Samsung Chromebook $150 @ Cowboom

Quote from mandangolo : Damn, thats a pretty good price. I might bite, but the limitations of the OS scare me, and I dont buy things I dont fully understand the limitations of.

The Samsung one or the one Google just launched? Because I think you would just have to have nothing better to do with your money to spend $1300 on a Chromebook...

Quote from dzap : HOLY SH*T..IT'S FARKING REAL!!! http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/21...-next.html http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/2...-hands-on/ ...but... https://play.google.com/store/dev...pixel_wifi ..it's $1300. ....really? It's beautiful but I would buy a Macbook first before this. I've already listed all the problems with my ChromeOS experience, which is why I said I would give it another go at the $150 price point. I can deal with bugs at that price point. But $1300, and no java support, or any real games or intensive applications? This is going to fail fast...

If you aren't price sensitive, don't mind paying much more, and don't mind the closed Apple ecosystem,,MacBooks can be a good choice. But they can't compete with this price and these features for those who live on the cloud and can do most of what they need via the compatible apps. Touch screen, Verizon 4G LTE, 1 terabyte of cloud storage, 12 in-flight WiFi passes, and the highest resolution screen available... killer! If you don't care about cloud storage and wouldn't pay for it otherwise, or if you need to run software that doesn't work on a Chromebook, then of course it becomes less appealing.

Quote from dzap : HOLY SH*T..IT'S FARKING REAL!!! http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/21...-next.html http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/2...-hands-on/ ...but... https://play.google.com/store/dev...pixel_wifi ..it's $1300. ....really? It's beautiful but I would buy a Macbook first before this. I've already listed all the problems with my ChromeOS experience, which is why I said I would give it another go at the $150 price point. I can deal with bugs at that price point. But $1300, and no java support, or any real games or intensive applications? This is going to fail fast...

$1300 is a real bargain for anyone who was going to spend $50/mo for 1 TB google storage.

The three years free is $1800 value for them.

Quote from Mooper : If you aren't price sensitive, don't mind paying much more, and don't mind the closed Apple ecosystem,,MacBooks can be a good choice. But they can't compete with this price and these features for those who live on the cloud and can do most of what they need via the compatible apps. Touch screen, Verizon 4G LTE, 1 terabyte of cloud storage, 12 in-flight WiFi passes, and the highest resolution screen available... killer! If you don't care about cloud storage and wouldn't pay for it otherwise, or if you need to run software that doesn't work on a Chromebook, then of course it becomes less appealing.

Quote from thejerseydevil : $1300 is a real bargain for anyone who was going to spend $50/mo for 1 TB google storage. The three years free is $1800 value for them.

Hmm..yeah I didn't see the Google drive offer of 1TB. That is a lot though. I have 3 1TB drives and I didn't pay more than $80 for any of them. I got my 100GB from the Samsung Chromebook, but I really, really hate the idea of "time-limited" storage. I get they have to keep up-time, electricity, data costs etc. But it just seems that if you have 1TB of data to store in the cloud, you'd want to keep that for some extended period of time. More than 3 years I suppose.

It has a Core i5 though so I'm sure you could easily dual-boot Windows 8. Possibly OSX too.

Spec for spec they seem to be attacking the MacBook Pro with Retina:

Macbook Pro Retina 13in.- $1500; 128GB SSD; Core i5 2.5GHz with TurboBoost of 3.1GHz; 8GB 1600MHz RAM; 2560x1600 13in. Retina

Chromebook Pixel- $1300; 32GB SSD; Core i5 1.8GHz (I presume with turboboost); 4GB DDR3 RAM; 2560 x 1700 13in.

..so you get 100 pixels and a touchscreen more compared to the more expensive (but slightly better specced) Macbook I suppose. I'm no Apple fanboy, but I'm kind of annoyed Google went this direction. I think of Google as good quasi-premium products for the value. I was expecting this to be on the high-end maybe $800. More like $600-$700 range. Hit the Microsoft Surface Pro where it hurts. $1300 is way more than I expected.

I get the impression that they launched this too early. If you look at the hands-on videos you can tell the editor had an issues just tapping on different tabs in the browser. It's not touch friendly.

