bargain.
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  Eventually there's going to have to be some merger. I think it could be Chrome OS becoming a variant of Android, considering there's now Chrome for Android. That said, personally, I'd rather see Chrome OS on phones and tablets, and Android die off, since Chrome OS is the most web-first platform out there.
  - josteink 14y ago
    While Chrome OS is definitely the most web-first platform out there, right now that does not really work to its advantage. Right now Android has the massive advantage in being able to work reasonably well while offline, something you can just forget with most web apps run on top of Chrome OS. For a "desktop PC" I'm sure Chrome OS will be more than sufficient, since internet connectivity is not going to be an issue. For mobile devices however, you must always assume connectivity is missing, flaky or slow. When web-apps finally get the whole offline thingie working a web-first option will become much more of a real option also for mobile, but it's the web which will need to drive it, not the other way around.
    - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
      What are you implying? I think almost all modern browsers support app caching manifests, meaning web apps work offline.
      - jeffool 14y ago
        I think joestink could've instead said: When web-app DEVELOPERS finally get the whole offline thingie working, a web-first option will become much more of a real option... /edit: Then again, I'm not positive if Google Chrome's "intalled web apps" often being shortcuts are developer's fault or Google's? I'd love someone with insight to tell us.
stickfigure 14y ago
I used the Chromebook I got from Google I/O for a while. You have to understand that it's not designed to be a hacker's computer or even really a consumer device. It's designed to be a cheap, low-maintenance terminal for generic business computing. This is the new 3270. I actually think it's a pretty good product for that purpose. The economics are compelling if you maintain hundreds of desktops. Instead of PC + Windows + Office + McAffee + a large desktop support organization, you just have ChromeOS devices and Google Apps. It's not sexy but 99% of the employees at the DMV don't need sexy, they just need to run a handful of basic apps.
- netcan 14y ago
  There is a lot of crossover between the anti-power user at work and the anti-power user at home. The former gets a locked down machine managed by IT to keep it running and uses the browser and a contant handful of apps. The latter uses a machine that runs poorly because no one is managing it. Making a disruptive improvement for one market would probably end up being compelling to both so you focus on either for a start. I don't like the decision to focus on office staff first. Google's in a great position to sell to consumers. Also I think Apple demonstrated that going through consumers first encourages better products.
  - karol 14y ago
    Those 2 comments really helped me understand where chromeOS and other browser-OS machines sit. The are the opposite of Raspberry PI, which is a tiny but all-capable thing for general purpose computing. They are limited by design, therefore might be more secure (not prone to OS-vulnerabilities) and suitable for anti-power users.
  - ramses0 14y ago
    I've been using a chromebook at home as a mostly-primary computer, replacement for a 13" MBP w/ SSD (which cost ~$2000 when it was new). The only thing that's weird is printing, but for 90% of "generic internet stuff" it works fantastic. ChromeOS just updated last night and I haven't even had a chance to mess with it. It will even work mostly-ish as a web-dev terminal as it'll do SSH as well as chrome developer tools (although it is slightly hokey). I'm a 15+ year linux user and I don't mind using the chromebook at all AS AN ADJUNCT TO A REAL COMPUTER! A ChromeBook is ~1/10th the cost of a "real" computer, is SSD by default (only I think), is great for "kitchen computing", great for travel (just turn on password-protection and it gets very good battery life, and you don't mind if it gets lost, stolen, or damaged and it's very lightweight). It's got a lot of advantages even for a power-user, although it doesn't (yet) replace a "real" computer / linux / osx box. The things I've used my "real" computer for since then have been seashore (gimp), inkscape, video editing, printing, and some minor gaming, and I've had the MBP for 1-2 years and the chromebook for ~6 mo.
gmig 14y ago
Google's Chromebox page states: Processor: Intel® Core™ processor RAM: 4 GB RAM Newegg's Chromebox page states: Processor: Intel Celeron B840 1.9GHz RAM: 2GB DDR3 1333 Amazon's Chromebox page states: Processor: 1.9 GHz Celeron B840 RAM: 4 GB
- corin_ 14y ago
  Newegg are wrong, it's 4GB.
moondowner 14y ago
I know a lot of people who use their PCs and Laptops only for Facebook and YouTube. This will definitely please them.
sherwin 14y ago
I used a Chromebook (Samsung Series 5) for an entire academic year as a student. The biggest benefits were having everything synced in the cloud (so you're not too attached to it), extreme portability (super thin and super light, instant on is fantastic) and ~10 hours of battery life. I charged the thing about once a week! However, I question who would get a Chromebox though, because the portability + battery life + instant on are no longer relevant in this case, and those were by far the biggest benefits for the Chromebook. For a little more (~400), you could get a very respectable machine running a more powerful OS. Some general thoughts on my experiences with the Chromebook: As a general computing device, I thought it was more or less completely sufficient. I used it to take notes (google docs / evernote) in class and it was awesome for that (light and portable). With more than 7-8 tabs, things can get slightly sluggish (read: not instantaneous). Running more than 15 or so and you start getting serious performance issues. This is less of a problem than I thought because it forces me to maintain focus (I regularly can have >100 tabs when using my desktop). Full screen 1080p video also was sluggish. It has a shell, so you can SSH and code also. Frequently less technical friends would ask "but ... it only runs chrome?" to which I respond "well what can you not do in chrome?" and they have a very hard time giving an example. With gmail / calendar / docs / evernote / your music web app service of choice / etc, almost everything can be done in the browser. To be fair, I also use a powerful desktop for more intense tasks (photo editing, coding, and occasional gaming). I doubt I would use the chromebook/box as my primary computer.
- corin_ 14y ago
  > who would get a Chromebox though Instant on is still a factor, maybe not for you and certainly not for me (my home PC runs 24/7), but there's plenty of people who don't leave computers running when not using them, and still would enjoy not having to wait while it boots up. The biggest use-case I see for the future is as a media centre connected to your TV. Google are already trying to replace computer software with web apps, why not TV software too - think Boxee or any other similar device, but all through web apps. If it took off I think it would be awesome.
  - icebraining 14y ago
jablan 14y ago
I don't question the usability of this, but I really don't get the price, which I think is too high. I guess that for the same price one could buy 15" laptop with the roughly same components, so you would effectively get a screen and a keyboard for free. Where does the additional cost come from? Stripped down OS?
- jyap 14y ago
  Small storage, cheaper Celeron processor, cheap amount of RAM. The additional cost I'm guessing would be a hefty mark up. Perhaps they are trying to achieve Apple levels of profitability.
eidorianu 14y ago
Google Galaxy Nexus: ~400 usd (Play Store) Menotek Micro USB to HDMI MHL Adapter: ~13 usd (Amazon) Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000: ~50 usd (Staples) Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000: ~50 usd (Staples) Full Android ICS Desktop, battery, camera/mic, hspda+, 1920x1080, Chrome for Android. EDIT: added camera/mic, format
- hollerith 14y ago
  Intriguing. Have you or someone you know actually used this setup?
i386 14y ago
This is a terrible page and the product manager of this thing should be ashamed. The inmates are truly running the asylum. The technical specs are completely irrelevant to the interests of the majority of consumers. This page needs to show what this is capable of without the foreknowledge of what Chrome OS is or is capable of or what Googles other offerings are. Sell me a story! Tell me why my life is going to be better with it. What most people going to ask: Can I use my social networks? Can I do my internet banking? Can I get my photos off of my camera and share them? What about my music? Can I watch movies? How about spreadsheets and word documents?
- platinum1 14y ago
  https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.html https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.h... Is that better? edit: To explain, I think how they expect you to experience the website is: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/ http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/ (from www.google.com/chromeos) http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.ht... http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-devices.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-device... http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebox.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebox.html So, we're looking at a relatively deep link, which assumes the reader has been shown the main OS features and is looking for which specific product to buy. That said, I agree that this page doesn't do much except show pretty pictures and throw out a few tech specs, and won't sell the product on its own.
  - chmike 14y ago
    > Intel Core Processor Why not specifying what processor and hardware is in the box ?
    - jyap 14y ago
      It's marketing. The emphasis is on the simplicity of the product. That being said, it's a 1.9ghz Celeron CPU. That can give negative connotations since Celeron is Intel's cheap line of processors.
chj 14y ago
Where is the target of this device? Certainly I won't buy this, but neither can I think of any reason for a sane people to pay more than 100$ for this box. People will get an iPad instead, rather than paying 3xx$ for a dumb box.
- metatronscube 14y ago
  I wish I got the new ipad that's for sure. The first generation ipad beats the pants off my Acer chromebook and its got even worse with the new shiny UI. And remember $300 over here (sunny Britain) is more like 300 quid, which is more like equivalent $460!! over there ;) No one I have shown this to would buy it and they think im insane for doing so.
esun 14y ago
"Chrome devices are available in select countries." 2% of all available countries. I wish Google understood how badly this undermines their international marketing. Apple understands this better.
jasomill 14y ago
Given the 16GB SSD, clearly Google assumes users will be storing most everything online. First question I'd have as a consumer, then, is, does it include some "cloud" equivalent of a Mac mini's Time Machine? Specifically, if my Google account is hacked and the attacker deletes all my music, photos, documents, email, etc., can I recover them? If not, saving a couple hundred bucks plus the cost of a USB backup drive seems short-sighted at best.
- jellicle 14y ago
  Or if the attacker is Google just locking you out of your account one day?
SandB0x 14y ago
What a travesty of a launch. What can it actually do? Stop telling me about "multiple USB ports and multiple display options". Should I get one instead of an iPad or a new laptop? Is it a new name for a Google TV device? "Place it anywhere" ? As opposed to what? Buy now? OK I'm in the United Kingdom, that's lucky. Let me buy it from...PC World? This leads to a page with a screenshot of a netbook/Chromebook and a Chromebox somewhere in the background. The word "Chromebox" doesn't even appear on the page.
- idleloops 14y ago
  Yeah I noticed that too. Plus when I looked (followed the links), the only Chromebooks on Amazon UK were Acer versions with Atom CPUs.
  - kamjam 14y ago
