Samsung Refreshes Series 5 Chromebook, Announces Chromebox Desktop Pc

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Samsung Refreshes Series 5 Chromebook, Announces Chromebox Desktop Pc

#1 PCWorld

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 01:05 PM

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#2 Evildave

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 01:45 PM

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Priced at $329 (no monitor, keyboard, or mouse included), the Series 3 Chromebox is an inexpensive alternative to the $599 Mac mini. The Chromebox, however, lacks an HDMI port, more powerful Intel Core i5/i7 processors, and discrete graphics.

Even the Mac Mini must be slavishly copied. Cheaply.

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#3 linuxrants7xpg

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 02:04 PM

Evildave, on 29 May 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

Even the Mac Mini must be slavishly copied. Cheaply.

It's a square case with rounded corners. Apple didn't invent the square, or the rounded corner.

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#4 Evildave

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 02:09 PM

No, they certainly didn't. Nor shiny aluminum cases. Especially not in an article about aping Apple products.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/

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http://www.machoe.co...11-Mac-Mini.png

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#5 linuxrants7xpg

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 02:15 PM

Evildave, on 29 May 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

No, they certainly didn't. Nor shiny aluminum cases. Especially not in an article about aping Apple products.

This is not an article about aping Apple products. You must have been reading Jonny Evans's latest travesty and gotten confused.

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#6 LiveBrianD

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 02:34 PM

I still fail to see why someone would want one of these. That said, it would be cool if they'd sell a desktop machine just like the chromebox, except with Windows.

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#7 MichaelMullins

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 02:51 PM

LiveBrianD, on 29 May 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I still fail to see why someone would want one of these. That said, it would be cool if they'd sell a desktop machine just like the chromebox, except with Windows.

Everyone I know does everything in their browser, so it's a perfect choice for a lot of people. It gives you just what you need without the extra bulk, and is faster and safer than any Windows machine.

#8 Evildave

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 03:47 PM

The EEE Box actually has a better feature. You can screw it onto the back of your monitor (assuming VESA wall mount on it).
http://event.asus.co...ites/eeebox/en/

And there's your little box with windoze on it. Runs Linux better.

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#9 LiveBrianD

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 04:00 PM

Evildave, on 29 May 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Yes, but it has a single-core Atom. Even the Celeron is better than the Atom. (the dual-core one anyway) Even the E350 isn't really enough for a primary machine - a Pentium would be pretty decent though.

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#10 LiveBrianD

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 04:02 PM

MichaelMullins, on 29 May 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 29 May 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I still fail to see why someone would want one of these. That said, it would be cool if they'd sell a desktop machine just like the chromebox, except with Windows.

Everything? What about word processing? Yes, you can use google docs, but what if you don't have an internet connection? Or what about if you need you use POP3/IMAP email? Or an image editor? Or you want to play a few games or some music and you don't have an internet connection? (and you can't easily have your own music collection online, in a lot of cases) Plus, these cost more in a lot of cases than a comparable Windows laptop, which does a whole lot more.

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#11 AaronHamilton

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 04:30 PM

I wonder if I could install Fedora on this..

#12 millsy17

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 04:56 PM

LiveBrianD, on 29 May 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

MichaelMullins, on 29 May 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 29 May 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I still fail to see why someone would want one of these. That said, it would be cool if they'd sell a desktop machine just like the chromebox, except with Windows.

Yep, everything - though I will say if one really has trouble getting to the internet, this is not the machine for them. The times are so rare when I don't have an internet connection that its not an issue for me - my phone is a 4G hotspot so worst case I can get on that way (and have). Word processing? Docs (and spreadsheets & presentations etc). I can't recall the last time I've seen a need to use POP3 or IMAP. There are lots of online image editors (Aviary is a good one), I listen to music online (my library and pandora etc) and also am more likely to listen to music on my phone. There are also a decent number of(and growing) games/apps that work offline at the Chrome Web Store like Gmail, Kindle and Angry Birds. Lastly, there's really no such thing as a comparable Windows machine because they have to run Windows. These specs won't blow anyone's mind but it only has to get you on the web. If you were to add in the need to run windows and the associated overhead, you'd have a much worse experience on this hardware.

#13 Evildave

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 04:58 PM

I find if the internet's down, I'm out of business. Everything I do is 'shared' over the internet. All the communication. All the synchronization.

If there's no internet, it's time to take a long lunch, or to knock off for the day. Or it very soon will be.

Admittedly, I couldn't accomplish much of ANYTHING with a chromebook, but if I wrote for a living, it would be 'fine'. For a student, it would probably be adequate, too.

And most people don't even do that much. Browse & email, and maybe facebook (also browser). They don't do anything 'useful' with their computers.

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#14 MichaelMullins

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 06:09 PM

LiveBrianD, on 29 May 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

MichaelMullins, on 29 May 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 29 May 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I still fail to see why someone would want one of these. That said, it would be cool if they'd sell a desktop machine just like the chromebox, except with Windows.

Newsflash: not every human being in the world uses a PC for content creation, despite what you may have been told. Regardless, I can edit images and create documents in Google Chrome just as easily as I could with common apps you find on Windows.

#15 LiveBrianD

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 06:16 PM

MichaelMullins, on 29 May 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

True, though if you're just using it for entertainment, you may as well get a tablet. (and they're cheaper too) Personally, I'll stick with my netbook that wasn't much more expensive than a chromebook ($450), and yet does more. For instance, I'm using it for a school project right now, and I'm doing all sorts of advanced stuff and effects in powerpoint. I doubt google docs can do that...

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#16 jscott418

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 03:33 AM

The hardware specs are still weak. Yes, when you consider all they have to do is basically run a Chrome browser I guess not much hardware is needed. But then why do we have such a price tag? I can buy a core i3 desktop from Dell for about the same with a full OS and better specs? Yes, the Mac Mini is a better choice too and you can find a Mini for around $500 on the refurbished side. The ideal is OK for people who just need the basics and have a broadband connection. But price wise its just not there yet.

#17 ee2718

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Posted 08 June 2012 - 03:59 AM

Evildave, on 29 May 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

All EeeBoxes are more pricey, lower spec'ed and a lot slower than the Chromebox unfortunately.
http://search.laptop...s/page.asp?fsim

You can get barebones boxes for just under £200 though, but when you add RAM, a hard drive and Windows they still end up lower spec'ed and more expensive.

#18 ee2718

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Posted 08 June 2012 - 04:26 AM

jscott418, on 30 May 2012 - 03:33 AM, said:

I can't find any Windows desktops that can come close to this spec for the same price, can you send me a link to any Windows PC with the same spec at a lower price?

You can get a crappy mail order white box PC with a big box, similar spec, 2GB RAM and no OS with a cheap noisy PSU (which usually conks out after a year (usually just after the warranty runs out) for £219, adding 2GB of RAM to make 4GB takes it up to £250, then adding Windows OS is another £68. taking the price up to £318.
http://www.cclonline...m/CCL-ALP-IBUD/

The almost identical spec'ed Zotac Zbox ID81 Plus with an additional 2GB RAM and no OS is also more expensive at £274 with 2GB RAM, another £25 to take it up to 4GB RAM, and £68 to add Windows OS.
http://www.officener...tops/PCs/821786

You can get the barebones version at £219 or so and add your own hard drive, RAM and OS, which is still more expensive.
http://www.amazon.co...39158221&sr=8-1

This post has been edited by ee2718: 08 June 2012 - 04:28 AM