OttoBlog
2012/07/10: 17147: Google ChromeBox Revisited
Welcome to OttoBlog#17147.
I spent the last five days compiling a list of deficiencies I see in the Samsung ChromeBox (a NetTop version of the Google ChromeBook).
Here they are more or less in order of importance:
- Google says the ChromeBox works with dual 30" monitors, but (for now) both monitors show the same thing instead of being able to stretch the desktop across both. I want a full-size browser window on each monitor. And sometime I want a spreadsheet (or weekly calendar) that spreads across both screens so I don't have to scroll as much.
- No Java. Can't play RuneScape without it. I've seen people post lengthy ways to get around this, but involves killing the nice security that Google ChromeBox is known for. :-/
- Can't connect to one Financial webpage for internet banking.
- No way to edit a local text file? I don't even see any apps/plug-ins/extensions to do so. Do I really have to mail the file, edit it on another computer, mail it back, and "save attachment" on the ChromeBox?! For now, I've used a workaround of "copy text file to USB thumb drive, move the thumb drive to another computer, edit the file, move the thumb drive back, and copy the file over the old one". Still, there should be a much easier way...
- No way to manually invoke the screen saver. I'd like this, since then I can start a podcast playing, and then blank the screen. Ctrl-Shift-L will lock the screen, but doesn't invoke the screen saver--just makes you re-enter your Google password.
- Media Player needs more options. I miss being able to listen to podcasts at doublespeed like with the default Windows MediaPlayer.
- No way to change screen saver settings. I think it currently blanks teh screen after 8 minutes of inactivity. Sometimes I want it to stay on longer (if I'm reading something long but don't want to have to jiggle the mouse) and sometimes I want it to kick in much sooner.
- Sometimes Control-clicking a link does the Right Thing (opens link in a new tab without going there) but sometimes (GB.C) it goes to the new tab.
- There must be a way to make the ChromeBox see other networked computers (like the MediaServer connected to the same router) since that's how they implemented CloudPrint, right? Maybe I just haven't found the right hoops to jump through.
- No way to disable images from domains where I only care about text (like PWtorch and DotNET). I miss this from FireFox. This is technically a Chrome browser issue, but I'm sure many of these are. :-)
- Even when I set the mouse option to "fastest", it still doesn't move as fast as the same mouse on other PCs.
- No way to disable JavaScript, Flash, etc (and manage which domains it should apply to).
- In gMail's gTalk popout, you can't move the new window to be a "tab" in the main browser. :-P
- No way to have "new tab" go to a specific web page instead of the 8 sites it think I care most about.
- If I overwrite what a new tab does (goes to my "page of links" instead of the useless "8 sites we think are your favorites" picture) then there's no way to get the bookmark bar across the top unless I put the bookmark bar on ALL pages. I just want the old functionality of "bookmark bar only when new tab is opened" without having their stupid start page! Also, if I overwrite the "new tab" page, there's no way to get to a Google search with the left Windows key anymore. Instead it goes to my new tab page and doesn't put the cursor in the searchbox.
- Let users bind useful things to unused keys, like the "rick click menu" key, the right-most windows key, F11, F12, etc.
- They made the left "windows" key into a "open new tab in google search" (which is fine). Why is the right "windows" key bound to "nothing". Either make them both into a google search or bind the right one to something useful.
- File Manager is feature-starved. It can move a single file to a subdirectory, but if you select multiple files, it moves the first and copies the rest. WTF?
- If you have multiple browsers open, it'll show only ones that aren't minimized or maximized. Sometimes I want to have a small window active but still see a maximized window behind it. The workaround it to "restore" the maximized window and drag it to it's the full size of the screen. :-/
- Image viewer: can't resize, rotate, etc
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