Real Personal Computing

I like to tinker with different operating systems, although the majority of the time I use Windows. At work I use either Windows 7 or 8, at home I have Windows 8 and OS X, and then of course I have many devices running Android and iOS. I’ve dabbled with different Linux distros, but so far I have not done anything with Chrome OS, but soon that will change as sitting under the Christmas tree is an Acer C720.

The technology press and enthusiast sites have a love/hate relationship with Chrome OS. Many wonder why anyone would spend the money to buy one when one can purchase similar notebook computers running a full operating system. People who like Chrome OS cite that it’s less about what you can or cannot do with it and more about what you don’t have to do with it. Shorter set up times, automatic and quick updating, and less failures all add to less time spent tinkering and fixing and more time doing.

If a Chromebook comes with less headaches, and I can use it to do all that I need to do with a computer, the better question may be, why not use a Chromebook rather than why buy one. As I patiently wait for Christmas to start playing with the Acer, I thought I would spend some time up front writing down my expectations and what are the specific questions I want to answer about the Chromebook and Chrome OS.

What are my expectations?

I expect the Chromebook to be a nice fit to my notebook personal computing needs because whenever I use either a desktop or notebook the majority of the time I am using a web browser. Two exceptions are Evernote and Spotify, both of which have web apps that I have not used much because the platform (Windows, OS X, Android) versions of these apps are usually at my disposal. To truly find out whether this expectation can be met, I will have to exclusively use the Chromebook for all of my personal (non-work) notebook and desktop computing needs.

I also use the Windows Remote Desktop app to access a Windows server that I have running at Amazon, so in order for a Chromebook to completely replace Windows and Mac OS X for me, I will need to find a way to RDP to my Windows server. There are three apps in the Chrome Web Store that claim to provide RDP connectivity that I will try, and worst case is that I will dual boot Linux.

My experience using the Chromebook will be influenced by the capabilities of Chrome OS and the Acer C720 hardware. I am more interested about Chrome OS than the hardware as I know there are other options available to address any hardware limitations. I expect that because the keyboard on the Acer C720 is smaller than a full size keyboard, it may be difficult to type at high volume. For example, while I can type on the Asus VivaTab RT’s keyboard, I don’t know if I could type on it for hours because to do so would be too fatiguing.

What can I do offline?

If you don’t know, Chrome OS is an operating system from Google with a Linux kernel that uses the Chrome web browser for its user interface. Imagine a computer that when you turn it on instantly loads Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox and everything that you do is only within that web browser.

Most of the time when one uses a web browser, they use it to access web sites on the Internet. Internet access is so ubiquitous now that it is not often that one cannot connect to it, even if you are on an airplane. Still, there might be times when I won’t be able to connect the Chromebook to the Internet, and in those instances, just how useful is it?

What I know is that Google provides offline capabilities for their cores apps that I use: Gmail and Google Drive, which include their word processor and spreadsheet apps. I don’t believe there is an offline version of the Evernote web app, so I don’t expect to be able to access my Evernote content if the Chromebook does not have an Internet connection.

Truth is, the majority of my personal computing: reading e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or RSS feeds, all require Internet access. None of the “platform apps” for these services provide download content for offline consumption. Consequently, if I don’t have a connection to the Internet, I am not doing much, if any, computing. The one computing task I do most offline is reading eBooks, which I only do on tablet personal computers and not on a notebook personal computer.

Bottom line, my expectation regarding how Chrome OS handles being offline is that it will not be a big deal for me, even if I was using a notebook I likely would not be doing much with it if it wasn’t connected to the Internet. The reality for me is that Internet access is more mission critical than what device I use to access the Internet, which is why I spend money on redundant ways to access the Internet (Comcast for the home, AT&T Wireless, Verizon, and Virgin Mobile/Sprint. Verizon and Virgin Mobile are pre-paid and current not active, but can be activated whenever I need it.)

How much do I need a keyboard based PC to do and can I do that with a Chromebook?

Put another way, how much writing do I do? I am not writing a book and therefore do not have need to provide documents in the Microsoft Office format. Most of my writing is for my blogs, which I currently initially compose in Fargo, and I write some emails, followed by status updates and other sharing on social networks.