Google I/O hopefully will merge Chrome and Android and will probably bring all their apps they need and maybe more, but as of right now, it is still a gloried web browser.

They should have at least given the ability to customize with maybe a Ubuntu dual-boot option if Windows was out of the question. ChromeOS is still way too Beta at this point. Definitely not a $1300 beta.

Quote from Mooper : If you aren't price sensitive, don't mind paying much more, and don't mind the closed Apple ecosystem,,MacBooks can be a good choice. But they can't compete with this price and these features for those who live on the cloud and can do most of what they need via the compatible apps. Touch screen, Verizon 4G LTE, 1 terabyte of cloud storage, 12 in-flight WiFi passes, and the highest resolution screen available... killer! If you don't care about cloud storage and wouldn't pay for it otherwise, or if you need to run software that doesn't work on a Chromebook, then of course it becomes less appealing.

What's up with the 12 in flight wifi passes? Does that mean this thing is unusable without wifi?

Quote from dzap : Hmm..yeah I didn't see the Google drive offer of 1TB. That is a lot though. I have 3 1TB drives and I didn't pay more than $80 for any of them. I got my 100GB from the Samsung Chromebook, but I really, really hate the idea of "time-limited" storage.

Your $80 drives are a different animal. Your data isn't as secure (drives could corrupt, be stolen, damaged). Also, after 3 years, you don't lose your stuff... you just can't upload or change any more. You can keep downloading/accessing forever, and if you want to pay to keep it, I'll bet it will be much cheaper at that point. Or maybe other promos will come around to allow you to extend it (e.g., another 3 years by buying a new Chromebook).

Quote from dzap : Macbook Pro Retina 13in.- $1500; 128GB SSD; Core i5 2.5GHz with TurboBoost of 3.1GHz; 8GB 1600MHz RAM; 2560x1600 13in. Retina Chromebook Pixel- $1300; 32GB SSD; Core i5 1.8GHz (I presume with turboboost); 4GB DDR3 RAM; 2560 x 1700 13in.

The SSD isn't really relevant because you get 1TB cloud. It is *intended* to appeal to cloud-based users. If you hate the cloud, the Chromebook is a much less appealing choice. Touchscreen, 4G LTE Verizon access, 12 free WiFi passes, and TB of cloud storage aren't something to leave out of the comparison... together, they represent a major difference worth hundreds of dollars to many people.

Quote from dzap : I was expecting this to be on the high-end maybe $800. More like $600-$700 range ...I get the impression that they launched this too early.

It's their first attempt at a higher-end Chromebook. It already looks incredible to me, but if not to you, I'll bet their second try will be both cheaper and better, just as it was with the lower-end Chromebooks. It's not like they've been at this for a decade.

Quote from dzap : Google I/O hopefully will merge Chrome and Android and will probably bring all their apps they need and maybe more, but as of right now, it is still a gloried web browser.

As it is intended to be. But I completely agree about merging the two platforms. That would be a killer move that would put Google even farther ahead.

Quote from mandangolo : What's up with the 12 in flight wifi passes? Does that mean this thing is unusable without wifi?

They allow you to connect to GoGo WiFi internet service while in flight, 12 times. Chromebooks work great offline, but if you want to access and update data on the cloud, of course you'll need an internet connection via WiFi, wired, or 4G LTE. This Chromebook has all options available.

Quote from Mooper : If you aren't price sensitive, don't mind paying much more, and don't mind the closed Apple ecosystem,,MacBooks can be a good choice. But they can't compete with this price and these features for those who live on the cloud and can do most of what they need via the compatible apps. Touch screen, Verizon 4G LTE, 1 terabyte of cloud storage, 12 in-flight WiFi passes, and the highest resolution screen available... killer! If you don't care about cloud storage and wouldn't pay for it otherwise, or if you need to run software that doesn't work on a Chromebook, then of course it becomes less appealing.

Quote from Mooper : They allow you to connect to GoGo WiFi internet service while in flight, 12 times. Chromebooks work great offline, but if you want to access and update data on the cloud, of course you'll need an internet connection via WiFi, wired, or 4G LTE. This Chromebook has all options available.

The cloud isnt required, just an extra feature right? Cause it has like a 300gb internal HDD right?

