Oppo Find 5 International Giveaway!

 

We never rest on our laurels, and we dig deep, each and every day, to provide you content that is both timely, well researched, and informative. Maybe even potentially entertaining. We hope.

But this is serious stuff, folks. We have assembled a great team of passionate industry observers that cover each and every aspect of Android and the mobile ecosystem so you can stay in touch with the hottest devices, the best apps, and much more.

This time we’re going to be giving away an Oppo Find 5! I went to the event in Beijing not too long ago, and was really impressed. From a company that I knew very little about, I have to say they are on our radar now. They created a device that is nearly sold out world wide, and I think most mobile tech reviewers will agree with me when I say that Oppo has done a lot of the right things with the Find 5. If you want to know where you can buy it direct, it is available atOppoStyle.com starting at $499 unlocked.

And as we always do our very best for all of you – we are going to be giving away the Oppo Find 5! Internationally, of course. Check out the terms! You won’t find an easier contest around!

Terms of the Giveaway

• Leave a comment to enter the contest.
• The contest will run for 30 days, after which we’ll select the winner through a random draw.
• One entry per household.
• International giveaway – everyone’s welcomed!
• No gaming the system, no cheating! We’ll be monitoring the entries.

Remember guys (and gals, naturally), we do this for YOU! We do this every day because we love Android, because we want to be a part of the conversation, and because we believe in serving you with the very best Android news, Android reviews, VS, freshest apps worth your time, helpful how-to’s, tips and tricks, and attend every mobile technology related conference in the world!

Check us out! 

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Also, if you like what Oppo is doing, check out their Facebook, too.

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Good luck everyone! We’re in for a wild ride!

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Panasonic ponders selling its smartphone business to HTC or TSMC

 

Panasonic is considering selling its smartphone business, a report on Japanese news outlet Sankei Shimbun says. While that’s newsworthy in its own, the names of the potential buyers are even more interesting.
That report mentions HTC and TSMC as potential buyers. According to the report, the sale could go through if there will be no improvement on the financial front in the close future. The report also adds that the sale is apparently conditioned by the existence of an agreement in terms not only of price, but also of keeping the workforce.
For a long time, Panasonic made smartphones exclusively for the Japanese market, being a rather discrete presence in the rest of the world. However, the Eluga models, first shown last year at MWC, looked like sign of a comeback to the global market. Things haven’t gone in the right direction, really, and, even if the Eluga has received an Ice Cream Sandwich update in November, nothing much has happened since.
I frankly don’t know why HTC would buy Panasonic’s mobile business,  other than acquiring market share in Japan (let’s not forget that HTC has financial problems of its own).
On the other hand, TSMC could think about making phones based on its own chips, and that would make at least some sense.

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Supposed picture and specs of the Xiaomi M3 leak

 

What is said to be a picture of the Xiaomi M3 or MI-3 has showed up on Nowhere Else, alongside a set of specs.
The hardware of the new Chinese smartphone, rumored to come out next summer, seems to be different from what was leaked a while ago (there were also voices suggesting the possibility of an octa-core version). According to the person who took the photos, we’re looking at a quad-core Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor running at 2GHz, a 13-megapixel camera and a 3000mAh battery.
The report says the M3 will have 5-inch Full HD display and the case is made of aluminum. If the phone in the images is truly the Xiaomi M3 or MI-3, I must say that it looks very similar to the HTC One to me.
It will be interesting to see whether Xiaomi will follow into the footsteps of Huawei – the Huawei Mate is available for pre-order on Amazon Germany –  and ZTE, and start to slowly make its way to the more international markets, especially since the Xiaomi M2 is already available outside of China, in Australia.
Would you want to buy a Xiaomi M3?

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Microsoft takes the Windows Phone Challenge on to TV

 

Smartphone advertising can sometimes be a pretty blunt business, especially when it comes to feature comparisons. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Challenge before, or “smoked by Windows Phone” as it used to be called. It’s a series of tests issued on the street or in Microsoft stores aimed at proving that Windows Phones are better than your handset.

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a recap video from CES last year.

I makes for somewhat entertaining Youtube viewing, for a commercial stunt anyway, and Microsoft clearly thinks it’s time to take these challenges onto television.

