Thursday, February 28, 2013

Chromebook Pixel review: A luxury laptop for life in the cloud

from ComputerWorld.com

We take a deep-dive look into Google's new Chromebook, which has high-quality hardware and an amazing touch-based display. But at $1,300, is it the laptop for you?

February 27, 2013 02:35 PM ET

Computerworld - If you're considering Google's new Chromebook Pixel computer, there's something you should know: It isn't your typical laptop. And depending on your perspective, that could feel like a revelation or a travesty.

The Chromebook Pixel, introduced on February 21st, is the latest hardware to run Google's Chrome OS operating system. It's also the first laptop designed by Google itself as opposed to a third-party partner. The Pixel is available now in Wi-Fi-only form for $1,299; an LTE-enabled edition is expected to ship in April for $1,449. (The LTE version will also include 100MB of data per month from Verizon for two years with the option to purchase additional monthly or day-based passes).

Google's Chromebook Pixel offers a clean, lightweight design, a touchscreen and Google's Chrome OS.

Compared to other Chrome OS devices, like the popular $249 Samsung Chromebook, the Pixel's price is eye-catchingly high. And that's a large part of what's inspiring some impassioned debates over the laptop's true value.

So what's the Chromebook Pixel actually like to use -- and is it worth the cost? I've been using the device in place of my own personal computer for the past several days. Here's what I've found.

Google Chrome OS

Beautiful, high-quality hardware

It's hard to find much to complain about with the Chromebook Pixel's body. It's a beautifully designed laptop; the level of thought put into its construction is immediately apparent the moment you pick it up.

The Pixel feels substantial in your hands, and it's no surprise: The laptop is made from anodized aluminum, giving it a high-end, luxurious vibe. The Pixel is 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.64 in. and weighs 3.4 lb. It's noticeably heavier than the aforementioned Samsung Chromebook, which weighs 2.5 lb., but that's what happens when you trade a plasticky construction for a more metal-based build. The Pixel doesn't feel bulky or uncomfortable to hold; it just feels solid and well-constructed.

The computer has a sleek and minimalist design, with no visible vents or screws anywhere on its surface. Even the printing is kept to a minimum, with a simple text "Chrome" logo on the spine being the only marking on the entire exterior.

There is one design-related indulgence: a multicolored light bar that sits on the device's outer lid. The bar lights up with Google colors when the system powers up and when you close the lid; during regular use, it glows a bluish color, with an occasional lighter-colored flare passing through. Functional? Nah. But it's a distinctive visual touch that adds to the system's appeal.

The left side of the laptop has a charging port, a Mini DisplayPort, two USB ports (USB 2.0, unfortunately -- a minor chink in the Pixel's armor), and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The right side, meanwhile, houses an SD/MMC memory card slot and a SIM card slot for the LTE-enabled model. Curiously absent is a dedicated HDMI port; if you need that functionality, you'll have to pick up a generic Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter -- available for about $5 to $10 -- to fill the void.

So where are the speakers? They're artfully hidden beneath the keyboard, so you never actually see them -- but boy, do you hear them. The Chromebook Pixel has some of the best-sounding speakers I've experienced on a laptop, with loud, crisp and relatively full-sounding audio. The speaker placement propels the sound right up at you, too: Music played at full volume actually borders on being uncomfortably loud when you're sitting close to the computer.

The Chromebook Pixel has a 720 HD webcam above its screen for video chatting. It has an unusual triple-microphone setup -- two near the camera and one below the keyboard -- which is supposed to help cancel out ambient noise and typing sounds during video and audio calls. It's a nice idea in theory, though I found it difficult to tell how much of a difference it really made.

A best-in-class keyboard and trackpad

Chromebooks have always had terrific keyboards, and the Chromebook Pixel is no exception. The laptop manages to improve upon previous models with a re-engineered bedding that results in the keys feeling stronger and more resistant beneath your fingers. The keyboard is also backlit, with an intelligent system that adjusts the lighting based on both the ambient lighting and what you're doing; when you watch a full-screen video, for instance, the keyboard lights slowly fade down and then remain off until you're finished.

The keyboard follows the typical Chrome OS layout, which replaces the caps-lock key with a universal search key and the top row of function keys with platform-specific commands -- Web-centric things like moving back a page, moving forward and refreshing, along with system-based functions like maximizing a window and adjusting the display brightness.

The top row of keys breaks from the previous chiclet style and instead has a bar-like appearance, with short horizontal keys that butt directly against each other. The setup creates a nice visual effect, framing the top of the keyboard, though it does make those keys a bit harder to identify by touch alone.

Last, but not least, is the trackpad, which represents an enormous improvement over past Chromebook devices. The Pixel's trackpad is made from etched glass, and the effort put into its design does not go to waste. The trackpad feels fantastic under your fingers -- soft and smooth -- and it's accurate and responsive. The pad supports both tapping and clicking; it has support for a limited range of gestures, too, such as a two-fingered movement to scroll horizontally or vertically in a page.

