5 ms·

I've been working on a lot of my projects lately on a prgmr VPS and I just tried out the Chrome SSH app and it's pretty good. I could see and ARM-powered chrome

I've been working on a lot of my projects lately on a prgmr VPS and I just tried out the Chrome SSH app and it's pretty good. I could see and ARM-powered chromebook with 3g being a pretty good hack anywhere kind of laptop with good battery life. Of course, the new iPad with 4g is a bit more with better battery life and could work the same way. In either case, I like the direction things are heading.

mtgx 14y ago
The 3G price of this Chromebook ($330) is surprising. I don't think it costs even $50 to add a 3G chip to a device these days, and for that $80 they could've added an LTE chip. This might surprise you, but this Chromebook uses a battery that is almost 3x smaller than that of the new iPad - 4,000 mAh vs 11,500 mAh. The difference in battery life between the two is not that large, though (6.5h vs 9h), because the iPad has a much higher resolution, and that takes its toll on the battery. But even then this Chromebook has a surprisingly small battery - as small as a 7" tablet basically. In fact the Nexus 7 has a 4,300 mAh battery. I understand Google needed to push the price to $250, but I find it hard to believe they couldn't at least push it to 10h with a slightly bigger battery. Are batteries really that expensive?
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  Keep in mind the 3G model comes with 100MB/mo data for 2 years; you're paying for the service too. I'd theorize that not being LTE is a way of keeping that bundled service as cheap as possible.
  - mtgx 14y ago
    That makes a bit of sense if they included the cost, but the whole idea doesn't. Why would I pay an extra $80 on a $250 device, just to get 100 MB's of data per month? If I was really looking for 100% Internet connectivity wherever I am, and I'd need a 3G/4G chip inside, I'd probably want a 5 GB data plan to go with it.
    - bryanlarsen 14y ago
      But 100MB of data is about perfect for emergency use. If you're like most people, 99% of the time you are somewhere with WIFI, but it's the 1% that you aren't when you really need it. Combine the 100MB a month with a very occasional $10 day pass and most people would be covered.
- jsnell 14y ago
  Surely current*time is the wrong thing to look at when comparing batteries across different devices? It doesn't tell you anything without also knowing the voltages. I'd bet that the CB has a similar sized or larger battery in a more appropriate unit (e.g. watt-hours).
- smackfu 14y ago
  Apple has set expectations that adding 3G costs $130.

mtgx 14y ago

The 3G price of this Chromebook ($330) is surprising. I don't think it costs even $50 to add a 3G chip to a device these days, and for that $80 they could've added an LTE chip. This might surprise you, but this Chromebook uses a battery that is almost 3x smaller than that of the new iPad - 4,000 mAh vs 11,500 mAh. The difference in battery life between the two is not that large, though (6.5h vs 9h), because the iPad has a much higher resolution, and that takes its toll on the battery. But even then this Chromebook has a surprisingly small battery - as small as a 7" tablet basically. In fact the Nexus 7 has a 4,300 mAh battery. I understand Google needed to push the price to $250, but I find it hard to believe they couldn't at least push it to 10h with a slightly bigger battery. Are batteries really that expensive?

ConstantineXVI 14y ago
Keep in mind the 3G model comes with 100MB/mo data for 2 years; you're paying for the service too. I'd theorize that not being LTE is a way of keeping that bundled service as cheap as possible.
- mtgx 14y ago
  That makes a bit of sense if they included the cost, but the whole idea doesn't. Why would I pay an extra $80 on a $250 device, just to get 100 MB's of data per month? If I was really looking for 100% Internet connectivity wherever I am, and I'd need a 3G/4G chip inside, I'd probably want a 5 GB data plan to go with it.
  - bryanlarsen 14y ago
    But 100MB of data is about perfect for emergency use. If you're like most people, 99% of the time you are somewhere with WIFI, but it's the 1% that you aren't when you really need it. Combine the 100MB a month with a very occasional $10 day pass and most people would be covered.
jsnell 14y ago
Surely current*time is the wrong thing to look at when comparing batteries across different devices? It doesn't tell you anything without also knowing the voltages. I'd bet that the CB has a similar sized or larger battery in a more appropriate unit (e.g. watt-hours).
smackfu 14y ago
Apple has set expectations that adding 3G costs $130.