It plans to air a short 30 second clip of a camera challenge between Nokia’s Lumia 920 and Samsung’s Galaxy S3 on ESPN and CBS throughout the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament.

The new ad shows a comparison between the Galaxy S3 and Lumia 920′s cameras operating in low-light conditions, which seems fair game as the Lumia’s camera is fairly decent. I won’t spoil it for you, but I’m sure you can already guess who wins.

You can already check out the clip on Youtube if you don’t fancy staring at your TV just to see the commercial.

Microsoft clearly thinks that it’s on to a winner with this campaign, and I’m certainly a fan of doing some head to head testing in the flesh. But for that reason I’m not sure that a staged ad using company staff will have quite the same impact was walking into a store and having a Microsoft employee show you who’s boss.

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What does a great Windows 8 gaming laptop need?

A recent question from a reader brought up an issue we've been discussing around the office recently -- the lack of Windows 8 laptops that include both a touch screen and a high-end GPU. Our reader's question, excerpted below:

May I ask for your advice on purchasing a gaming PC? I'm considering the Alienware M14x, but the only thing holding me back is the absence of a touch screen and I can't seem to find powerful laptops with a touch screen. Do you think touch-screen laptops will soon become the standard?

It's true that the handful of serious gaming laptops we've reviewed thus far with Windows 8 have all lacked a touch screen. It's a feature that is standard for nearly every other category of laptop now, and in fact, I can't think of a Windows 8 laptop we've reviewed that arrived with even an entry-level discrete graphics card and a touch screen.

That's a real shame, because the PC gaming market is about as exciting as any time I've seen it in many years, with new games such as XCOM: Enemy Unknown and the upcoming BioShock: Infinite presenting themselves much better on PC than the current generation of dated living-room console hardware.

With touch screens so prevalent in other Windows 8 laptops, and, frankly, required to avoid navigational frustration in Microsoft's new operating system, it's rare (but not impossible) to find even a mainstream laptop that offers GPU options.

Clicking around the various PC makers' Web sites, some reasonable user-configurable options I've found include a Dell Inspiron 15z, which can be upgraded with a Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce 630M GPU, currently discounted to $999; and a Sony Vaio E14 with a similar Core i7 plus AMD 7670M graphics for $909. Both include touch screens, but you have to hunt and peck to find the right combination of base model and available upgrades, and neither is truly a high-end gaming system.

I'd love to see something like the no-compromise Origin PC EON17-SLX upgraded with a touch screen -- the Windows 8 version we reviewed late in 2012 would have greatly benefited from it. And not necessarily because it's required by many mainstream games, but because it would make the system more useful and up-to-date for nongaming tasks.

Similarly, we're currently testing a new Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 laptop, which includes an Nvidia GeForce 650M, Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, backlit keyboard, and a clever swappable bay for accessories. So far, it's a laptop I like a lot, but the lack of a touch screen keeps it from being a system one can recommend for both gaming and everyday Windows 8 use.

The answer may come from something like the Razer Edge, a Windows 8 gaming laptop/tablet hybrid. The hardware is expected to ship soon, but the system is more tablet than laptop. Plus, the expected battery life is short, and the small screen won't satisfy gamers looking for a full-time rig.

I have no doubt the next generation of most of these gaming laptops will move to touch screens, if only because the Windows 8 UI is so annoying to use without one. But for now, PC gamers are literally out of luck if they're looking for a do-everything touch screen system that also offers a no-compromise gaming experience.

In the meantime, highlighted below are the Windows 8 laptops with discrete GPUs we've reviewed thus far in the Windows 8 era.

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Asus Zenbook UX51Vz-DH71

Asus didn't skimp on performance components, forgoing integrated graphics for a discrete 2GB Nvidia card, but those who need extremely long battery life or a touch screen, or who are looking for a full-on gaming rig, will want to invest in another system.  

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Origin PC EON17-SLX 

No one puts together custom high-end gaming laptops, including this desktop-busting 17-inch EON17-SLX, better than Origin PC, but the generic-looking off-the-shelf body isn't becoming of a $4,000 laptop and Windows 8 feels odd without a touch screen.