    Yeah, and does it have internal storage... if so how much, and how much is free user space... if not, how do i add storage, usb? I like how the specifications tab just gives us 2 pictures. Really, that's the specifications? Now I know there was a /sarc comment aboce about Apple and sepcs... but even mobile phone websites have better specs than this! Seriously Google, your average user is not going to give a sh!t about this at moment and only those more tech savvy will likely but this right now!
- recycleme 14y ago
  Don't even try searching for a "chromebox" on bestbuy.com
89a 14y ago
Funny how many USB ports it has when it's capabilities are limited to a web browser. What on earth would you be plugging in to them.
- jonknee 14y ago
  I have one on the way amd will be testing with a barcode scanner and mag stripe reader which makes a total of four USB devices.
g-garron 14y ago
I prefer to add 270 dollars and get a Mac Mini, that may even run as a server If I want to. (I can even install Chrome on it). There is maybe a market for Chromebox, but for sure we are not that market. :)
- ernesth 14y ago
  I prefer to subtract 100 $ and get a zotac zbox or acer veriton that may even run as a server if I want to. They also are "fast, compact home or office device[s] [that can be] Set up [...] the way you want with multiple USB ports and versatile display options."
antr 14y ago
I would personally not use this machine, but I would I definitely see my parents/kids using it. It comes across as a low cost, low maintenance PC, and this is just want I would like my kids to use (vs the Windows/OS X alternatives).
guard-of-terra 14y ago
This is true shame after the success of wall plug PCs and all-in-one boards. It should be ARM and cost 99$ For 330$ you can build a cheap but full scale PC. Why does it need 4G RAM? Is Chrome so bloated now?
chaostheory 14y ago
I think this would be a great product, in a world where iPad and tablets with Android and Windows Mobile don't exist. Google should work on fixing and polishing Google TV instead instead of this if they want to work on set top boxes. Even with the updates late last year, Google TV compared to the competition is still lagging especially in the UI / UX department.
- WiseWeasel 14y ago
  You mean that weird box that's way more expensive than others and ships with a kludgey qwerty keyboard for use in your living room? They should just call it a wrap on that one too.
  - chaostheory 14y ago
    Yeah it is a piece of garbage compared to everything else. Now it looks like every TV manufacturer will be using it as their TV's OS, so things may change in the future. TVs will resemble the Android phone landscape.
Morg 14y ago
I think there's a typo in the price, they meant to sell it for 29 bucks and they put 329 instead.
tomflack 14y ago
"...and don’t slow down over time." (https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.html https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.h...) That is a huge claim and one that will be false as web technologies continue to need more power.
- metatronscube 14y ago
  Exactly, I get to 10 tabs and it grinds to a halt. That's 10 sites with nothing more than text and a few images (hardly 5 plugins)....its seriously underpowered as is and with the new UI update its as slow as a dog on the Acer.
  - tomflack 14y ago
    Being slow because it is underpowered is different to what I'm referring to - becoming slower over time because web technologies move past the capabilities of the hardware.
    - metatronscube 14y ago
      Well its creaking at the seams right now, I think given the progression of web technologies (even if they begin to use more hardware acceleration) it is going to become much slower over time as more intensive tasks are offloaded to the Hardware, its not an good indication at the moment that after a UI update its noticeably slower (at least for me) and a lot buggier.
      - tomflack 14y ago
        The quote I was referencing is of course talking about the new hardware, not the old hardware you are referring to. It just strikes me that 'never' is a long time.
- benatkin 14y ago
  I think this is about software erosion. http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2011/6/28/the_new_heroku_4_erosion_resistance_explicit_contracts/ http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2011/6/28/the_new_heroku_4_e...
smellypantsman 14y ago
This is absolutely perfect for my business' use case: 4 customer support advisers who currently use Win7 with just browsers open to our custom built web app. This will be so much cheaper and less maintenance. Only downside is that while it supports 2 screens currently (I'm hoping an update fixes this real soon) it can ridiculously only show the same thing on both screens! No extended desktop. I was first to buy one at PCWorld on Tottenham Court Road in London yesterday for £279. Will be testing it out next week.
- jurre 14y ago
  May I ask why you would run win7 on those machines and not a free linux distro?
  - smellypantsman 14y ago
    Multi monitor support. Win7 laptop plus hdmi screen plus displaylink screen. Displaylink linux drivers are iffy. With chromebox really really hoping they get the extended desktop support in soon to use the 2 displaylink ports (would be great if could use the vgi too for 3rd screen but presume not possible)
- mcantelon 14y ago
  >it can ridiculously only show the same thing on both screens! Well, that pretty much kills it for me right that. That and the privacy implication of the Chome* line in general.
Juha 14y ago
There is a second version (XE300M22-A02US) with Core i5 processor and 499$ pricetag: http://www.chromestory.com/2012/05/two-chromeboxes-second-49999-intel-core-i5/ http://www.chromestory.com/2012/05/two-chromeboxes-second-49...
- hollerith 14y ago
  Advantages this version of the Chromebox has over the base-model Mac mini: slightly faster Core i5; more USB ports (6 versus 4); more DisplayPorts (2 versus 1); comes with more RAM (4 gigs versus 2 gigs); $69 cheaper (using the Chromebox's list price versus Amazon's current price for the Mac mini). Advantages the mini has over the Chromebox: memory upgradable to 16 gigs (Apple says 8 gigs, but others report that 16 gigs works) whereas the Chromebox's memory does not seem upgradable at all; Firewire and Thunderbolt ports whereas to attach an external drive to the Chromebox your only choice seems to be slow USB 2; storage upgradeable (specifically, you can add an SDD or a second hard drive to the mini). How repairable and upgradable the Chromebox is I do not know -- googling for "chromebox teardown" finds nothing interesting. iFixit gives the mini a relatively-high repairability rating of 8.5 (but adding a second drive to the mini requires an expensive custom cable). Size and weight are very close. Both have the power supply inside the device.
  - dubya 14y ago
    The Chromebox apparently uses a verified boot, so no Linux unless you can replace the bios. It's a shame since a small footprint, low-power, turnkey Linux box would be just the thing for a number of applications, though the Chromebox lacks a way to add fast storage.
    - hollerith 14y ago
      Thanks. I do not understand why someone other than Apple or Samsung does not make something like this (without the price premium Apple wants for OS X and without the verified boot).
stef25 14y ago
I desperately want a thin client "device" I can hook up to my tv / stereo to stream in music and movies from my network storage downstairs. If this can do it with nice to use software then I'll definitely but it if it saves me a couple hundred bucks compared to a mac mini.
- phase_9 14y ago
  AppleTV + XBMC? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4iEl3BqhUI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4iEl3BqhUI
skrebbel 14y ago
Soo, it's an Asus Eee Box without a real OS? Sad..
- jrockway 14y ago
  The Eee Box has an Atom processor.
scrrr 14y ago
Not even my parents would want to use this. No Skype.
- G5ANDY 14y ago
  The website in no way makes this clear, but I think you can video chat through your Skype account using the built in IMO app.
riobard 14y ago
Anyone knows what is DisplayPort++?
- jrockway 14y ago
  It's a DisplayPort that will emit VGA signals for a passive adaptor.
  - riobard 14y ago
    Thanks! Seems DP++ can do regular DP, HDMI, DVI, and VGA, which is pretty awesome!
bizodo 14y ago
How long until ur phone becomes a chromebox esque device that u can just plug into any screen or better yet wirelessly connect to any screen.
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  'ur phone'? Also, many Android devices already do this.
rglover 14y ago
It'd be nice if it was just "Chromebox" and not "Samsung Chromebox." Seems like a product that could have been decent but got rushed out the door and manipulated by bureaucracy. Google needs to stop letting things like this leak out, it's embarrassing.
debacle 14y ago
1. Can I install Ubuntu on it? 2. Can I increase the RAM? 3. Will it run LibreOffice? If the answer to all of those is 'yes', I forsee myself buying this in the future.
rufugee 14y ago
I really wish they would have provided Google TV features with the Chromebox...that would make it compelling from where I sit.
xxqs 14y ago
nice specs, I would put Debian on it and use as a portable network analyzer. I'll probably do so as soon as it's available in my country
- WiseWeasel 14y ago
  You would have to flash the BIOS to get past the Verified Boot security.
  - xxqs 14y ago
    hmm. I saw somewhere it was characterized as highly hackable
    - WiseWeasel 14y ago
      I'd get something like this instead, and put Debian on it: http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/PT.SJ4P2.001 http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/PT.SJ4P2.001
      - xxqs 14y ago
        I'm currently using two types of devices: -- 10" Acer AspireOne netbooks. They are cheap, and Ubuntu works flawlessly (true before 12.04) -- ALIX boards from pcengines.ch. They are even cheaper, and low-power, and with RS-232 console port. Perfect if you don't need CPU power. but for the cases when I need to do packet trace on a Gigabit link, I need to make sure the traffic is low enough for the acer netbook to catch up
  - ZeroGravitas 14y ago
    What you say appears to be true, yet quite misleading since there's a simple process, provided by Google and built into the device, for flashing the BIOS (or at least there was on the Series 5 Chromebooks): http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/samsung-series-5-chromebook http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-fo...
macca321 14y ago
Will it run Windows 7?
- gfosco 14y ago
  Will it blend?
chayesfss 14y ago
can my kids run minecraft on it? If so I might purchase one.
firefoxman1 14y ago
What a non-description it starts out with: > "The Chromebox is a fast, compact home or office device." So...it's a computer. Why call it a "home or office device"?
varelse 14y ago
Unfortunately, I consider gadgets like this to be a harbinger of how they'll handle projects like Glass. I know people love Google's R&D efforts but... I loved Xerox PARC's R&D - it took Apple to productize it successfully.
engtech 14y ago
Has anyone tried to use a home Chromebook as a development tool connecting to a corporate network over VPN and using VNC to connect to a linux box? I think it would be much better for my marriage if I could handle the "work emergencies" from the same room as my wife.
- wonderyak 14y ago
  I use my CR-48 as my normal portable laptop. I can code with web based IDEs, SSH into my boxes if needed and it has ~8 hours of battery life. I absolutely love the device, I just think any price over $299 is barking at the moon.
halayli 14y ago
Google and marketing will never get along: "compact home or office device" <---- WHATEVER THAT MEANS!
g-garron 14y ago
I still think that >It would be better if Samsung and Google could low the price a little bit. That is what I wrote months ago. http://www.garron.me/linux/chrome-os-chromebook-ready-prime-time.html http://www.garron.me/linux/chrome-os-chromebook-ready-prime-... The price is too high for what this thing is capable of.
nwenzel 14y ago
I get that Google wants to try weird stuff. But how did Samsung green light this adventure? I can't imagine that it's easy/cheap to produce these things in small production runs.
lcargill99 14y ago
it's in a fullsize case, but the Compaq cq2701 seems to have more and better for $20 less... ( bought one for my wife last weekend .) It's a 2.3 GHz G630T dual-core, which is fine for her uses. Yeah, it's Win7, so what, wanna fight about it? :) It could be Chrome O/S-ed in a short interval...

