Q's for CR-48 owners

[forty2skates]

I've been seeing CR-48s starting to pop up on eBay and Craigslist lately and I've been convinced for a while now that this is the perfect computer for my completely computer illiterate mother-in-law. All she needs is some email, photo browsing, and a way to see here grandson from 3000 miles away one or twice a week.

I know we've got a couple CR-48 owners on here and I've got a couple questions. How's the video quality? Are you using the data service at all and if so what happens when you run past the monthly limit? Since it's still just a beta are you finding that you run into problems that are holding back the platform?

 

[Ph?bus]

Video quality is as good as your internet allows it to be. It can do pretty decent video chats, but since my internet is a little bad, they don't go out the smoothest, but they are recorded as smooth.

If you run past the monthly limit, then you just can't use 3G until the next month.

Unless she has some good internet (10down/5up), then I wouldn't really recommend it if you're going to be storing a lot of media on it. It's an internet device, not an actual computer.

Which brings me to my next point, if you want to do anything outside of browse the web, you're SOL. That's not really a problem like how it is for your MIL, but it still sucks.

The flash speed is kind of bad sometimes, and I can't have two videos open without it crashing. :/

 

[forty2skates]

Thanks Phobus, I was hoping you'd jump in here. Just what I was wanting to know. I think it's going to be perfect for her. When I say computer illiterate I mean it and just a browser alone may even be too much. My wife and I have been looking into a netbook w/ a data plan for her but I feel this will be even better(and cheaper) since it's going to be tough to provide tech support from a distance even with setting up remote access. Dummy proof just seems so much better. I'm hoping I won't even need to monitor her google account.

 

[Mr.Game]

There are rumors going around about Asus launching a $200-$250 netbook
with Chrome OS this June.

Here's a link, from one of Asus' component manufacturers that talk about it.
(I'd say that's official enough)

 

[forty2skates]

Done and done.

 

[Tricoro]

mines is flash so i have win 7 in it