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Sony Vaio E17 

If you want a reasonably priced desktop-replacement big-screen laptop with AMD graphics, the Vaio E17 is worth a look. But it's not a good Windows 8 showcase machine, as it lacks any touch interface other than a small touch pad. 

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Toshiba Qosmio X875 

One of the only 17-inch gaming laptops spotted at CES 2013, the Toshiba Qosmio X875 already stands out from the slim ultrabooks and convertibles we've seen, but lacks a touch screen.

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Microsoft to end Windows Phone 7.8 and 8 support in 2014

Microsoft has put an end date on its support for Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8.

The company's support page lists both operating systems, and says that Windows Phone 7.8 will be supported through September 9, 2014, while Windows Phone 8 will receive support through July 8, 2014.

Windows Phone 8 is the latest and most featured-packed version of Windows Phone. Windows Phone 7.8 was the option Microsoft offered to former Windows Phone 7 owners who didn't want to buy a new device. There's no clear upgrade path to Windows Phone 8 from Windows Phone 7, so Windows Phone 7.8 provides some, but not all, of the features in Microsoft's operating system.The difference is based on Microsoft's life cycle start date and its decision to support platforms for 18 months. Microsoft pegs the Windows Phone 8 start date at December 14 and Windows Phone 7.8 at February 9.

That Microsoft is ending support for its latest operating systems next year isn't all that surprising. The mobile space is driven by rapid operating system updates. Apple, for example, launches a new version of iOS each year. And since most consumers update their devices every two years, needing to keep operating systems updated for several years doesn't make much sense.

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Chrome has you covered, wants to become your sole gateway to the web

Chrome is everywhere. That’s the message Google is trying to send us, and in all honesty it’s something most of us already are well aware of by now.
A new spot, titled “Now Everywhere” emphasises all the benefits of using Chrome across all your devices and platforms. In fact, I can attest to the validity of this since I myself have been using Chrome on my desktop, tablet and phone for more than 2 years now. It allows you to sync passwords, settings, bookmarks, auto-filled addresses and more in the cloud, making the overall experience of browsing the web that much more cohesive.
Tab syncing across devices is an absolutely killer feature, and one that has saved me innumerable times in times of need. Performance on Android phones, especially ones which are not backed by cutting edge hardware leave something to be desired, but Google knows about this and is actively improving the app with every update.


Apart from that, it is fast, well endowed with features, very secure and there is no other reason I can think to not switch over to this browser ecosystem. And who knows, one day when you save up enough money to get this beauty, the transition will be so much easier for you. Check out the video above, complete with Beethovan’s Fifth playing in the background for your viewing pleasure:

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Google pushes mobile Gmail redesign inspired by iOS app, no love for Windows Phone, though

Access gmail.com from your mobile device today and you might be in for a pleasant surprise. Google has quietly pushed an update to the mobile version of Gmail, which includes a few user-interface improvements, as well as better aesthetics. According to Google, this update has rolled out to users on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Kindle Fire.

Google did not include a changelog in its announcement, although it made reference to how the feedback they received from iOS users when the search company released an updated version of Gmail for the iPhone and iPad, whose users “like the redesigned UI, along with new features such as improved search and integration with Google Calendar.”

If you’re familiar with the Gmail app for the iPhone and iPad, you would likewise be familiar with some elements included in the updated mobile web Gmail version, such as improved search and integration with Google Calendar. The same changes will take effect in Gmail Offline soon.

One thing’s interesting, though. While Google has rolled out this update for iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Kindle (which is, of course, a fork of Android), there’s no mention of Windows Phone. The Next Web notes that this does not come as a surprise, given that Google has been leaving Windows Phone behind in terms of accessing mobile services like Gmail, Maps and more.

I’ve read comments from Android users clamoring for Google to implement the same user experience on the native Android Gmail client, seeing how the iPad version got rave reviews. This might bring us Android users closer to that experience. But there’s a catch, of course. Mobile web is not necessarily as fluid as a native app, so if this UX is to your liking, you’ll have to make do with mobile web for now.

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Google Now is coming soon to Chrome and Chrome OS

A new built-in extension in Chromium tells us that Google Now will soon be integrated in Chrome OS and the Chrome browser.