367 points by zoowar 14y ago

Groxx 14y ago

Interesting. Too bad the 'specifications' tab is so anaemic - I'm curious how this stacks up against e.g. a Mac mini, or other mini computers. edit: Amazon has a lot more info: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE300M22-A01US-Series-3-Chromebox/dp/B007Y8DJEA/ref=br_lf_m_2858603011_1_4_ttl?ie=UTF8&s=pc&pf_rd_p=1370516602&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=2858603011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1GNK507R1N4S1TG2F3YT http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE300M22-A01US-Series-3-Chrome... edit the second: it seems pretty competitive with a Mac mini, actually. 1.9ghz Celeron instead of 2.3 i5, same RAM, and same graphics card. The 16gb SSD vs 500gb HDD might make the Chromebox feel snappier, though. And at $329 vs $599, it's quite a bit cheaper.

maguay 14y ago
Afraid a Celeron isn't very competitive with an i5, even at the same speed. At least not comparing to similarly clocked computers running here. A dual-core Celeron based PC here is significantly slower than a similarly clocked i5 Mac Mini.
- magicalist 14y ago
  The Ars article said it's a sandy-bridge celeron, which are actually halfway decent.
- weiran 14y ago
  It's not the same graphics card either, although they're both bad enough that you probably won't be playing intensive 3D games on them. The main difference is that the Chromebox is limited to 4GB of RAM, whereas you can put upto 16GB in the Mini.
  - mda 14y ago
    See the spec links I posted above, Graphics technologies are also similar. Seems like Intel disabled some extras on Celeron's GPU.
- mda 14y ago
  They are both based on same sandybridge architecture, i5-2415M has 3MB L2 versus celeron B840's 2MB. i5 also has 4 threads. So Clock frequency IS the main differentiator here, 1.9Ghz vs 2.3-2.9Ghz (with turbo), which probably corresponds to 30% to 60% difference in general. Specs of both processors: Celeron B840: http://ark.intel.com/products/59801/Intel-Celeron-Processor-B840-(2M-Cache-1_90-GHz) http://ark.intel.com/products/59801/Intel-Celeron-Processor-... i5-2415M: http://ark.intel.com/products/53449/Intel-Core-i5-2415M-Processor-(3M-Cache-up-to-2_90-GHz) http://ark.intel.com/products/53449/Intel-Core-i5-2415M-Proc...
  - maguay 14y ago
    Oh interesting. The desktop I was referring to has a 4 year old Celeron at 1.9Ghz, so possibly its older architecture makes it more different, but not sure.
taligent 14y ago
You can't possibly be serious. There's a tiny little thing called the operating system which makes significantly more of a difference to the overall experience, performance and value of a computer than a few GHz.
- vladd 14y ago
  Only for those that need it.
  - fullmoon 14y ago
    Yeah, nobody needs an OS
    - corin_ 14y ago
      He worded his point badly, but no need to be so sarcastic when it's obvious what he means, which is that choice of OS only matters if you need it [for more than to sit in the background behind your web browser].
- krzyk 14y ago
  For me first thing to do when I would receive either Chromebox or Mac Mini, I would format the disk and install my Linux distribution of choice. So, also from my point of view the OS provided in the beginning is not interesting.
  - suboptical 14y ago
    1. The Chromebox has 16gb of internal storage. I'm fairly certain it's using the same SSD model the Cr-48s and other Chromebooks used, which is not easily replaceable (difficult to find a fitting card) 2. Chrome laptops and (now) desktops use verified boot, you won't be able to install your own OS unless you literally crack open the case (there are physical implements to prevent firmware flashing) and flash your own BIOS.
    - 14y ago
89a 14y ago
> I'm curious how this stacks up against e.g. a Mac mini Easy… one of them is a full computer and one of them is a web browser with 6 USB ports and 16 gig of storage
hollerith 14y ago
>it seems pretty competitive with a Mac mini, actually. . . . same RAM Actually, the Chromebox has 4 GB of RAM whereas the mini with the $599 list price has only 2 GB. So, technically your statement "same RAM" is incorrect even though upgrading the RAM on the mini to 4 GB will not cost very much.
- Groxx 14y ago
  Ah, thanks - not sure how I missed that.

