Samsung Series 5 Chromebook: Hands-on pictures

By Molly McHugh Published June 15, 2011

It’s finally here: The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. With its stark white chassis and sleek, petite build, Google’s Chrome OS notebook emobodies its minimalist intentions. Stripped free of software and your typical laptop storage system, the Series 5 is a mere 3.3-pounds of Web-optimized goodness that relies entirely on 3G and Wi-Fi connections. Its full-size QWERTY keyboard and 12.1-inch LED display bring some familiarity to the thus-far foreign device. One thing’s for sure: Opening up the Series 5 and seeing what should be a desktop peppered with file folders and program icons replaced by the Chrome browser is an unsettling experience – but one you might just be able to get used to. Given its extreme portability, speedy processing, and undeniable good looks, we’re at least willing to give the foremost in cloud-computing a try. We won’t judge a book by its cover, but we’re sure happy to take it for a spin.

Topics

Molly McHugh

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Computing

ChromeOS 134 preview teases accessibility features, quick insert improvements

The next ChromeOS update is expected to drop in the coming days and the chromeOS.dev team has once again shared notes of the features scheduled to come with the next version of the Chromebook operating system. According to the team, the initial ChromeOS 134 update will be available starting this coming Monday, March 17th. However, many of the features may arrive at dates beyond the primary rollout.

The features previewed on ChromeOS 134 developers' notes so far have proven to be very interesting and functional, and this set is no different. The notes share details on improvements for Google’s Quick Insert feature, special enterprise features, more accessibility features, and content manageability tools. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect.
Slow Keys
ChromeOS 134 has noted its commitment to improvements, including accessibility on its software with each version, and this function is another example. Slow Keys is a feature that can help users who require more time and attention in their typing tasks to press keys with intent. It should especially be helpful for users with conditions that affect their fine motor skills, such as tremors, arthritis, or numbness to the fingertips.

Computing

The Samsung 9100 Pro just made your current SSD obsolete

The Samsung 9100 Pro PCIe Gen 5 SSD with box packaging

Samsung has announced its fastest consumer SSD to date, the 9100 Pro. The drive comes with some of the fastest PCIe Gen 5.0 transfer speeds, essentially making it useful for power users, gamers, and professionals who need high-speed storage for demanding workloads.

According to the company, the 9100 Pro offers sequential read speeds of up to 14,800MB/s sequential read speeds and 13,400MB sequential write speeds making it almost twice as fast as its predecessor, the 990 Pro. This makes it the fastest PCIe Gen 5 consumer SSD on the market. The only other drive that comes close is the Crucial T705 which offers read and write speeds of up to 14,500MB/s and 12,700MB/s respectively.

Computing

ChromeOS 133 features teased ahead of update

ChromeOS 133 is set to be available soon, but the chromeOS.dev team has already published notes for the upcoming operating system that runs on popular Chromebook netbooks. The ChromeUnboxed team suggests that the notes coincide with a Tuesday rollout for the next system update; however, the software has not yet landed.

Each ChromeOS drop includes its own unique features and fixes. By the time ChromeOS 133 arrives, users will get a detailed look at each previewed feature and more; however, the notes are a sneak peek at what can be expected from the update. The chromeOS.dev team highlighted some of the new aspects coming to the system.
Bounce Keys settings
ChromeOS 133 includes a new accessibility feature called Bounce Keys, which is intended to assist users with limited dexterity or tremors to navigate a keyboard. When enabled, Bounce Keys will ignore repeated keystrokes pressed in succession, making for a smoother typing experience with fewer unintended characters pressed. The feature allows for the time delay to be adjusted, from a short key to long key.
Super Resolution for Bluetooth mics
The update brings a toggle to the audio settings page that will enable a feature called “Bluetooth Super Resolution.” This feature will allow you to improve the audio quality of Bluetooth-connected microphone devices, by upscaling low-res audio sound quality to hi-res. ChromeUnboxed noted this feature will have to be tested in real-time to see how well it works.
Screencast additional language support
Screencast is an interesting feature in ChromeOS that allows you to record your screen and use your front camera for creating presentations, which you can live stream the cloud-based platform on Chromebooks. In addition to various built-in transcription tools for replays, the coming ChromeOS 133 update will add support for over 50 languages. You can access Screencast through the Launcher icon on a Chromebook and then search for Screencast.
Additions to the ChromeOS welcome tour
The new ChromeOS includes an updated, interactive, Welcome Tour that launches right after device setup, giving users a rundown of the basics of Chromebook and what they need to know to use their new device optimally.

Editors’ Recommendations