All-cloud computing is great, the Chromebook Pixel is wonderful and Android phones can be better that iPhones, but not just yet.
These are some of the things that technology writer Mike Elgan learned when he recently stowed away his MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPad and used The Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Chromebook Pixel for a whole month.
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The former Windows and Apple user, also switched from Evernote to Google Keep for cloud-based note taking and gave up Apple’s Pages for Google Docs for writing. Elgan dropped Dropbox for Google Drive for his cloud storage needs and began using Gmail instead of Mailbox. He also focused on Google+ for photo editing in lieu of Mac photo editing apps.
Here are the some of the “shocking things” he found during the experiment:
1. Full on cloud computing is “liberating”, according to Elgan. He has used a combination of cloud and non-cloud software and tools before, but since the experiment has discovered that all-cloud computing provides the added security against data loss in case devices are lost, stolen or broken.
2. Google’s Chromebook Pixel device is wonderful to use. All the apps are in the cloud so there’s not need to manage or configure them. The device boots and shuts down in seconds. The Pixel may be a bit slower than a MacBook Pro because the Google’s device’s performance is determined by bandwidth speed, but overall it will suit a wide range of business users.
3. Apple still makes the best devices. The Pixel may have a higher quality that the average Windows laptop but it’s not as polished as Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models. Samsung’s Nexus 10 tablet doesn’t come close to the iPad and LG’s Nexus 4 smart phone may have a great screen, but it’s no match to the iPhone.
4. Best Android phones come from Google. Google’s Nexus phone still offers the best user experience in terms of integration with other Google services and accessibility.
5. Android phones have the potential to be better than the iPhone but for now the Apple device still excels. Still, he believes Android phones are tops in delivering Internet services.
Google’s ability to integrate devices with its vast collection on Web-based services is the company’s ultimate advantage over its rivals, Elgan argues. You can easily get away with using only Google products. It won’t be the “ultimate mobile computing experience” but it can still be lots of fun, says Elgan.
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