wamatt 14y ago

Hope this works for Google, but my suspicion is consumer segment will be tough for them. Iterative design methods ("lets release and see what happens") in consumer hardware, may not be as suited as the Apple method viz. highly designed, integrated (aka ecosystem) and engineered approach.

tbundy 14y ago

Looks fun, but $329 isn't throw-away money. Given that I don't need another computer, the price just isn't cheap enough to say "yeh, why not:.

koide 14y ago
You are likely not the target
- GFischer 14y ago
  Who is? (honest question). I don't get the target from the page.
  - koide 14y ago
    I see two main targets: Grandmas (sorry to stereotype the tech savvy grandmas out there) or rather tech savvy sons of grandmas which want something that just works for their mothers and that automatically backs things up for them. And enterprises who want to kick Microsoft prices in the nuts.
    - tbundy 14y ago
      I see the Grandma use case, but it's so niche I can't see that being viable. As for enterprise, you'd have to have a pretty "progressive" company... and one that would be very sure that you'll never need a desktop app. Again, I would think very small numbers. I realise Chrome OS is somewhat still a market experiment, but I think it would've gone a lot further at a better price point. For ~$200 I would put one in my living room for checking the web & controlling my home web apps. I see that as the perfect way to get people familiar with it (thinking of it more like a tablet, a limited utility), then once NaCl goes mainstream, you have a who market who's ready to start replacing their other PCs.
      - koide 14y ago
        I can tell you that a huge international bank (as far as "progressive" as you can get) went Google Apps and ditched Office, so your thinking might be a bit off.

markessien 14y ago

Try answering the question "What does it do?" by reading the copy on the website. Almost impossible. The questions I wanted to know were: Will VLC run on this? Can I download stuff and put on a hard drive? The website does not seem to indicate this.

Groxx 14y ago
I'd guess everything the Chromebooks can do. Which essentially means: run Chrome. They're meant to be (rather exclusively) always-connected devices, and not for heavy offline use. And you can run VLC if/when they target NaCl. That said, I don't have a Chromebook, and haven't watched the changes for a while. Anyone have a link or something handy for what they're up to lately?
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html
valugi 14y ago
I guess you will store the files on google Drive in the cloud
Juha 14y ago
I agree, it doesn't even mention that it runs Chrome OS or offer links to more information about its operating system. Not all people even know that there is such thing as Chrome OS, or what it can do.

robin_reala 14y ago

I’d assumed Displayport had died off in favour of mini-Displayport. Is this common any more?

lparry 14y ago
Was It ever common?
aidenn0 14y ago
I've not seen mini-Displayport on a non-apple desktop
hollerith 14y ago
Maybe they do not want to take the support calls from users who would have mistaken the mini-Displayport for Thunderbolt. (Not that I approve of the effect of such a decision on the proliferation of port types, just that I can see it from Google's point of view.)

llgrrl_ 14y ago

It'll be a very capable PC or thin client if that's at all possible. I wonder how feasible it is to put a Linux distribution here and get it working. I know it is possible with the Chromebook, and if it's gonna work for the Chromebox, then shut up and take my money.

jyap 14y ago
16gb SSD of hard disk spare really limits your options if you're loading up a Linux distribution. But seriously you can something with cheaper and better specs for less that $329 to run Linux.
- jrockway 14y ago
  But seriously you can something with cheaper and better specs for less that $329 to run Linux. But as small and quiet and that can drive two 30" monitors? I have an Eee Box running Linux; it's physically larger, only supports one monitor (as far as I can tell), and the hardware video decoder can only do 720p. (The hardware video decoding is important because the Atom cannot decode 720p H.264 in real time itself.)
- llgrrl_ 14y ago
  There are several things that puts the Chromebox ahead: 1, It is as small, slick and quiet as a Mac Mini. 2, It is designed to run Linux. 3, The hardware is backed by Smasung/Google. 4, It has a freakin' SSD? Unless you're compiling AOSP or put all of you music on it, 16GB is some space to spare. I guess there are ways to expand the internal storage too.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

ksat 14y ago

I think it's a good choice in india. We have customers who bought our software but first they need a computer to use it. $329 is not cheap but there's the 'google' brand to it, so to customers 'we are not recommending something bad'. Wonder how much will it cost in india though.

Garbage 14y ago
Currently, it's available in selected countries. And India doesn't seem to be one of them. :(
fierarul 14y ago
I think it's too expensive to be a good choice in any country, especially India where I assume it will cost even more than in the US. I assume you are selling some software solution to your customers and they also need hardware to run it. It might be a good purchase for some companies but at this price they can also get a standard desktop.
89a 14y ago
> We have customers who bought our software but first they need a computer to use it Is your software a web app then?
- ksat 14y ago
  Yeah

recoiledsnake 14y ago

Hope it does better than the dismal sales of Chromebooks last year. The consumer space between cheap laptops/netbooks and an iPad is vanishingly small.

simonz05 14y ago

How does Google manage to only have one retailer who actually sells the device in Europe. It feels as if every time they [Google] introduce something new and cool (phone, computer ...) it is only available for a selected few. Then when we all forgot about it they add a few more retailers.

jeffool 14y ago
That's not by accident. Exclusive partners gain that status by agreeing to help subsidize the product in some way, shape, or form. And they want their money's worth, so they (the partner) make sure the contract lasts just long enough for you to not care after the contract ends. Of course, the first party is hoping the product catches on, is insanely popular, and continues to drive demand after the contract is up. That doesn't always happen. So, it's a catch-22. Do you as a first party go it alone, and incur more cost, or curtail your retail spread and take less of a hit up front? From the disinterest in the retail Chromebooks, Google made the right call there. That said, I wouldn't have minded a CR-48... But it was a little costly, and the other models were a little too wimpy. I'd think Google would take a risk by taking a loss on one huge product push... But I guess not.
- simonz05 14y ago
  I guess my problem, as a consumer, is that I never expect to actually to be able to buy a Google hardware product. Compared to a hardware company like Apple, I know I can go to my local store to get that fancy device I just heard about on the radio. While, with Google, It's like their glasses, their autonomous car, their phones, their computers; it seems to only be some really polished R&D thing.
  - jeffool 14y ago
    Oh no, I get you, and it sucks.

nodesocket 14y ago

Assuming this runs ChromeOS, which is basically just the Chrome browser. Can it download, install apps?