Google Now is one of the marquee features of Android Jelly Bean, and without doubt, an area of intense focus for the people in Mountain View. The intelligent assistant has been rumored to come to the Chrome browser and Chrome OS, and the latest Chromium build contains code that suggests the feature will be launched in the near future.

As noticed by developer Francois Beaufort (which brought us the first clues of the Chromebook Pixel), the latest version of Chromium, the open source project on which both Chrome and Chrome OS are based, contains a clear reference to Google Now. A built-in Google Now extension can be activated right now by setting a flag in the Chromium settings page, but the absence of a connection to a Now server renders it unusable.

This is the clearest indication yet that the intelligent personal assistant is being integrated into Chrome. The first time we’ve heard about the convergence of the two projects was in December, while in late January we learnt that Google is working at integrating a unified notification system into Chrome.

The fact that Google Now is explicitly mentioned in the Chromium documentation tells us that the feature is close to release. As for when we can expect to see Google Now in the stable versions of Chrome and Chrome OS, it could be sometimes in the next weeks, although it’s possible that Google will keep the feature under wraps until Google I/O in May.

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HACKERS FAIL TO CRACK CHROME OS

Google (GOOG) offered hackers a chance at a big pay day if they could crack its Chrome OS platform. The company held its annual Pwnium competition at the ConSecWest security conference in Vancouver this week where it put $3.14159 million up for grabs. While a number of hackers attempted to get a piece of the Pi, a Google spokesperson confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch that none of them succeeded in fully cracking the operating system. The company did reveal, however, that it is “evaluating some work that may qualify as partial credit.” Google is making a big push to boost consumer interest in Chrome OS. The company recently released the high-end Chromebook Pixel to compete directly with the Retina display Macbook Pro.

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The elusive third great mobile OS

There's no better illustration of the intense competition in the wireless industry than the race to establish another legitimate operating system behind Android and Apple -- where else is third place considered a lofty goal for so many major players?

Yet that's exactly what nearly a dozen companies are trying to achieve. While this year's Mobile World Congress wireless trade show was light on blockbuster smartphone and tabletannouncements, it was heavy on burgeoning operating systems and new ways of thinking about mobile devices.

Mozilla's FireFox OS made a big splash at the show, as did Tizen, shepherded into reality by Samsung Electronics and Intel. The Ubuntu mobile OS, which won CNET's best of show award, popped up here and there if you knew where to look. Jolla CEO Marc Dillon talked up his Sailfish OS during a keynote address. Nokia continued to roll out new smartphones running on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. BlackBerry, meanwhile, is scheduled to release its BlackBerry Z10 in the U.S. in the coming weeks.

It's a natural reaction to the increasing dominance of Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems, which combined accounted for 91 percent of the market in the fourth quarter, according to IDC. As much as the industry players want to publicly play nice with each other, the carriers and vendors are all working to wrest back some of the control.

The Geeksphone Peak is the most robust Firefox phone yet, but that's not saying much.

While I applaud their efforts, I can't help but think that most of them are doomed to failure. It's not that any of the operating systems are particularly bad -- although the early builds of Firefox and Tizen I tried out were both pretty rough -- but there seems to be a lack of any cohesive support behind any of them. It's all scattershot; which only leads me to believe that Android and iOS, which both have tons of consumer, developer, and carrier support behind them, will continue to thrive for a while.

"If there's going to be a big three, it won't happen if the industry players are themselves fragmented," Rajeev Chand, an analyst at Rutberg & Co., told me in a recent interview.

Just look at the two largest potential third players: Microsoft and BlackBerry. Both make a great case for why their operating system will be No. 3, but the lack of committed support from the carriers is telling. Sure, AT&T sells the Lumia phone and related Windows 8 products, but are any of the other carriers as enthusiastic? It's still unclear just how much support BlackBerry will get, but we should get more of an indication in the coming weeks.

When you get through the rest of the operating systems, the support fragments even further. Firefox has rounded up 18 carriers to support the OS, although few have committed to actually selling the devices. A different set of carriers, meanwhile, have committed to Tizen, which they believe will power high-end smartphones.

Another issue is whether the need for a third operating system is an industry problem or a consumer problem. It's clear the carriers and other vendors want an alternative OS to get behind to reduce their reliance on Android and iOS, but do consumers really care about that? For now, most are perfectly happy with their Android and iPhone choices.

AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told me that he believes there's room for more than three mobile operating systems, and even left the door open for an OS like Firefox -- as long as there is consumer demand for it. And while choice is good for the consumer, too much choice isn't necessarily a good thing.

"For consumers, it's going to be all about confusion," Chand said. "You show up at a retail store, and there are a bunch of things going on. It'll just be confusion."

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Mozilla says no plans to return to iOS

AUSTIN, Texas -- Mozilla's Firefox browser will have no place on Apple devices so long as Apple continues its unfriendly attitude toward third-party browsers, Jay Sullivan, vice president of product at Mozilla, said today.

The nonprofit Mozilla, which pulled Mozilla Firefox Home from Apple's App Store in September 2012, is not currently building a version of its Firefox browser for iOS, nor does the company plan to, said Sullivan, speaking on a mobile browser wars panel at South by Southwest Interactive moderated by CNET Senior Reporter Seth Rosenblatt.

The sticking point for Mozilla is not being able to carry over its sophisticated rendering and javascript engines to iOS. Essentially, the organization doesn't feel like it can build the browser it wants to for Apple's platform, Sullivan told CNET.

The decision is a risky one. Sure, Mozilla now has Firefox OS and can attack the mobile browser market with low-end smartphones equipped with its browser, but as it stands, Mozilla holds less than 1 percent of the market, according to NetMarketShare. Apple, meanwhile, commands more than 55 percent of the mobile browser market with Safari.

Of course, Apple's environment isn't all that welcoming a place for third-party browsers. The company prevents its users from making any other application the default browser, which makes moving beyond Safari for all of one's browsing needs nearly impossible.

Still, other mobile browser makers seem to embrace their underdog status and maintain the lofty, altruistic position that they can push the industry forward.

"Competition is critical to our survival," Dolphin Browser Chief Software Architect David Dehgahn said during the panel.

Sullivan and Opera Software's Mike Taylor, also on the panel, shared the same viewpoint. They all argued that giving consumers browser choice was essential to making browsers, and the Web in general, great.

And, Sullivan argued, Apple's closed environment means users suffer.

It's a viewpoint that the general public might not share. Rosenblatt queried the audience to find out how many people were iOS users, and a majority of hands went up. By contrast, when he asked how many of them were suffering, just a few hands surfaced.

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The Friday Debate: Which new mobile OS has the best chance of catching on?

We are all mobile geeks, here at Android Authority. We love everything with a power button. We like to comment the latest news and endlessly argue over which phone is better. On the Friday Debate, we pick a hot issue and proceed to discuss it. Join us!

At MWC and in the following days, we’ve witnessed a fascinating thing. Carriers and manufacturers seem very interested in new operating systems, like Tizen, Jolla, Ubuntu Phone, and Firefox OS. Are they hedging their bets? Are they sick of the duopoly of Android and iOS? Regardless of their reasons, upstart mobile operating systems appear to be here to stay.

On this week’s Friday Debate the question is – Which new operating system has the best chance of catching on?

Read our arguments, vote in our poll, join the debate in the comments section!

Gary Sims (G+): It’s all about branding

If success is based on branding, then Jolla has little chance, as it is unknown. Whereas Firefox and Ubuntu have brand potential. Tizen has Samsung (and other big names) behind it which means even if the Tizen name isn’t well known, its sponsors have the money to push it hard. However, that leads to the conflict of interest problem. Will Samsung,  Huawei, and Intel want to heavily invest in an OS which competes with Android?

The winning OS will be the one with the best known brand and the first to get a big handset manufacturer behind it (and 3rd party developers). That could be Tizen, but likely Ubuntu, as its Linux market share coupled with the fact that it will release firmware for Nexus devices means it could become a popular choice among developers.

Joe Hindy (G+): Firefox will take over cheap phones

The biggest hurdle for Ubuntu and Tizen is the market they are attempting to enter. It’s a market that’s been dominated by Android and Apple for half a decade. Their fans know where they stand. OEMs know what kind of phone to make and carriers know what kind of phones to sell to make decent profits.