- See more at: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237200/Chromebook_Pixel_review_A_luxury_laptop_for_life_in_the_cloud?source=CTWNLE_nlt_mobilew_2013-02-28#sthash.7IsfCyYn.dpuf

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Yahoo memo sparks debate on pros and cons of working at home

from reuters.com

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A Yahoo! signs sits out front of their headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, February 1, 2008. merger.REUTERS/Kimberly White

By Belinda Goldsmith

LONDON | Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:31pm EST

(Reuters) - An internal memo at Yahoo Inc introducing a ban on working from home has sparked a debate on whether remote working leads to greater productivity and job satisfaction or kills creativity and is just a chance to slack off.

Working remotely has become commonplace due to technology and has been welcomed particularly by people with young families or those facing long and expensive commutes.

Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor show nearly 25 percent of full-time workers did some work at home in 2010.

A survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found 59 percent of UK companies in 2011 offered some kind of teleworking, a jump from 13 percent in 2006, with small companies leading the trend to help cut office costs.

But Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer has ruled that staff can no longer work from home from June this year, as outlined in the widely leaked internal memo which appeared on newspaper websites and online forums on Tuesday.

"Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussion, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home," said the memo attributed to Yahoo human resources head Jacqueline Reses.

Asked about the memo, a Yahoo spokesman said the company does not comment on internal matters.

Mayer, 37, who returned to work two weeks after the birth of her first child last year, was brought to Yahoo from Google to revive the company's diminishing fortunes.

Her decision to clamp down on remote working met a wall of criticism from proponents of a flexible workplace to improve the work-life balance, boost motivation, and keep women at work.

"It's incredibly disappointing," said Jennifer Owens, spokeswoman for website Working Mother, adding most women were delighted when a pregnant Mayer took over the helm of Yahoo.

"Her plan ... is to lead her workforce back to the last century by banning work-from-home policies across the company."

STEP BACKWARDS

Richard Branson, head of Virgin Group, said the move by Yahoo! undermined the trust that staff would get their work done wherever, without supervision, as working is no longer 9-5.

"This seems a backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever," Branson wrote in a blog on the Virgin website.

"If you provide the right technology to keep in touch, maintain regular communication and get the right balance between remote and office working, people will be motivated to work responsibly, quickly and with high quality."

Britain's BT Group, one of the first UK companies to adopt teleworking, said about 69,000 of its 89,000 staff were equipped to work flexibly of which about 9,400 are home workers.

The company said this led to benefits like accommodation savings, increased productivity and reduced sick absence, adding 99 percent of women returned to BT after maternity leave.

"Our flexible working policies can also achieve a better balance between work and family commitments, which can be especially important for those with young families or caring responsibilities," a BT spokesman said.

Flexible working was cited in a careerbuilder.com survey released last month as one of the most important factors in job satisfaction and staying with a company.

The Harris Interactive survey of 3,900 U.S. workers between November 1 and 30 last year found 59 percent said flexible schedules were important and 33 percent cited the ability to work from home over having an office or a company car.

Guy Bailey, CBI's head of employee relations, said flexibility can be a real win-win for companies and their staff, acting as a recruitment and retention tool for businesses and letting staff balance their working and home lives.

"However, it needs to work for both parties, so home-working arrangements will understandably vary from company to company," he told Reuters.

A 2011 survey of 1,500 workers in 15 European nations commissioned by Microsoft Corp found only 52 percent of people trust colleagues to work productively away from the office.

This was reflected in comments by some former employees of Yahoo who backed Mayer, saying she was making the right call because many employees were abusing the system.

Several unnamed ex-employees told the website Business Insider that Yahoo's large remote workforce led to "people slacking off like crazy, not being available, and spending a lot of time on non-Yahoo projects."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)

Alcatel ONE TOUCH FIRE Firefox OS phone hands-on

from slashgear.com

Alcatel ONE TOUCH FIRE Firefox OS phone hands-on

Chris Davies, Feb 24th 2013 Discuss [0]

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Does the world need another smartphone platform? Mozilla thinks so, and so Firefox OS will make its co-debut on the Alcatel ONE TOUCH FIRE, a new affordable handset targeted at the same market entry-level Android occupies. As you might expect from the positioning, it’s not the most highly-specified phone: a 3.5-inch screen and 1GHz processor.

That chip is paired with a meager 256MB of RAM, though Mozilla has argued that Firefox OS is more resource-frugal than other platforms. You’ll probably want a memory card to augment the 512MB of user storage, though.

On the back there’s a 3.2-megapixel camera (no LED flash, though), and the whole handset is pretty chunky: you won’t mistake it for any of the current midrange Android devices that are creeping toward medium screen sizes. It’s also hardly going to be confused for an expensive device: the metallic-effect outer rim feels cheap, while the rear plastic is thin and grabs fingerprints with alacrity.

As for Firefox OS, at times it feels very much like Android, but elsewhere its been paired back into a more beginner-friendly platform. The homescreen is also the app launcher, with side-swiped panels that show up the various apps and browser shortcuts. Along the bottom there are some semi-persistent launcher icons – they appear across some of the panes, but not all of them – and you can pull down the status bar, Android-style, for more information and toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, and the like.

Alcatel expects the ONE TOUCH FIRE to be among the first batch of Firefox OS devices to reach the market, though that’s not pegged until “later this year” across multiple carriers worldwide. No word on pricing at this stage either.