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
You don't strictly "download" or "install" web apps, Chrome's "installed" apps are glorified shortcuts. There is a Chrome store full of web apps. However, thanks the HTML5 and app caching, these applications will work offline.
- magicalist 14y ago
  That's not really true, it's more that installable apps can just be a glorified shortcut. The majority of apps that did that at launch of the store hurt them on that perception, I think. Installable apps, like extensions, usually reside mostly locally and can have elevated permissions on some things: https://developers.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide https://developers.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_gu...
  - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
    Well yes, that's true. They do have elevated permissions. I didn't know they resided locally though, I thought they just used cache manifests.

robmcm 14y ago

It's the perfect PC for the majority of non savy users, who unfortunatly will probibly never hear about it...

hollerith 14y ago
I am struggling to imagine a situation where I would be tempted to recommend a Chromebox over an iPad to a non-savvy user. (The iPad 2 is currently available from Apple's online store for $399, and remember that the Chromebox's $329 price does not include keyboard, mouse or monitor.) The only thing coming up for me is if the non-savvy user's vision is really horrible, such that he or she will always be using a big TV as a monitor, then the Chromebox wins because even with Airplay Mirroring, the user would have to look at the iPad to manipulate the elements of the iPad's user interface. I think you are letting your enthusiasm for Google's commitment to innovation or your enthusiasm for ChromeOS's being based mainly on open-source codebases or your enthusiasm for the open web bias your thinking about what would be best for a non-savvy user!

keithvan 14y ago

It seems Google is trying to break into the consumer hardware space to compete against Apple -- Chromebox + Chromebook + Nexus (and likely Motorola developments)... I'm not sure how I feel given they haven't been blockbuster successes thus far.

georgemcbay 14y ago

For $199 I'd consider it. For $329, no way.

mtgx 14y ago
I think $150-$200 would've been the sweet spot for a ChromeBox, and $200-$300 the sweetspot for a Chromebook, depending on the configuration, quality of materials, etc. Also, I see no reason why these shouldn't be running ARM chips. All you're using is the web, so it's not tied down to the x86 architecture like Windows is.
- hollerith 14y ago
  >I see no reason why these shouldn't be running ARM chips. Because there are no ARM chips as powerful as the Celeron in the Chromebox.
- MatthewPhillips 14y ago
  Desktop Chrome is definitely tied to x86.
genwin 14y ago
Agreed. Just paid US$377 for a quad-core desktop.

vlad 14y ago

For only $70 more, Google also sells the Galaxy Nexus, which is a similar Samsung device but contains more storage, runs a lot more apps, can make or receive phone calls and data over a cell phone connection, and even includes a high definition display, and a (removable) battery, and NFC, and all in a smaller package. Since the Galaxy Nexus can use a keyboard and mouse over Bluetooth and run a 1080p display over HDMI, the advantage of the Chromebox is that it can run multiple displays and connect external storage devices. With Ubuntu for Android scheduled to be released later this year, a logical progression is that Google's future home appliances and mobile devices will run the same exact operating system, rather than two different ones. However, Android is supposed to be open and has many different App Stores like Amazon Appstore that compete with Google's Android Play (Android Market), while Chrome O.S. will allow Google to own the entire purchase process (like Apple), which benefits the consumer by allowing them to purchase an app they already own on their iPad, Android phone, Mac, PC, and XBox a 6th time.

Achshar 14y ago
> Android is supposed to be open and has many different App Stores like Amazon Appstore that compete with Google's > > >Android Play (Android Market), while Chrome O.S. will allow Google to own the entire purchase process (like Apple) That's not true. You can install crx files from places other than the webstore. Infact there are a few app stores out there if anyone tries to google them.
saraid216 14y ago
> but contains more storage Wait, doesn't that defeat the entire premise of the Chrome OS? Also, what does this have to do with Android?
etherealG 14y ago
I think your point about the hardware is a good one. All these "small pc equivalent" boxes seem to be overpriced to me, especially the arm-based ones that are essentially competing with smart phones. From the software side, it's a whole different animal. ChromeOS is intended to be very different from Android. I don't think you can compare some of the features like verified boot or integrated cloud services. Also, you can install apps on android as you like with the flick of a setting. ChromeOS doesn't have installed apps in the sense that they reside on the device. Apps are websites in ChromeOS, no difference. I'm pretty sure "installing an app" and "bookmarking a website" are the same thing in ChromeOS.

wavephorm 14y ago

Raspberry Pi makes products like this completely obsolete. I see nothing here worth paying an order of magnitude more money for. Google seems to have a really bad habit lately of building products that nobody wants.

AntiRush 14y ago
The Raspberry Pi is targeted squarely at enthusiasts (which, granted, is probably most people here). It comes without an operating system, any storage, a case, or even a power supply. This is a huge, if not insurmountable, barrier to entry for a large portion of the population. The Chromebox is a turnkey, plug in power, plug in TV, surf the web product. They couldn't be more dissimilar.
- corin_ 14y ago
  > plug in TV Just a quick note: The biggest piece of feedback I got from a journo friend of mine who just reviewed this chromebox is actually that out of the box it won't do HDMI or VGA (without buying an adapter separately that is), which seemed odd to me (and to him) given being easy to connect to a TV seems like a big use case for the chromebox. edit: In case anyone wants to see his hands-on piece, it's at http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-mac-desktops/samsung-chromebox-1082362/review http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-mac-desktops/sams...
  - hollerith 14y ago
    >out of the box it won't do HDMI or VGA (without buying an adapter separately that is) Some DVI ports can send VGA signals, in which case it would just be a matter of getting a cable with DVI pins on one end and VGA pins on the other. In other words, the DVI spec contains a VGA-compatible part and an HDMI-like part so that a single DVI port can send VGA signals or HDMI-like "DVI-D" (DVI digital) signals. Moreover, DVI-HDMI cables are common although some DVI ports cannot provide audio to go along with the video and others cannot speak the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection protocol.
zoul 14y ago

rkwz 14y ago

Who is this aimed at?

klapinat0r 14y ago
Small businesses (think store clerk, hotel lobby), for instance. Alternatively as a mediacenter or server. I've used an Acer Revo for exactly this for the past two years now. The low power consumption maked it great for at-home development and hosting in my case.
mikemoka 14y ago
I have no idea. Why would a business buy something like that? Please elaborate.
- netcan 14y ago
  I can think of some. A lot of people use browser almost exclusively at work. Salespeople, customer service people, etc. If the business software they use is web based, they use a browser.
  - mikemoka 14y ago
    I don't know, what if they need to edit a report with a company template someone made in Word? There are full fledged PC for sale at less than that price. Salespeople are often on the move and would probably use a netbook I think.
    - raldi 14y ago
      How do businesses currently share Word docs? They either email them around or put them in a shared folder. And when that happens, and the ChromeBox user clicks it, GMail or Google Drive will happily open that Word doc in Google Apps.
      - mikemoka 14y ago
        I may be mistaken but I don't remember being able to keep the template of a word document while editing it in google docs, changing examples anyway, slightly more complex excel files could also not be supported I think.

orionlogic 14y ago

Majority of these mini PC's used in conference or meeting rooms, as an easy way to hook up PC with TV. However, next month when Apple announce to open Apple TV as an development platform, there will be an interesting convergence of mini Pc's and tv boxes. Which will probably lead to long rumored Apple TV box. You don't know what this Chrome box do because Google doesn't know either. Companies threw hardware and see what developers can do, and see where it evolves.

fruchtose 14y ago

Everything about this product is bizarre. My prediction: low sales. Google does not understand physical products very well.

mtgx 14y ago
There's no bad product, just bad pricing. I think Google and their partners really don't know how to price a new category product. They should be priced aggressively like the iPad was (when people expected it to be $800-$1000), and also as the iPhone, even though in the beginning Apple tried to sell to the "early adopters" with a higher price, too. But they quickly learned their lesson after just 2 months. Google has already been through a few of these situations already ($300 Google TV set top box, $430 Chromebook at launch, $800 Honeycomb tablet at launch) and they still haven't learned anything. They haven't learned that the "early adopter price" tactic doesn't work well anymore. You need to price it for mainstream from day one, maintain the price throughout the year, and then just update the hardware for the same price every year. Consumers don't want to be cheated into buying a product that is twice as much at launch, compared to 6 months later.

kapowaz 14y ago

It reminds me of some other similar device I can't quite put my finger on…

gouranga 14y ago

Sorry but for that price, no way.