For Ubuntu, it’s much like their current attempts to penetrate the desktop market while competing against Apple and Windows. For Tizen, as it is not very much known, it may be a little easier, since they have the backing of Samsung and Intel. Even so, they’ll have to convince consumers that it’s better than Android or iOS, which no mobile OS has been able to do in the last 5 years. My esteemed colleague Gary Sims brought up a good point about the OS having a good OEM partner, but we all remember that Windows Phone 8 had Nokia and HTC as hardware partners and still haven’t managed to pick up a lot of market share.

Firefox, on the other hand, is going into a much less competitive market and targeting a wholly different audience. There aren’t many people attached to their feature phones. If it can text and make phone calls, most are happy. So making that feature phone experience that much better will be putting Firefox in a league of their own without much competition. This could be highly beneficial to them and I believe, if deployed properly, Firefox has the potential to displace feature phones with Firefox phones, which would give them a decent sized chunk of the market share.

Tanay Sood (G+): Firefox is limited, Ubuntu FTW

If I had to pick one winner out of what we know right now, I would bet on Ubuntu. So far, I haven’t seen how Firefox is supposed to run like at peak performance; the only phones they have launched on so far have severely stunted performance. Will people be willing to move from feature phones that run without any performance issues to a smartphone that refuses to execute simple tasks without lag? Only time will tell, but I’m guessing not. Also, their app solution (not offering a single unified app store) seems to be a step backwards from the current offerings out there.

The only thing going for Tizen is that it is backed by Intel and  more importantly, Samsung. I do not see them putting all their eggs in the Tizen basket anytime soon, and as long as they continue to produce Android phones I do not see any reason why people will switch to Tizen. Most of the OS has been taken from Android in the first place, and the market is too ruthless to let copycats survive. Ubuntu certainly brings something new to the table (a new interface for starters) and like Gary said it should become popular with the developers and tinkerers amongst us. Hopefully the carriers will price the phones sensibly and allow Ubuntu to showcase its features effectively.

Ankit Banerjee (G+): Ubuntu looks best

I agree with what Joseph Hindy and Gary Sims said, so I’m not going to reiterate those points. What I want to point out is it may not be about the best OS comparatively, but what sells more. Basically, any of them can do to Android, what Android did to iOS. Because Android caters to the entire price spectrum, it has run away with market share numbers, but not so much when it comes to profits.

In a market like India, “smartphones” are available at incredibly low prices but are still running Android 2.3, so the people buying such phones aren’t really fans of the OS as such, but are just looking at the cost of the device. They’re still using the device as something to make calls from, and not for what Android has to offer. This is why Bada OS phones are still popular, Nokia’s Asha series is doing great, and Samsung has cheap Samsung Galaxy S3 look-alikes to compete in this segment of the market.

If Ubuntu, Firefox, and Tizen (which will of course be supported by Samsung) target this sector of the market, it’s going to cut into the market share of Android, and not iOS.

If I had to pick a winner between the above choices, it’ll definitely be Ubuntu, not only from a developer point of view, but just because it looks really cool :P A friend, another keen tech-enthusiast, sent me a message about half an hour in during the Ubuntu OS launch saying “looks like the next big thing is here,” and that could well be the case.

Bogdan Petrovan (G+): Tizen, because Samsung, that’s why

I’d say Tizen has the best chance of catching on. With Samsung and Intel behind it, and closely aligned to the interests of carriers (the real power brokers), Tizen is much better placed than Firefox or Ubuntu. Carriers especially will love having a say on what goes on the devices they sell, and they’ll go the extra mile to push it over Android.

Plus, have you seen how Tizen looks like? You could confuse it for Android TouchWiz. That could be a major advantage, because many people will simply buy Tizen because the phone looks like the Galaxy S4. As some of my colleagues said, for most “normal” people, the OS is not that important.

And there’s a little factor called Samsung, the largest phone maker in the world. If Samsung decides to really push Tizen, I can see it catching on.

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The Chromebook Pixel project: Chrome OS

Perhaps the most misunderstood part of a Chromebook is the operating system. Some don’t even think it’s a proper OS, while some swear by it. It definitely has limitations, but Chrome OS is probably a lot different than you’ve heard. Let’s get into some truths about Chrome OS, shall we?

