First 24 Hours with my CR-48 ChromeOS Notebook - Don't Panic

So, its nearing Christmas and I'm receiving boxes containing all sorts of odd shaped items that I will have to wrap (with little skill for that sort of thing) before the 25th, when this nondescript box comes in that has inside, another box. This box within a box has a really cool assembly diagram with a mouse, helmet for the mouse, mouse wheel, stators, turbines, and lots of connectors. Really a work of art in itself, this box within a box.

Upon opening this box that was in a box, I found a very unimposing 8.5 by 11 device and a quick-start card that read "Don't Panic" instructing me to read, then recycle, or make a really cool paper airplane to give to my nephew.

The only markings on this device (besides the letters on the keyboard) was the words Mario on the inside of the lithium-ion battery (which the instructions said was included because they hadn't figured out that whole Cold Fusion thing yet). The card went on to tell me things not to do to my new device, like baking, blending, taking it to the moon, etc. Then it told me to insert the battery, plug it in, then carefully open the device (being careful not to physically or emotionally stress the screen) and log in to Google.

Setting up the machine for first time use was really the simplest thing I have ever set up (much simpler than a VCR). It asked me to enter my gmail information and then told me to strike a pose for the built-in web cam to create a profile picture.

The keyboard feels decent, but is missing the old function keys and Windows buttons. It would be nice if the keys were back-lit since there is no keyboard light, but it is a concept machine.

As per the beta site's claims, the notebook loads quickly and goes off and on by closing the lid. The web performance is really fast on Wi-Fi, which you must connect to as part of the setup. I think its because it has 802.11/n capability.

As for the user interface, it is Google Chrome. If you have it installed on your PC, then you see the same thing I do. It uses the Chrome Web Store to install applications (basically links to web applications for now), most of which will work on your browser.

The hardest thing to get used to is not having a "desktop" or "Explorer" to look at the stuff on my computer. There really isn't anything on a Google ChromeOS computer. Everything is in the cloud, so you have to get everything you have into the cloud (using Picasa, mSpot, etc.). Also, I haven't figured out how to print or pull photos from my camera yet.

Over the next few weeks, I'll post my feelings as I try to compute strictly in the cloud. It is going to be a little bit of a change from using a big PC with Windows.

Until next time...