cooldeal 14y ago

Looks like there's major spin on this on that page. Whats a Intel Core(TM) processor? Dig deeper and it's an anemic Celeron, not a Core i3 or i5 or i7 as the name implies. Why is there no mention of storage AT ALL? Because it's a 16GB(!) SSD. The Amazon page says "No Blue Screens"? What happens to ChromeOS if RAM gets corrupt? It doesn't crash and magically keeps running? Most BSoDs nowadays are due to hardware issues. Edit: Why the downvotes? Is it forbidden to criticize Google here? Or is it just Google employees? Care to reply instead?

recoiledsnake 14y ago
>Edit: Why the downvotes? Is it forbidden to criticize Google here? Or is it just Google employees? Care to reply instead? I think you have been downvoted _because_ you made a good point and the Google fanboys armed with downmods want to bury the comment. Unfortunate trend on HN here.
- nik61 14y ago
  You should also realise that HN is run by Sheldon Coopers with the assistance of Ayn Rand, so don't expect any favours.
stickfigure 14y ago
You're likely being downvoted because your criticism shows no understanding of the market segment this product is aimed at.
- cooldeal 14y ago
  You mean the market segment that is not technical enough to understand specs like HN'ers can? Note that my comment was more about the way it was presented rather than a complaint that it is slow.
  - stickfigure 14y ago
    I mean the market segment doesn't care if you can play Quake on it.

josteink 14y ago

While definitely an interesting development in computing, I find the advertising used disingenuous. They advertise "built-in anti virus" all over, when the truth probably is that there is no anti-virus at all. You can argue that there is a lack of need for this and as such advertising for a device without mentioning anti virus at all would make it seem "unsafe" or confusing for the less technically inclined. But still claiming it has things it doesn't just to make the marketing department's job easier is in my books disingenuous. It's factually inaccurate. It's a lie. To me it sounds like "Macs can't have viruses" all over again: It supposedly is safe and "has anti-virus" because it isn't Windows. That's pretty cheap and far from factual.

ajuc 14y ago
Why do you thik there's no antivirus? There are antiviruses that run on unices, like ClamAV for example - it's open source, they can include it for free - maybe they did.
- vidarh 14y ago
  ClamAV for Linux et. al. primarily targets Windows threats. It's primarily used to filter e-mail or scan SMB shares, not look for threats that might affect the machine they run on, so it'd seem a very odd choice to include.
TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
I wouldn't say that's strictly true. The Chromebook OS most likely has anti-virus in the same sense that Mac OS X does: A remote kill switch.
CrazedGeek 14y ago
The "built-in antivirus" probably has something to do with how heavily sandboxed Chrome is and Google's own virus detection for websites.

fierarul 14y ago

The UK store doesn't have any of the new generation Chromebooks and especially not the new box. So, select countries means only one: USA.

ZeroGravitas 14y ago
I'm not seeing the new units for sale on Amazon.co.uk (though they do have updated copy and product shots for the Chrome device range) but the second-gen Samsung Chromebook is listed on the John Lewis website, which is one of the other retail partners.

arihant 14y ago

I installed ChromeOS on my old VAIO recently. It is definitely not bad in the sense that things it cannot do don't fall in the 99%. I would be happier if Google manages to bring the Play store and run android apps on it. Anything I could imagine the machine couldn't do, there's an app on Android that does it. If this could run Android apps too, $329 would appear to be a bargain.

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
Eventually there's going to have to be some merger. I think it could be Chrome OS becoming a variant of Android, considering there's now Chrome for Android. That said, personally, I'd rather see Chrome OS on phones and tablets, and Android die off, since Chrome OS is the most web-first platform out there.
- josteink 14y ago
  While Chrome OS is definitely the most web-first platform out there, right now that does not really work to its advantage. Right now Android has the massive advantage in being able to work reasonably well while offline, something you can just forget with most web apps run on top of Chrome OS. For a "desktop PC" I'm sure Chrome OS will be more than sufficient, since internet connectivity is not going to be an issue. For mobile devices however, you must always assume connectivity is missing, flaky or slow. When web-apps finally get the whole offline thingie working a web-first option will become much more of a real option also for mobile, but it's the web which will need to drive it, not the other way around.
  - TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
    What are you implying? I think almost all modern browsers support app caching manifests, meaning web apps work offline.
    - jeffool 14y ago
      I think joestink could've instead said: When web-app DEVELOPERS finally get the whole offline thingie working, a web-first option will become much more of a real option... /edit: Then again, I'm not positive if Google Chrome's "intalled web apps" often being shortcuts are developer's fault or Google's? I'd love someone with insight to tell us.

stickfigure 14y ago

I used the Chromebook I got from Google I/O for a while. You have to understand that it's not designed to be a hacker's computer or even really a consumer device. It's designed to be a cheap, low-maintenance terminal for generic business computing. This is the new 3270. I actually think it's a pretty good product for that purpose. The economics are compelling if you maintain hundreds of desktops. Instead of PC + Windows + Office + McAffee + a large desktop support organization, you just have ChromeOS devices and Google Apps. It's not sexy but 99% of the employees at the DMV don't need sexy, they just need to run a handful of basic apps.

netcan 14y ago
There is a lot of crossover between the anti-power user at work and the anti-power user at home. The former gets a locked down machine managed by IT to keep it running and uses the browser and a contant handful of apps. The latter uses a machine that runs poorly because no one is managing it. Making a disruptive improvement for one market would probably end up being compelling to both so you focus on either for a start. I don't like the decision to focus on office staff first. Google's in a great position to sell to consumers. Also I think Apple demonstrated that going through consumers first encourages better products.
- karol 14y ago
  Those 2 comments really helped me understand where chromeOS and other browser-OS machines sit. The are the opposite of Raspberry PI, which is a tiny but all-capable thing for general purpose computing. They are limited by design, therefore might be more secure (not prone to OS-vulnerabilities) and suitable for anti-power users.
- ramses0 14y ago
  I've been using a chromebook at home as a mostly-primary computer, replacement for a 13" MBP w/ SSD (which cost ~$2000 when it was new). The only thing that's weird is printing, but for 90% of "generic internet stuff" it works fantastic. ChromeOS just updated last night and I haven't even had a chance to mess with it. It will even work mostly-ish as a web-dev terminal as it'll do SSH as well as chrome developer tools (although it is slightly hokey). I'm a 15+ year linux user and I don't mind using the chromebook at all AS AN ADJUNCT TO A REAL COMPUTER! A ChromeBook is ~1/10th the cost of a "real" computer, is SSD by default (only I think), is great for "kitchen computing", great for travel (just turn on password-protection and it gets very good battery life, and you don't mind if it gets lost, stolen, or damaged and it's very lightweight). It's got a lot of advantages even for a power-user, although it doesn't (yet) replace a "real" computer / linux / osx box. The things I've used my "real" computer for since then have been seashore (gimp), inkscape, video editing, printing, and some minor gaming, and I've had the MBP for 1-2 years and the chromebook for ~6 mo.

gmig 14y ago

Google's Chromebox page states: Processor: Intel® Core™ processor RAM: 4 GB RAM Newegg's Chromebox page states: Processor: Intel Celeron B840 1.9GHz RAM: 2GB DDR3 1333 Amazon's Chromebox page states: Processor: 1.9 GHz Celeron B840 RAM: 4 GB

corin_ 14y ago
Newegg are wrong, it's 4GB.

moondowner 14y ago

I know a lot of people who use their PCs and Laptops only for Facebook and YouTube. This will definitely please them.

sherwin 14y ago

I used a Chromebook (Samsung Series 5) for an entire academic year as a student. The biggest benefits were having everything synced in the cloud (so you're not too attached to it), extreme portability (super thin and super light, instant on is fantastic) and ~10 hours of battery life. I charged the thing about once a week! However, I question who would get a Chromebox though, because the portability + battery life + instant on are no longer relevant in this case, and those were by far the biggest benefits for the Chromebook. For a little more (~400), you could get a very respectable machine running a more powerful OS. Some general thoughts on my experiences with the Chromebook: As a general computing device, I thought it was more or less completely sufficient. I used it to take notes (google docs / evernote) in class and it was awesome for that (light and portable). With more than 7-8 tabs, things can get slightly sluggish (read: not instantaneous). Running more than 15 or so and you start getting serious performance issues. This is less of a problem than I thought because it forces me to maintain focus (I regularly can have >100 tabs when using my desktop). Full screen 1080p video also was sluggish. It has a shell, so you can SSH and code also. Frequently less technical friends would ask "but ... it only runs chrome?" to which I respond "well what can you not do in chrome?" and they have a very hard time giving an example. With gmail / calendar / docs / evernote / your music web app service of choice / etc, almost everything can be done in the browser. To be fair, I also use a powerful desktop for more intense tasks (photo editing, coding, and occasional gaming). I doubt I would use the chromebook/box as my primary computer.