Quote from mandangolo : The cloud isnt required, just an extra feature right? Cause it has like a 300gb internal HDD right?

It isn't required, and it has local storage (which is why you can work offline pretty well... it will sync the next time you go online), but Chromebooks are much less appealing devices if you don't intend to use the cloud at all. They are really geared to having all your stuff synced and available anywhere, especially as you hop from one device to another. I haven't done a 'back up" nor had to send/move a file from one device to another in the year and a half I've been using Chromebooks, Android phones, etc.

Quote from Mooper : Your $80 drives are a different animal. Your data isn't as secure (drives could corrupt, be stolen, damaged). Also, after 3 years, you don't lose your stuff... you just can't upload or change any more. You can keep downloading/accessing forever, and if you want to pay to keep it, I'll bet it will be much cheaper at that point. Or maybe other promos will come around to allow you to extend it (e.g., another 3 years by buying a new Chromebook).

That's an optimistic view. Personally I feel like that's more like holding my data up for hostage until I continue to keep paying to mess with it. No one hold hostage to my data that I have physical access to. Not to mention that the US isn't covered with Google Fiber to allow quick easy access to upload/download speeds equivalent to an SSD to Google Drive.

Quote : The SSD isn't really relevant because you get 1TB cloud. It is *intended* to appeal to cloud-based users. If you hate the cloud, the Chromebook is a much less appealing choice. Touchscreen, 4G LTE Verizon access, 12 free WiFi passes, and TB of cloud storage aren't something to leave out of the comparison... together, they represent a major difference worth hundreds of dollars to many people.

I don't hate the cloud, but there are several areas in my day where I don't get "Access" to that cloud. Try using a Chromebook first when you're stuck in an auditorium where cellular signal doesn't penetrate and there's no WiFi access. Try really using a Chromebook and attempt to see how much you can actual use.


And then the 4G LTE...first off, it's an extra $150 ($1449), it's for 2 years, AND unless you PAY more for one of Verizon's ludicrously expensive "mobile share" plans, it's only 100MB/MONTH. You try using your 1TB of storage with a limit like that, and let me know how that goes.


The difference is worth hundreds of dollars to people.. hundreds of dollars MORE to experience what Google expects the "cloud" to be.

Quote : It's their first attempt at a higher-end Chromebook. It already looks incredible to me, but if not to you, I'll bet their second try will be both cheaper and better, just as it was with the lower-end Chromebooks. It's not like they've been at this for a decade.

Agreed. Like I said, I love the hardware

Quote : As it is intended to be. But I completely agree about merging the two platforms. That would be a killer move that would put Google even farther ahead.

http://www.droid-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/chrome-android-650x487.jpg
...that has been sitting outside one of their offices since late January. Not typical to have a new android on Google's campus, unless it's a new OS updated (and it's not even in the same area as their other android statues http://media.idownloadblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Android-Jelly-Bean-statue-in-front-yard-001.jpg)


...so I'm calling it now. They're merging Chomre with Android. I have always said that Google always has a reason for doing something. Even the littlest things.

Quote from Mooper : It isn't required, and it has local storage (which is why you can work offline pretty well... it will sync the next time you go online), but Chromebooks are much less appealing devices if you don't intend to use the cloud at all. They are really geared to having all your stuff synced and available anywhere, especially as you hop from one device to another. I haven't done a 'back up" nor had to send/move a file from one device to another in the year and a half I've been using Chromebooks, Android phones, etc.

BS. When I had my Chromebook offline I could only use three apps, total. The calculator, the scratchpad, and the settings of ChromeOS. It's nightmarish to not be able to do anything offline.


Everything else, including Google Docs, required you to be connected online first.

Quote from dzap : That's an optimistic view. Personally I feel like that's more like holding my data up for hostage until I continue to keep paying to mess with it. No one hold hostage to my data that I have physical access to.

I don't follow you here. It's safe and secure, free (included with the Chromebook) for 3 years. If, at the end of that period, you want to download to a hard drive or another service, you can do so and never pay a cent. You can keep accessing or downloading free indefinitely from Google, as well. *If* you want to pay (probably cheap in 3 years) or extend via another promo, then you can choose to do so... but if not, you're not hostage. Just download and go elsewhere.