Most of my blog posts are long form, for example, so far this article has 1024 words, so my “serious writing” is more than a couple of paragraphs that one might type for an email. The amount I write is greater than the average person, but still I may spend an hour or two at most a day typing, much less than full time writers who can easily spend six hours or more a day at a keyboard. I expect to be able to do all the writing that I need to do on the Chromebook

How good is the hardware and battery life?

I wrote earlier that evaluating the Acer hardware is less of a priority for me than Chrome OS because I know there are larger Chromebooks available, such as the HP Chromebook 14. Still, portability is very important to me, which is why I chose a Chromebook with a 11 inch screen over the one with a 14 inch screen. Clearly, the Acer’s 11 inch screen is much smaller than the 23 inch screen of the HP TouchSmart desktop computer that I am using to write this blog post.

First and foremost I want to know, can the Acer make it through a day on a charge under my normal usage? While it has to last a day, truth is, my Macbook Air can go a week or more between charges some times and it would be great if the Acer did the same while suspended.

Next, I want to know whether the Acer can handle Javascript-based web apps like Fargo, Evernote, Gmail, Twitter, Google+, and Facebook that I use day in and day out. As an example, it can be frustrating to use these apps on the Asus VivaTab RT because the web browser on it cannot process Javascript fast enough. Consequently, when I type in Fargo there can be noticable delays as the browser catches up to my typing speed. The SunSpider benchmark on the VivaTab is 1143.2 ms, my Macbook Air benchmarks at 323.7 ms in Chrome (268.3 ms in Safari) , and the TouchSmart desktop in Chrome benchmarks at 250.2 ms. I am hoping the Acer benchmarks much faster than the VivaTab.

Do I need Linux?

I know that I can run Linux on the Chromebook, and I plan to use Crouton, but the real question is, do I need to? My limited knowledge of Crouton suggests the one reason I may want to use it is for Skype, which I rarely use. Some people prefer to use Evolution for accessing their email, but I am fine using Gmail in a web browser.

The benefit of Crouton appears to be that it enables one to run Linux and Chrome OS at the same time, rather than having to select one or the other at the time you boot the computer. I might even try to use Linux exclusively for a period of time to see how that works for me.

Will I Like The Chromebook?

Right now, I see no reason why I will NOT like the Chromebook. I am actually pretty tolerant of the idiosyncrasies of my personal computers, so I will be patient enough to determine whether the Chromebook has a place in my computer toolkit. I know I am going to have fun learning all I can about the Chromebook, the question is, will I be using it when my birthday comes in April?

Cover is a new lock screen alternative, still in development, which is now available as a public beta via the Google Play app store. The “beta” label is an indication that the app is still in development and may still have some bugs, but should generally work. If you secure your phone with a passcode and are concerned about your phone’s security, I recommend not installing Cover until a final version is released.

Cover displays a different set of app icons on the lock screen depending on the phone’s location. It shows one set of app icons when you are home, another when you are at work, another when you are in the car, and one more set when you are out, or in other words, anywhere other than at home, work, or in you car.

One thing that helps Cover determine whether the phone is at home or at work is that you specify the wireless LAN you connect the phone to while at these locations. If you don’t have a WLAN at either site, Cover will attempt to use the location features based on the cellular network, but so far in my experience it is not very successful at doing so.

So far Cover is having a hard time detecting that I am in my car. The settings for the car location include an option for Bluetooth-based detection, but unlike the WLAN options for home and work, it does not provide a way to specify the Bluetooth device one connects to while in a car.

My phones connect to the media center in my GMC Terrain that the phone is paired with, so it should be a simple matter for Cover to identify all the devices the phone is paired with and allow me to specify the one that is my car, but such an option is not available. As a fall back Cover is supposed to use movement-based detection, but that also doesn’t seem to work. So far, every time I check the phone while in my car, Cover thinks I am out. In short, I don’t think the Car option works at the moment. (Remember, Cover is in beta.)

Another feature of Cover is the ability to “peek” at content in the apps that appear on your lock screen. Tap and hold on the icon of the app you want to peek at and then slide to the right to reveal the information. If you keep sliding all the way to the right you will open the app.

Many people secure their phones with a passcode, which you are required to enter prior to opening the phone and accessing any content. If you have a passcode on your phone and it is locked, you can slide an app icon to the right, to enter the unlock code and then access the app. You will not be able to “peek” at content until after the phone is unlocked. In this, Cover is similar to other launchers that provide quick access to apps from the lock screen.