What Chrome OS is

The central part of any computer is the operating system, and Chrome OS is just not the typical offering. It has a lot going for it, which is rarely discussed. Chrome OS may be a fairly new concept, but it’s not a bad one by any means. In some cases, it may be just what you’re looking for.

Lightweight

When your operating system is based on the browser, there’s not much you need on top of it. This is, perhaps, the central point of confusion about Chrome OS. Rather than design and build an entirely new OS to combat Microsoft or Apple, Google went a different route. With the world increasingly moving towards being online almost constantly, Chrome OS makes a lot of sense for many due to it being straightforward and effective for what they want to do.

Secure

Chrome, be it browser or operating system, is about as secure as you’ll find. A recent hackathon aimed at Chrome OS garnered no viable security breaches, which is rare. Chrome is sandboxed, meaning each tab in the browser operates as a separate function. If one tab is compromised, the nefarious bug is relegated to that tab, and is halted immediately. The likelihood of any virus infecting a computer or network is unlikely, at best.

This is where having a lightweight OS comes in handy. If an OS is based around the browser, and that browser is inherently secure, your concerns about safety are mitigated. You’re on the web, concerned about safety… and Chrome is central to both.

Cloud based

You’ve heard all the arguments about it before, and it’s true… Chrome OS is cloud based. To make good use of Chrome OS, we should understand that cloud based is not cloud reliant. There is local storage on a Chromebook, so you’re able to avoid the cloud if you like. If you need more storage, an external hard drive works well. The operating system makes good use of cloud based services and storage to make your information available anywhere, on any device, but it’s not mandatory.

Sometimes, referencing a document doesn’t need a big computer screen… a phone or tablet will do just fine. This is the purpose of cloud storage, to have our stuff available anywhere we go, and is something all of us should be comfortable with by now. Google Drive storage is secure, and accessing it on your Android device is really simple.

What Chrome OS isn’t

Nothing is perfect, and Chrome OS is far from it. Admittedly, it’s still a work in progress for Google, but still pretty good for what it is. Some glaring omissions are present, but may have a silver lining to them.

The OS you’re used to

When you get a Chromebook, there is one glaring omission that screams at you: there is no optical drive. That’s right, there is no way to load software from a CD or DVD. For some, this is a deal breaker, but that’s just the nature of Chrome OS. With such a lightweight layer on top of the browser, there is no bulk for software to make a home.

Applications take the place of software, making the Chrome Web Store your go-to source for all your needs. Some of us need software that can’t be duplicated or mimicked, so Chrome OS won’t make sense in those instances. Others may find a suitable alternative on the Web Store, perhaps one they like more than their current offering.

Time consuming

With a 10 second boot, there is no grand entrance. Chrome OS is up and running in quick order, ready to work or play. All updates are fed to the device over the air, and the device updates every 6 weeks or so. You are rarely even aware of the updates, a stark difference to a traditional PC which can take up to an hour updating itself. Being lightweight has its benefits!

Productivity and offline usability

One of the first things you’ll hear about Chrome OS, or Chromebooks in general, is “it’s only a web browser” or “it’s useless without an internet connection”. That has a touch of truth to it, but that’s not the whole picture. If you look at the “competition”, you’ll find they’re making their own push to be web-based. We have to wonder… is Chrome OS ahead of the curve?

Productivity

We’ll be getting into this much more next week (spoiler alert!), but Chrome OS is definitely a viable option for productivity. Google drive is a really stellar productivity option, and has a full gamut of services. If that doesn’t suit you, and you still are in need for Microsoft Office, there is Office 365. While Office 365 will cost you handsomely, all Google services are free, including Drive.

With so many companies switching to Google for their enterprise solutions, we have to consider that Chrome OS is a very realistic option. Whereas Microsoft once ruled the business sector, Google is making a strong push. Their recent purchase of QuickOffice promises to be a real boon for Chrome.

Software and Games

Some software simply can’t be duplicated with a web app. In those rare instances, Chrome OS isn’t for you. The same goes for PC gaming… right now, Chrome OS just doesn’t support that type of activity. Photoshop has an online option, photoshop express (which also has an Android app), but it’s not the full suite. Gaming is also migrating to the web ever so slightly, so in a few years time this won’t be a concern for most.

