See exactly what it's like to use a Chrome notebook (video)

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See exactly what it's like to use a Chrome notebook, from start(up) to finish.

I have one and it works well. It is fully optimized for Google services, which is nice, but it also means that if you prefer alternatives it may be less useful.

Questions and Answers (from Twitter)

Q: From looking at the video I would suspect the Chrome notebook is a better buy than the iPad?

A: iPad is very different from a laptop such as Chrome. Chrome netbook is a nice netbook optimized for web/Google services.

Q: How stable is the OS?

A: Very stable. It's a Chrome browser on Linux. You only see the browser. OS is as stable as Google Chrome.

Q: Have you applied for one?

A: Yes, I applied in December or January.

Google netbook shows you just Chrome browser, and that's fine (video)

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TIME magazine: Google's web-only Chrome OS netbook will hit the consumer market next year. Several major manufacturers plan to sell inexpensive notebooks that boot directly into a web browser - no desktop, no "Start Menu".

Until a few weeks ago, Google had an application program for free netbooks. It is closed now and the netbook is expected to be sold in stores later in the year.

Related:

Google’s New Chromebook Explained. NYTimes http://j.mp/jtg0A2 - Excellent summary. Check the last 2 questions.

Best apps for Google Chrome

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These are some of my favorite apps for Google Chrome. Please share yours in the comment section below.

- TweetDeck - it has a nice clean interface that combines all your Twitter accounts and Facebook in one stream. It combines the replies too.

- Seesmic - I think Loic (the founder of Seesmic) is great but I still somehow like TweetDeck better. Seesmic is an online dashboard for most of your social media services.

- NPR - this is an iPad interface for NPR, it works very well and incorporates audio (of course).

- NYTimes - this app is very similar to the NPR app above, without the audio.

- Groovershark - this is an online "radio" station, similar to Pandora, but without the monthly limits and audio ads.

- Listube - similar to Grooveshark but it streams music from YouTube, hence the name.

- Weather Undergound - cool interface.

- JoliCloud - this is a dual service - it creates a virtual "desktop" as an app for Google Chrome (a nice way to organize your bookmarks) - or it can be a real desktop if you install it as a regular download.

- App Launcher - This is a sample app launcher extension. It adds a browser action icon - when you click on it you get a list of your installed apps. From there, you can launch an app by either clicking on it in the list, or using arrow keys to select it and then pressing enter. It also does search as you type.

You can find all the apps above and more in the Chrome web store.

Best Extensions for Google Chrome

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Google Chrome extensions let you add new features and functions to your browser. Some provide one-click access to your favorite web applications like Twitter, or news and information sources such as NPR. Others are useful tweaks for performing common online tasks such as browsing photos, getting directions or shopping.

Now you can browse over 2,000 tools in the extensions gallery and install them in Google Chrome.


Using Extensions on Google Chrome

These are some of the extensions I have installed:

Google Share Button

RSS Subscription Extension (by Google)

Page Rank

LastPass (password manager)

Chromed Bird is a Twitter extension

Calculator - results are generated using Google and Wolfram|Alpha

AdBlock

NPR: News, Music and Books (online radio)

Forecastfox Weather

Feedly (RSS reader)

Google Voice (by Google)

Google Dictionary

Spell Check - After the Deadline

Readability

A similar list created by you can help you easily install your favorite extensions when working on a new computer or when updating the portable versions of Chrome.

References:
Over 1,500 new features for Google Chrome
Extensions, bookmark sync and more for Google Chrome

Use Chrome like a pro

Google Chrome - Best Extensions. List at Google Bookmarks.

Top 10 Must-Have Browser Extensions. LifeHacker, 2010, http://goo.gl/SkHwN

Updated: 11/05/2010

Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts

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The list of some keyboard shortcuts for Google Chrome is posted below. More are available from the help page.

Ctrl+Shift+T
Reopens the last tab you've closed.

Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8
Switches to the tab at the specified position number on the tab strip.

Ctrl+9
Switches to the last tab.

Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+PgDown
Switches to the next tab.

Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+PgUp
Switches to the previous tab.

Ctrl+B
Toggles the bookmarks bar on and off.

Ctrl+J
Opens the Downloads page.

Ctrl+Shift+Delete
Opens the Clear Browsing Data dialog.

Ctrl+D
Bookmarks your current webpage.

References:

Getting started: Windows keyboard and mouse shortcuts

Related:

Netflix Movie Player Keyboard Shortcuts http://goo.gl/uoyZ

Image source: GoogleChromeLogo, Wikipedia.