Cover recommends configuring the phone so that if you turn it off and then back on again within a set period of time, you do not need to re-enter a passcode. Access the phone settings, tap Security, and then tap the Lock Phone After option. I can configure my phone to either lock immediately, or lock after 3, 5, 10, and 15 minutes, and I have my phone configured to lock after 5 minutes.

In my experience, Cover has unpredictable behavior in how it treats lock screen passcodes. In some situations Cover seems to keep the phone unlocked well beyond the time specified, for example I have had instances where I have picked up my phone in the morning after it has been charging all night and find it unlocked. If you worry about someone accessing your phone, you may not want to install Cover until its final version is released.

Ironically, the behavior I just described provides an idea for a feature I would love to see in Cover, or with another lock screen app. If I am connected to my home WLAN (and therefore I am confident that I am home), or if I am in my car and connected to its Bluetooth, I would like the phone to stay unlocked after I enter the passcode for the first time in these locations.

The feature I am thinking of is the same as the Moto X’s trusted device, which allows you to specify a trusted Bluetooth device that if it is connected to the phone does not lock. You can even buy a device called the Moto X Skip that you can wear, but for my purposes a home WLAN or a named Bluetooth device connection are sufficient.

Cover displays a different wallpaper for each location. It provides a pre-determined set of wallpaper or you can select a picture from a photo source on your device. Another really handy feature is that if you flip the phone to landscape a camera icon pops up on the top right that you can tap to go right into the camera app.

A couple of things I would like to see added to Cover is for it to be able to display the current weather at the phone’s location, perhaps an icon to indicate the condition with the temperature in the middle, and an option to display owner information. I put in the owner information on my phones a home phone number so that if the phone is found by someone they can call me.

Cover shows promise as an attractive lock screen alternative. If they add the “trusted device” feature I described, I would be happily buy the app, although I think it has enough features to make it very worthwhile. You will find Cover in the Google Play app store.

When I first learned about how I could enable the Google Experience Launcher (GEL) after a recent update to Google Search, I decided to only try it on my 2012 Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and not try it on my HTC One. I like HTC Sense 5 on the One, particularly the Blinkfeed feature and switching to the GEL means I would lose Blinkfeed.

After using the GEL for a while on my tablets I grew fond of being able to swipe left to open Google Now and the ability to quickly initiate a voice search by simply saying “Ok Google,” so I decided to try it out on the HTC One. Discovering Twisted Home Manager, which makes switching launchers easy, was another mitigating factor. If I decided I missed Sense too much, I could simply switch back to it.

I did some research for ways to access Blinkfeed as an “app,” but it appears the only way to do so is to prune out all of the panels in Sense so that all you are left with is Blinkfeed, and that seems too extreme. Instead, I have decided to use the Flipboard widget on the GEL, which provides quick access to Flipboard. Flipboard is really much more robust than Blinkfeed, and so far I have not missed Blinkfeed.

The GEL works well on the HTC One, but I did discover one problem that required a work around. The default lock screen on the One is designed to work with Sense, so when you access any of the apps from the lock screen the Sense launcher appears rather than the GEL. My solution is to install WidgetLocker, which is a lock screen alternative that appeared before Google added the ability to display widgets on the default Android lock screen.

WidgetLocker only provides one lock screen panel, which means you can only display one widget on the lock screen. Android supports multiple lock screen panels, each that can display a different widget. WidgetLocker can, however, display multiple rows of app icons that make it quick to launch apps, and it also provides a variety of different unlock sliders, including the Ice Cream sandwich slider that provides a quick way to launch Google Now or mute the phone.

There is much more that WidgetLocker provides, I recommend that you check it out for yourself, but my main point is that if you want to try the GEL on a “stock” HTC One you will want to install an alternative lock screen to prevent from finding yourself in Sense. (You can always get back to the GEL by tapping the Home button, but why should you have to do that?)

My experiment with the GEL on the HTC One has made me realize how the lock screen is related to the launcher, and consequently, it is obvious that Google needs to also provide a lock screen along with the GEL when (or if) Google decides to make it available for download from the Google Play app store.