It's time to tape our ankles...

At another site I used sports analogies to start a discussion about what stage we're in with the ChromeOS/Chromebooks. I suggested that we're in early pregame activities with the bands still making their ways into the stadium. Others thought otherwise, but no one suggested that we're in anything like a late stage of ChromeOS and products that are built around it.

Here's a rather simple, 2-step request. First, visit the following pages and watch the videos you find there:

3. A collection of feature videos

Second, if someone can point me toward a "full-featured" OS or "more powerful" netbook or OS/computer combination that has these features, we should discuss it:

• boots in 10 seconds or less
• syncs your "stuff" across multiple computers
• frees you from managing anti-malware software
• frees you from updating your operating system and applications
• was designed specifically for Internet users
• provides at least 8 hours of battery life during use & days of standby battery life
• frees users from daily backups of data
• is lightweight and portable
• does all of the above and costs less than $500

With some offering criticism of Google, Samsung, Best Buy, Amazon, Acer, lawyers, Isys and/or this forum, I'm curious about serious alternatives to this very new product. Is there really an alternative for the layman? Is there really an alternative for the geek?

For those who thought the Chromebooks would be announced and pursued with the same fervor shown to some higher-priced, proprietary products of the past, I'd suggest that we're still in the locker room getting our ankles taped. It doesn't mean we're not going to have a championship season!