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I was lucky to receive a Cr-48 netbook as part of Google's "test pilot" for its upcoming Chrome OS. The netbook itself is fairly usable, and great for portable computing; I generally agree with Jason Chen's Gizmodo review on its other points.
You can't buy a Cr-48 right now, and you might not want a netbook like that at all. Luckily, you can install your own Chromium OS build (and here's our human's guide to doing so), or simply take Chrome into full-screen mode and exercise some willpower. Otherwise, you can read this as a dispatch from the not-too-distant future, in which web-focused, instant-on systems become widely available.
Why would one willingly restrict themselves to a computer that offers, basically, just a browser with an extended set of preferences? Lots of good reasons, many worth going into. In short, though, I'd argue these points:
I don't compile code in my line of work, I don't run CAD programs, and when I need to work with Twitter, IM, or email, there are plenty of webapps available for my needs. But more than just being able to handle my needs, Chrome OS keeps me away from my worst fiddly tendencies. You don't update the software yourself, the apps install almost instantly, the only real customizations are your Chrome theme and profile picture—heck, you don't even install the OS.
Sure, the web is there, and it's basically a monstrous coliseum of distractions. But when you're forced to face the web head-on, without the crutch of pretending you're optimizing your system somehow, you tend to acknowledge what it is, then move on.
We never mind flipping on our phones for a quick text or a quirky little YouTube clip, but when it comes to note-taking, outlining, or sending an overdue email, our minds can make turning on a laptop—and, optionally, plugging it in—seem akin to cleaning the gutters on the Guggenheim. You're kind of out of excuses with a netbook, even when you're not at home. It's built-in wireless data connection (like the one on your cellphone) gets you 100MB of free data each month, at least on the Cr-48. If you "need to Google something" before your can "get started," there you go. Now it's just you and that actual task you need to get done.
So, that's all well and great, but how does one actually get work done on Chrome OS? I wasn't kidding above—I've used a Cr-48 to do all my Lifehacker work, email, freelance writing, and pretty much anything I wouldn't normally do on a phone. That means writing online and off, light image editing (cropping, pasting, annotating), making VoIP calls through Gmail/Google Voice, IM chats with the boss, and reading lots and lots of feeds and other material.
There were one or two exceptions—I had to test some browsers and some Windows or Mac apps, but then again, most people don't check out new software for a living. Here's my best advice for living and working entirely in the browser:
Just because you've made the choice to simplify your online life doesn't mean your relatives, friends, or co-workers will do so. But for almost everything, there's a pretty quick work-around.
Since everything you see is through a browser, and since you won't always have a printer nearby, you need to be able to take the work you've created on a screen and save it, whether to your hard drive or a safe online service.
When you've got free and speedy Wi-Fi available, the nomadic life is easy. When you're left to either tether through a restricted smartphone data plan or utilize none-too-cheap native 3G, you want to avoid unpleasant surprises. So do yourself a favor and bookmark the mobile versions of some of your favorite sites, which usually consist of m.something.com or mobile.something.com. When you're searching out stuff, use the Google Cache link, just underneath each result, to get at the text before having to wait for images to load.
In the same manner, the Cr-48 gets really taxed by Flash, but it's hardly alone. You can set Flash and other plug-ins to "Click-to-play," or install an advanced filtering app like FlashBlock, where you set the rules on which pages are allowed to hit your processor with an ad or video burden.
Eventually, your Gmail, Google Docs, and potentially lots of other apps will offer you offline access, so you're always able to get something done, even when disconnected. For now, there are a few notable apps that go beyond bookmarks, some of which include offline storage. One more I'd throw in is Scratchpad, an online/offline notepad that syncs its notes to a Google Docs label, and which saves every few keystrokes when you're writing online. Be sure to try it out in full-screen mode—it's a nicely minimalist writing space with the security of constant backup.
Send an email to Kevin Purdy, the author of this post, at kevin@lifehacker.com.
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