My Google Chromebook shows you how to use a Chromebook, which is a new breed of ultra portable netbook computer. Chromebooks run the Google Chrome OS operating system, a new type web-based OS, and can run any web-based application. It's all a form of cloud computing, which uses applications and data files stored in the “cloud” of the Internet, not on any individual personal computer.
Because of its web-based nature, using a Chromebook and the Chrome OS is quite a bit different from using a traditional notebook PC and Microsoft Windows. To get the most use out of your new Chromebook, then, you need to become familiar with how cloud computing works - as well as all the ins and outs of your new Chromebook.
My Google Chromebook is a gorgeous, full-color look at this exciting new computing paradigm. My series books excel at teaching readers how to use today's hottest new gadgets. The Chromebook is a perfect fit.
Put simply, a Chromebook is a netbook computer that runs Google Chrome OS. Where a traditional netbook runs a version of Microsoft Windows and contains a fair amount of internal hard disk storage, a Chromebook runs Chrome OS and contains almost no internal storage. Instead, it runs a variety of web-based applications that do not require local installation or data storage.
In essence, a Chromebook is a computer that is built and optimized for the web, using Chrome OS. This provides a faster, simplified, and more secure computing environment than with traditional Windows or Mac computers.
To begin with, a Chromebook is, like its netbook cousins, smaller and lighter than a traditional notebook PC. Because a Chromebook doesn't contain a hard disk or CD/DVD drive, that space and weight is removed from the equation. Most Chromebooks have 12” diagonal screens, are very thin, and weigh around three pounds.
Chromebooks use solid state storage instead of traditional hard drives. Current Chromebooks come with 16GB of internal solid state storage[md]considerably less than what you find with a traditional notebook, but all that Chrome OS needs to run. (And remember, all your applications and documents are stored on the web, so you don't need any local storage for them.)
In terms of processing power, the initial batch of Chromebooks use a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom dual-core processor. That's not the most powerful processor available today, but again, it's all that's needed to run the small-footprint Chrome OS.
This combination of small screen, minimal solid state storage, and efficient processor means that a Chromebook has an impressive battery life[md]anywhere from 6 to 8 hours on a charge. Chromebooks are also virtually instant on, booting up in less than 10 seconds, and resuming instantly from sleep mode. It's a much different[md]and much more efficient[md]computing experience than what you're used to.