corin_ 14y ago
> who would get a Chromebox though Instant on is still a factor, maybe not for you and certainly not for me (my home PC runs 24/7), but there's plenty of people who don't leave computers running when not using them, and still would enjoy not having to wait while it boots up. The biggest use-case I see for the future is as a media centre connected to your TV. Google are already trying to replace computer software with web apps, why not TV software too - think Boxee or any other similar device, but all through web apps. If it took off I think it would be awesome.
- icebraining 14y ago

jablan 14y ago

I don't question the usability of this, but I really don't get the price, which I think is too high. I guess that for the same price one could buy 15" laptop with the roughly same components, so you would effectively get a screen and a keyboard for free. Where does the additional cost come from? Stripped down OS?

jyap 14y ago
Small storage, cheaper Celeron processor, cheap amount of RAM. The additional cost I'm guessing would be a hefty mark up. Perhaps they are trying to achieve Apple levels of profitability.

eidorianu 14y ago

Google Galaxy Nexus: ~400 usd (Play Store) Menotek Micro USB to HDMI MHL Adapter: ~13 usd (Amazon) Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000: ~50 usd (Staples) Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000: ~50 usd (Staples) Full Android ICS Desktop, battery, camera/mic, hspda+, 1920x1080, Chrome for Android. EDIT: added camera/mic, format

hollerith 14y ago
Intriguing. Have you or someone you know actually used this setup?

i386 14y ago

This is a terrible page and the product manager of this thing should be ashamed. The inmates are truly running the asylum. The technical specs are completely irrelevant to the interests of the majority of consumers. This page needs to show what this is capable of without the foreknowledge of what Chrome OS is or is capable of or what Googles other offerings are. Sell me a story! Tell me why my life is going to be better with it. What most people going to ask: Can I use my social networks? Can I do my internet banking? Can I get my photos off of my camera and share them? What about my music? Can I watch movies? How about spreadsheets and word documents?

platinum1 14y ago
https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.html https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.h... Is that better? edit: To explain, I think how they expect you to experience the website is: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/ http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/ (from www.google.com/chromeos) http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.ht... http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-devices.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-device... http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebox.html http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebox.html So, we're looking at a relatively deep link, which assumes the reader has been shown the main OS features and is looking for which specific product to buy. That said, I agree that this page doesn't do much except show pretty pictures and throw out a few tech specs, and won't sell the product on its own.
- chmike 14y ago
  > Intel Core Processor Why not specifying what processor and hardware is in the box ?
  - jyap 14y ago
    It's marketing. The emphasis is on the simplicity of the product. That being said, it's a 1.9ghz Celeron CPU. That can give negative connotations since Celeron is Intel's cheap line of processors.

chj 14y ago

Where is the target of this device? Certainly I won't buy this, but neither can I think of any reason for a sane people to pay more than 100$ for this box. People will get an iPad instead, rather than paying 3xx$ for a dumb box.

metatronscube 14y ago
I wish I got the new ipad that's for sure. The first generation ipad beats the pants off my Acer chromebook and its got even worse with the new shiny UI. And remember $300 over here (sunny Britain) is more like 300 quid, which is more like equivalent $460!! over there ;) No one I have shown this to would buy it and they think im insane for doing so.

esun 14y ago

"Chrome devices are available in select countries." 2% of all available countries. I wish Google understood how badly this undermines their international marketing. Apple understands this better.

jasomill 14y ago

Given the 16GB SSD, clearly Google assumes users will be storing most everything online. First question I'd have as a consumer, then, is, does it include some "cloud" equivalent of a Mac mini's Time Machine? Specifically, if my Google account is hacked and the attacker deletes all my music, photos, documents, email, etc., can I recover them? If not, saving a couple hundred bucks plus the cost of a USB backup drive seems short-sighted at best.

jellicle 14y ago
Or if the attacker is Google just locking you out of your account one day?

SandB0x 14y ago

What a travesty of a launch. What can it actually do? Stop telling me about "multiple USB ports and multiple display options". Should I get one instead of an iPad or a new laptop? Is it a new name for a Google TV device? "Place it anywhere" ? As opposed to what? Buy now? OK I'm in the United Kingdom, that's lucky. Let me buy it from...PC World? This leads to a page with a screenshot of a netbook/Chromebook and a Chromebox somewhere in the background. The word "Chromebox" doesn't even appear on the page.

idleloops 14y ago
Yeah I noticed that too. Plus when I looked (followed the links), the only Chromebooks on Amazon UK were Acer versions with Atom CPUs.
- kamjam 14y ago
  Yeah, and does it have internal storage... if so how much, and how much is free user space... if not, how do i add storage, usb? I like how the specifications tab just gives us 2 pictures. Really, that's the specifications? Now I know there was a /sarc comment aboce about Apple and sepcs... but even mobile phone websites have better specs than this! Seriously Google, your average user is not going to give a sh!t about this at moment and only those more tech savvy will likely but this right now!
recycleme 14y ago
Don't even try searching for a "chromebox" on bestbuy.com

89a 14y ago

Funny how many USB ports it has when it's capabilities are limited to a web browser. What on earth would you be plugging in to them.

jonknee 14y ago
I have one on the way amd will be testing with a barcode scanner and mag stripe reader which makes a total of four USB devices.

g-garron 14y ago

I prefer to add 270 dollars and get a Mac Mini, that may even run as a server If I want to. (I can even install Chrome on it). There is maybe a market for Chromebox, but for sure we are not that market. :)

ernesth 14y ago
I prefer to subtract 100 $ and get a zotac zbox or acer veriton that may even run as a server if I want to. They also are "fast, compact home or office device[s] [that can be] Set up [...] the way you want with multiple USB ports and versatile display options."

antr 14y ago

I would personally not use this machine, but I would I definitely see my parents/kids using it. It comes across as a low cost, low maintenance PC, and this is just want I would like my kids to use (vs the Windows/OS X alternatives).

guard-of-terra 14y ago

This is true shame after the success of wall plug PCs and all-in-one boards. It should be ARM and cost 99$ For 330$ you can build a cheap but full scale PC. Why does it need 4G RAM? Is Chrome so bloated now?

chaostheory 14y ago

I think this would be a great product, in a world where iPad and tablets with Android and Windows Mobile don't exist. Google should work on fixing and polishing Google TV instead instead of this if they want to work on set top boxes. Even with the updates late last year, Google TV compared to the competition is still lagging especially in the UI / UX department.

WiseWeasel 14y ago
You mean that weird box that's way more expensive than others and ships with a kludgey qwerty keyboard for use in your living room? They should just call it a wrap on that one too.
- chaostheory 14y ago
  Yeah it is a piece of garbage compared to everything else. Now it looks like every TV manufacturer will be using it as their TV's OS, so things may change in the future. TVs will resemble the Android phone landscape.