Quote from dzap : Try using a Chromebook first when you're stuck in an auditorium where cellular signal doesn't penetrate and there's no WiFi access. Try really using a Chromebook and attempt to see how much you can actual use.

The 4G LTE, wisely used, is as a backup - not primary. I can't recall the last time I've been somewhere where I wanted to use a computer but neither WiFi nor cellular data was available, but if you're into spelunking, YMMV!

Quote from dzap : http://www.droid-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/chrome-android-650x487.jpg ...that has been sitting outside one of their offices since late January. Not typical to have a new android on Google's campus, unless it's a new OS updated (and it's not even in the same area as their other android statues http://media.idownloadblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Android-Jelly-Bean-statue-in-front-yard-001.jpg) ...so I'm calling it now. They're merging Chomre with Android. I have always said that Google always has a reason for doing something. Even the littlest things.

I hadn't seen that before. I think (and hope) you're right!

Quote from dzap : BS. When I had my Chromebook offline I could only use three apps, total. The calculator, the scratchpad, and the settings of ChromeOS. It's nightmarish to not be able to do anything offline. Everything else, including Google Docs, required you to be connected online first.

Not true. You need to activate offline sync, but you can do it with Docs and much else. I'm not sure offhand, but it might require a beta build to access. Even if that's the case, it will be on the stable build soon. I've been doing it for months without a hitch.

Quote from Mooper : I don't follow you here. It's safe and secure, free (included with the Chromebook) for 3 years. If, at the end of that period, you want to download to a hard drive or another service, you can do so and never pay a cent. You can keep accessing or downloading free indefinitely from Google, as well. *If* you want to pay (probably cheap in 3 years) or extend via another promo, then you can choose to do so... but if not, you're not hostage. Just download and go elsewhere.

I suppose. I just don't like limitations. I use Google Drive and Dropbox, Box, Amazon Cloud Storage, Skydrive, etc. But I don't store anything on there that I would think would gain prying eyes. I still don't get the trend of giving people free storage; it costs them money to run, so what is the benefit for them? Essentially I'm still worried about critical files that I feel should be viewed by me only. I like Google Drive the most currently since it has a 10GB limit for uploads, and I'm slowly switching to it from my Dropbox due to the space.

Quote : The 4G LTE, wisely used, is as a backup - not primary. I can't recall the last time I've been somewhere where I wanted to use a computer but neither WiFi nor cellular data was available, but if you're into spelunking, YMMV!

I live in SoCal and there's still plenty of deadzones for both. Trust me. I'm the guy that enables a hotspot when I'm driving, and I can tell you, there are deadzones.
But my point is that Google wants a completely cloud-based architecture but the networks that are available to us today, can;t support what Google wants, hence the rumors of Google building their own wireless network with Dish, and of course their introduction into Google Fiber.


America sucks for broadband because of duopoly we essentially have with Verizon/at&t, that control most of our mobile data, and on hardlines we have the likes of TimeWarner/Comcast also charging way too much for crappy service.

Quote : I hadn't seen that before. I think (and hope) you're right!

Hopefully! Chrome OS has a future, but they need to act on it now.

Quote : Not true. You need to activate offline sync, but you can do it with Docs and much else. I'm not sure offhand, but it might require a beta build to access. Even if that's the case, it will be on the stable build soon. I've been doing it for months without a hitch.

You're right.
https://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1628467
...just found it. I was so frustrated when I was in a class and couldn't get to Google docs and had to use scratchpad. Still. Not a lot of apps for offline access. And you still can't edit spreadsheets offline it seems.

There's one available right now. I have it in my cart but I'm going to release it seconds after posting this. It's not as good as the original deal though. Listed at $202 instead. You can get 3% CB (do a search) and you can get $10 off with code COWBOOM10 if you are a new member (or just create a new account), so effective price can be $202-$10-3%= ~$186, free ship. Not too bad.

EDIT: Oops. Noticed this one is marked as "refurbished". Not as good as the essentially new returns from before. Ho-hum deal. Decent if you don't mind the refurb risk,

Several units available right now but at the higher price. ($192)