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Is the Chromebook the New Android Tablet? (computerworld.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report from Computerworld, where JR Raphael makes the case for why it's time to call the Chromebook the new Android tablet: What does a traditional Android tablet do that a convertible Chromebook doesn't? No matter how long you mull, it's tough to come up with much. Nowadays, a Chromebook runs the same apps from the same Google Play Store. It has an increasingly similar user interface, with a new touch-friendly and Android-reminiscent app launcher rolling out as we speak. It's likely to have an Android-like way of getting around the system before long, too, not to mention native integration of the Google Assistant (which is launching with the newly announced Pixelbook and then presumably spreading to other devices from there). But on top of all of that, a Chromebook offers meaningful advantages a traditional Android tablet simply can't match. It operates within the fast-booting, inherently secure, and free from manufacturer- or carrier-meddling Chrome OS environment. The operating system is updated every two to three weeks, directly by Google, for a minimum of five years. That's a sharp contrast to the software realities we see on Android -- and if you think the updates on Android phones are bad, let me tell you: The situation with Android tablets is worse.
In addition to the regular selection of Android apps, a Chromebook also gives you a desktop-caliber browser experience along with a laptop-level keyboard and capable trackpad. (And, as a side perk, that means you've got a built-in multi-mode stand for your tablet, too.) It's the best of both worlds, as I've put it before -- a whole new kind of platform-defying, all-purpose productivity and entertainment machine. And while it won't immediately lead to the outright extinction of traditional Android tablets, it certainly makes them seem like a watered-down and obsolete version of the same basic experience.
In addition to the regular selection of Android apps, a Chromebook also gives you a desktop-caliber browser experience along with a laptop-level keyboard and capable trackpad. (And, as a side perk, that means you've got a built-in multi-mode stand for your tablet, too.) It's the best of both worlds, as I've put it before -- a whole new kind of platform-defying, all-purpose productivity and entertainment machine. And while it won't immediately lead to the outright extinction of traditional Android tablets, it certainly makes them seem like a watered-down and obsolete version of the same basic experience.
and if you think the updates on Android phones are bad, let me tell you: The situation with Android tablets is worse.
100% absolutely true.
Four years ago, our school district decided to pilot devices. And when I say device, it seemed like nothing under $400 was off the table. We bought an iPad, an iPad mini, a Chromebook, a Nook, a Kindle Fire, an iPod touch, a Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet, and four different Android tablets, a Samsung Galaxy 10, an Asus Nexus tablet, and two white-box $100 Android tablets from Amazon. We gave each one to whoever wanted to try it out, we got feedback, and we choose Chromebooks.
Last May, I dug the unused tablets out of the drawer, looking for one that I could use to use as a Wi-Fi analyzer. Updated every tablet to its highest-supported version. One Amazon tablet could only run Android Honeycomb (3.2), the other got to Jelly Bean (4.3), the Samsung Galaxy went up to Lollipop (5.1), and only the Asus Nexus tablet could run Marshmallow (6.0). (That Nexus was great for the job...modern OS, still fast, perfect size & portability...needed a new battery, though.)
Four Android devices, all purchased at the same time, and four different levels of Android. None of us would have had any clue at the time how far each would last in terms of a functional cloud-based OS.
But our Chromebook? Samsung 303c. Still works, still can browse the web with it w/o any issues (except for slowness). Updates guaranteed through next March, which means it will still work through the remainder of our school year. And it cost $239 at the time. I'd call that value.
Uhm. My iPad Pro isnâ(TM)t even nearly as fast as my good 2011 windows laptop (and doubt anywhere near my 2017 laptop). I find my iPad(s) frustrating as hell sometimes. But theyâ(TM)re great for stuff like web browsing. (Donâ(TM)t start with the but that is what most people do, then itâ(TM)s peed wouldnâ(TM)t matter much it?). All my iOS devices like to crash out with âoesomething went wrongâ (or whatever) when browsing and gonoff reloading the webpage.
> Android is Linux
Yep, it is indeed in nature, but there's a lot more in Linux that "they" won't let Android have. It's Linux no doubt, but has been kept underfed.
> and Linux just isn't useful for anything except servers.
Yeah, right. Routers use Linux, supercomputers use Linux, embedded hardware uses Linux (and likewise "things" like robots, toys, etc.), set top boxes uses Linux. Actually I've been using it since 18 years ago -- as a desktop, no less.
Kid, let me tell you one thing. Hear it and wake up: don't use the verb to be, mmkay? You don't know what "is" means.
And if you're somehow related to anything Microsoft, better start learning Linux ASAP. You're some 20 years late. Literally.
> Linux is not a viable desktop, phone, or tablet OS, nor will it ever be.
Why not? Just get a notebook with a touchscreen. You know what? I used to have a SIM card adapter and could send SMS at will from my Linux desktop. I bet someone reading this right now could teach us how to make calls using a cellphone account through the SIM card. That's Linux for you.
You may be used to Microsoft and the phrase "this can't be done" -- but I'm used to Linux and the concept of "that's cool, let's do it".
does Chromebook serve any real purpose anymore when a good Android device can do everything it can do and more.
Chromebooks are widely used in schools. They are way better than tablets if you need to do a lot of typing.
In my neighborhood school, the kids start using Chromebooks in 3rd grade, and they now teach touch typing instead of cursive writing.