Morg 14y ago

I think there's a typo in the price, they meant to sell it for 29 bucks and they put 329 instead.

tomflack 14y ago

"...and don’t slow down over time." (https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.html https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features-key.h...) That is a huge claim and one that will be false as web technologies continue to need more power.

metatronscube 14y ago
Exactly, I get to 10 tabs and it grinds to a halt. That's 10 sites with nothing more than text and a few images (hardly 5 plugins)....its seriously underpowered as is and with the new UI update its as slow as a dog on the Acer.
- tomflack 14y ago
  Being slow because it is underpowered is different to what I'm referring to - becoming slower over time because web technologies move past the capabilities of the hardware.
  - metatronscube 14y ago
    Well its creaking at the seams right now, I think given the progression of web technologies (even if they begin to use more hardware acceleration) it is going to become much slower over time as more intensive tasks are offloaded to the Hardware, its not an good indication at the moment that after a UI update its noticeably slower (at least for me) and a lot buggier.
    - tomflack 14y ago
      The quote I was referencing is of course talking about the new hardware, not the old hardware you are referring to. It just strikes me that 'never' is a long time.
benatkin 14y ago
I think this is about software erosion. http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2011/6/28/the_new_heroku_4_erosion_resistance_explicit_contracts/ http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2011/6/28/the_new_heroku_4_e...

smellypantsman 14y ago

This is absolutely perfect for my business' use case: 4 customer support advisers who currently use Win7 with just browsers open to our custom built web app. This will be so much cheaper and less maintenance. Only downside is that while it supports 2 screens currently (I'm hoping an update fixes this real soon) it can ridiculously only show the same thing on both screens! No extended desktop. I was first to buy one at PCWorld on Tottenham Court Road in London yesterday for £279. Will be testing it out next week.

jurre 14y ago
May I ask why you would run win7 on those machines and not a free linux distro?
- smellypantsman 14y ago
  Multi monitor support. Win7 laptop plus hdmi screen plus displaylink screen. Displaylink linux drivers are iffy. With chromebox really really hoping they get the extended desktop support in soon to use the 2 displaylink ports (would be great if could use the vgi too for 3rd screen but presume not possible)
mcantelon 14y ago
>it can ridiculously only show the same thing on both screens! Well, that pretty much kills it for me right that. That and the privacy implication of the Chome* line in general.

Juha 14y ago

There is a second version (XE300M22-A02US) with Core i5 processor and 499$ pricetag: http://www.chromestory.com/2012/05/two-chromeboxes-second-49999-intel-core-i5/ http://www.chromestory.com/2012/05/two-chromeboxes-second-49...

hollerith 14y ago
Advantages this version of the Chromebox has over the base-model Mac mini: slightly faster Core i5; more USB ports (6 versus 4); more DisplayPorts (2 versus 1); comes with more RAM (4 gigs versus 2 gigs); $69 cheaper (using the Chromebox's list price versus Amazon's current price for the Mac mini). Advantages the mini has over the Chromebox: memory upgradable to 16 gigs (Apple says 8 gigs, but others report that 16 gigs works) whereas the Chromebox's memory does not seem upgradable at all; Firewire and Thunderbolt ports whereas to attach an external drive to the Chromebox your only choice seems to be slow USB 2; storage upgradeable (specifically, you can add an SDD or a second hard drive to the mini). How repairable and upgradable the Chromebox is I do not know -- googling for "chromebox teardown" finds nothing interesting. iFixit gives the mini a relatively-high repairability rating of 8.5 (but adding a second drive to the mini requires an expensive custom cable). Size and weight are very close. Both have the power supply inside the device.
- dubya 14y ago
  The Chromebox apparently uses a verified boot, so no Linux unless you can replace the bios. It's a shame since a small footprint, low-power, turnkey Linux box would be just the thing for a number of applications, though the Chromebox lacks a way to add fast storage.
  - hollerith 14y ago
    Thanks. I do not understand why someone other than Apple or Samsung does not make something like this (without the price premium Apple wants for OS X and without the verified boot).

stef25 14y ago

I desperately want a thin client "device" I can hook up to my tv / stereo to stream in music and movies from my network storage downstairs. If this can do it with nice to use software then I'll definitely but it if it saves me a couple hundred bucks compared to a mac mini.

phase_9 14y ago
AppleTV + XBMC? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4iEl3BqhUI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4iEl3BqhUI

skrebbel 14y ago

Soo, it's an Asus Eee Box without a real OS? Sad..

jrockway 14y ago
The Eee Box has an Atom processor.

scrrr 14y ago

Not even my parents would want to use this. No Skype.

G5ANDY 14y ago
The website in no way makes this clear, but I think you can video chat through your Skype account using the built in IMO app.

riobard 14y ago

Anyone knows what is DisplayPort++?

jrockway 14y ago
It's a DisplayPort that will emit VGA signals for a passive adaptor.
- riobard 14y ago
  Thanks! Seems DP++ can do regular DP, HDMI, DVI, and VGA, which is pretty awesome!

bizodo 14y ago

How long until ur phone becomes a chromebox esque device that u can just plug into any screen or better yet wirelessly connect to any screen.

drivebyacct2 14y ago
'ur phone'? Also, many Android devices already do this.

rglover 14y ago

It'd be nice if it was just "Chromebox" and not "Samsung Chromebox." Seems like a product that could have been decent but got rushed out the door and manipulated by bureaucracy. Google needs to stop letting things like this leak out, it's embarrassing.

debacle 14y ago

1. Can I install Ubuntu on it? 2. Can I increase the RAM? 3. Will it run LibreOffice? If the answer to all of those is 'yes', I forsee myself buying this in the future.

rufugee 14y ago

I really wish they would have provided Google TV features with the Chromebox...that would make it compelling from where I sit.

xxqs 14y ago

nice specs, I would put Debian on it and use as a portable network analyzer. I'll probably do so as soon as it's available in my country

WiseWeasel 14y ago
You would have to flash the BIOS to get past the Verified Boot security.
- xxqs 14y ago
  hmm. I saw somewhere it was characterized as highly hackable
  - WiseWeasel 14y ago
    I'd get something like this instead, and put Debian on it: http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/PT.SJ4P2.001 http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/PT.SJ4P2.001
    - xxqs 14y ago
      I'm currently using two types of devices: -- 10" Acer AspireOne netbooks. They are cheap, and Ubuntu works flawlessly (true before 12.04) -- ALIX boards from pcengines.ch. They are even cheaper, and low-power, and with RS-232 console port. Perfect if you don't need CPU power. but for the cases when I need to do packet trace on a Gigabit link, I need to make sure the traffic is low enough for the acer netbook to catch up
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  What you say appears to be true, yet quite misleading since there's a simple process, provided by Google and built into the device, for flashing the BIOS (or at least there was on the Series 5 Chromebooks): http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/samsung-series-5-chromebook http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-fo...

macca321 14y ago

Will it run Windows 7?

gfosco 14y ago
Will it blend?

chayesfss 14y ago

can my kids run minecraft on it? If so I might purchase one.

firefoxman1 14y ago

What a non-description it starts out with: > "The Chromebox is a fast, compact home or office device." So...it's a computer. Why call it a "home or office device"?

varelse 14y ago

Unfortunately, I consider gadgets like this to be a harbinger of how they'll handle projects like Glass. I know people love Google's R&D efforts but... I loved Xerox PARC's R&D - it took Apple to productize it successfully.

engtech 14y ago

Has anyone tried to use a home Chromebook as a development tool connecting to a corporate network over VPN and using VNC to connect to a linux box? I think it would be much better for my marriage if I could handle the "work emergencies" from the same room as my wife.

wonderyak 14y ago
I use my CR-48 as my normal portable laptop. I can code with web based IDEs, SSH into my boxes if needed and it has ~8 hours of battery life. I absolutely love the device, I just think any price over $299 is barking at the moon.

halayli 14y ago

Google and marketing will never get along: "compact home or office device" <---- WHATEVER THAT MEANS!

g-garron 14y ago

I still think that >It would be better if Samsung and Google could low the price a little bit. That is what I wrote months ago. http://www.garron.me/linux/chrome-os-chromebook-ready-prime-time.html http://www.garron.me/linux/chrome-os-chromebook-ready-prime-... The price is too high for what this thing is capable of.

nwenzel 14y ago

I get that Google wants to try weird stuff. But how did Samsung green light this adventure? I can't imagine that it's easy/cheap to produce these things in small production runs.

lcargill99 14y ago

it's in a fullsize case, but the Compaq cq2701 seems to have more and better for $20 less... ( bought one for my wife last weekend .) It's a 2.3 GHz G630T dual-core, which is fine for her uses. Yeah, it's Win7, so what, wanna fight about it? :) It could be Chrome O/S-ed in a short interval...