Hands on: New Chrome OS review

A bold new vision but a familiar feel

What is a hands on review?
New Chrome OS
Chrome OS - the next generation

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Let's start with the negatives; if you are a power user who wants a computer for heavy document creation, video editing, photo manipulation, music making and things like this then this is not an option as a main machine.

The app environment has a distinct advantage in terms of keeping things neat and safe, but it comes at the cost of true openness and until programmers find ways to pare down their products so they run in a browser (which is by no means out of the bounds of possibility) Chrome OS is simply not going to cut it for many as their main computer.

Browser games

But the times they are a-changing – and for millions of people the browser is their main focus, and for millions more the option of having a cheap secondary option that is all about the internet will appeal, and it is these groups that Google appears to be targeting.

Photo editing in Chrome browser

Google's Chrome Web Store can definitely be filed under the tag "burgeoning." Although it's certainly not got everything you might want (no official Spotify app, no Photoshop, no Microsoft products like Live) it's certainly got plenty to keep you occupied.

Hangout

There's no disguising the fact that, until Chrome OS hits tipping point, developers may well not be focusing their efforts on converting their legacy programs for the operating systems.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.

What is a hands on review?

Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view. For more information, see TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee.