I'm an avid Google enthusiast and Android fanatic who is just now getting into cloud computing. I'm sharing the information I learn about the Chromebook here, including my own personal reviews, so it may help others who are interested in getting into this exciting new computing field.

Samsung Releases Series 5 550 Chromebook – I Can Haz?

School’s out for now, so I guess I can start updating this blog again. It’s a perfect time too because apparently, Samsung has just updated the Series 5 into a better model called the “Series 5 550” (catchy title, Samsung!).

And man, it looks nice.

The processor has been upgraded, the RAM has been doubled, the outside looks a lot snazzier, and if that’s not enough, they replaced that damn analog video port with a digital DisplayPort (yes, like on the Macs).

They also made the body of the machine look quite a bit nicer in my opinion. The original Series 5 Chromebook was no slouch when it came to looks, but I do feel like the new one with the more silver-lake finish looks better. To be honest, I’m mostly excited about the specs being boosted, though (curse of being a techie — besides an unhealthy addiction to Baja Blast and cinnamon twists that also, unfortunately, develops with the territory).

UPDATE: After reading the Samsung Series 5 550 review, I’m sold on it. I just need to save up a little more. Darn the financial aid department. DARN THEM.

I guess if I’m ever to get a Chromebook, now would be a good time. Hate buying a new notebook only to have a new model come out a month later. Since the Samsung Series 5 550 literally JUST came out, I guess I shouldn’t have to worry about it for a while.

A Third Party OS or: The Day the Operating System Died

Will I be able to talk the assistant professor who teaches my programming class into embracing the Google Chromebook as a tool for writing code? All signs indicate that it may take a while. Of course, he’s one of those unabashed PC-loving, Mac-hating business school-rejects who has to always love Microsoft products and never, ever has a good thing to say about an Android or Apple piece of hardware.

Seriously, he is a jerk. He went on and on (and on, and on) about the Windows 7 phone on the first day of class. After a modest tirade about how horrible iPhones supposedly are (huh?) after he spotted a student in the second row typing away on one, things became even worse. Another student asked about the Android operating system, I couldn’t really hear his question, and “without knowing anything about it” he flatly rejected it. Imagine. Being that much of a slave to Windows in 2012.

Imagine if I had asked a question about the Chrome operating system, or had I brought my Chromebook into class to work on? Sorry Teach, I don’t need the Wi-Fi credentials you wrote on the whiteboard. My Chromebook lets me use 3G.

What a bird. Well, enough about that feathered dinosaur (which some rather intelligent people say really existed — I’m taking their word on that). Here’s a picture to sum up my day:

At the Park with a Chromebook

I don’t know if this is something commonly thought of, but has anyone else considered the possibilities of using a 3G Chromebook at the park? You sure don’t see many people with laptops at the park (and that’s probably a very good thing) but that has more to do with lack of an internet/WiFi connection rather than battery life. Chromebooks, especially the 3G model from Samsung, have ridiculously good battery life (If I recall correctly it’s more than eight hours) and with the 3G you can use the internet from almost anywhere just like you do with your phone.

Anyway, short post today, this just popped into my head earlier as I was driving and I realized what was, to me, a breakthrough regarding using notebook computers outside. Sure, I’ve only used a laptop at an actual public park maybe twice, ever, but if I got a Chromebook with 3G capability and an included data plan I’d surely bring my Chromebook to a park or other outdoor venue. While tethering has been around for a while, true 3G capability in a high-quality notebook like the Samsung Chromebook or even the cheaper Acer Chromebook has the potential to really change this unspoken norm.

Is it a good idea for people to be bringing their laptops to recreational outdoor locations like public parks, dog parks, stroll gardens, etc? Well, as long as they’re respectful I don’t see a problem. Maybe it doesn’t bode quite so well for Americans’ performance on the Presidential Fitness Examination for 2012, but 3G Chromebooks are here, and they’re here to stay.

What about you? Do you / would you bring your Chromebook to a place like the park to take advantage of the 3G capability? Or even way in the backyard where the Wi-Fi internet signal is weak or intermittent? Or, finally, should we not mix cloud computers and the great outdoors? Let me know your personal opinions after reading this post.