If Chrome OS has an achilles heel, this is it. Developers have been slow to develop for Chrome OS, and a lot of that has to do with varying opinions and trends with coding language. As the Chromebook Pixel becomes a tool more developers pick up, we can expect more tools to be coming to Chrome OS. Some immediate needs or wants aren’t met right now, and that’s to be expected with a fairly new OS like Chrome. A day will come where all of our needs are web-centric, but that day is definitely not today.

Need versus want

Can a Chromebook be used offline? Most think not, but they’d be wrong. There is an entire suite of offline apps Chrome OS makes use of. You can create a Google Drive document offline (I wrote this whole article offline to prove it to myself), and there are quite a few games available.

Let’s also be honest about our internet connection and how they relate to our computers. Setting aside the OS argument, when was the last time you considered a computer usefulwithout an internet connection? If we’re being truthful, most of us will admit we don’t think computers in general have much use when offline. What would we use them for without a connection? Create a document, maybe a presentation… play a few games. All that can be done within Chrome OS.

Chrome OS is better with a web connection, but it’s not mandatory. For most people, offline productivity won’t change. If a web connection is something you can’t live without, there is always a 3G or LTE version (Pixel only) of the Chromebook available. It may require a different method of accomplishing things, like using Drive rather than MS Office, but that could end up being beneficial.

Conclusion

Chrome OS isn’t for everyone, and that’s alright. What everyone should do is consider their needs, and what they want out of a computer. While Chrome OS is a lot like the Chrome browser, it’s not identical. In a weird way, what you give up with Chrome OS can be more valuable than what you get with other operating systems. If you’re looking for a device in which the OS almost disappears, a Chromebook is something you should consider. If you live in the cloud, there is really no reason you should feel the need to wade through a clunky OS to get there.

If you still have some software needs Chrome OS can’t satiate, perhaps using Linux as an aside is a good option. Many are using the Chromebook Pixel to dualboot Linux, opening up a realm of possibilities. If you’re comfortable with Linux, this is definitely worth a shot. The video below is courtesy of GigaOM (just forgive that he keeps referring to Chrome OS by another name!), which showcases how dualbooting can have some wonderful benefits.

The debatable factors are always going to be there, but which OS is the best option lies solely with you. As the one using the device, you’ll be the one who needs to see value in it. Do yourself a favor, and take an honest, objective look at your needs and wants. If a Chromebook sounds like a good option, pick one up. If you have a set of needs that isn’t met with Chrome OS, there are plenty of options for you. The only thing you owe yourself is to consider Chrome OS an option.

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Ubuntu not just for “elite” users says Canonical founder

 

Canonical showed of its Ubuntu OS for smartphones and tablets at a event  a few weeks ago, and the response has been quite positive across the board. Of course, there have been some detractors, and the move by the company to other platforms has received it’s fair share of criticism. In a blog post, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, decided to put to rest some of the doubts people have, especially pertaining to the issue that some people consider Ubuntu to be exclusive. I’ve always thought of Ubuntu as a programmer’s OS, at least the initial releases, and many consider it exclusive because it was “hard.”

Leet, Mark Shuttleworth calls them. He goes on to to say that he has zero interest in catering to this crowd, and instead wants to create a free and open platform that is the leader across both consumer and enterprise computing, that is, catering to the masses. He believes that that is exactly what they have with Ubuntu and Unity, and adds that if they plan to move ahead from being a platform for hobbyists, they need to work on Unity to keep up with Android, Chrome, Windows, and iOS.

If you’ve seen the first edition of Android Authority’s “The Friday Debate,” where we talk about which new mobile OS has the best chance of catching on, my personal choice was Ubuntu, with the caveat being how well the reach of the OS extends to the masses, and of course, finding the right OEM partners. With the current mindset, Ubuntu could well be on its way to being a popular platform across PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

You can check out the complete blog post here, where apart from talking about their focus on Unity, he mentions the issue of rolling releases, and addresses what detractors have to say. You can also take a look at our first look of the Ubuntu phone from this year’s CES -

What are your thoughts? Do you think Ubuntu catered to the so-called “Leet?” Do you think Ubuntu for smartphones and tablets is going to be welcome by the masses? Let us know in the comments section below.

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