Making Tech Headlines · Page 7
Googlebook's Hardware Arrives Dressed for Work, Its Software Is Still Getting Ready
· New York time
Googlebooks have arrived as a new laptop platform with promising initial hardware, but Googlebook OS still needs substantial work, according to Engadget's early assessment. The contrast gives Google an attractive physical machine and a harder software task. A laptop has to do more than look and feel good on a desk. Its operating system determines how people find applications, manage tasks and fit the device into routines they already have. Strong hardware can make that experience pleasant, but it cannot by itself settle every question about the software. The early assessment is therefore a mixed one rather than a simple endorsement or dismissal. Google's platform has a physical foundation worth noticing, while the operating system has more to prove. That leaves prospective users weighing what the device does today against the possibility of improvements later. The stakes are familiar for any company introducing a computing platform. A polished exterior can attract attention, but the daily work happens inside the interface. Users discover the difference when they stop admiring the machine and start asking it to do ordinary things. Google has provided the laptop equivalent of a well-furnished office. The remaining question is whether the office systems are ready when everyone arrives on Monday.
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