Linked List: November 29, 2018

Thursday, 29 November 2018

Gizmodo: ‘The Google Pixel Slate Is a Brilliant Chrome OS Response to the iPad’ ★

Alex Cranz, writing for Gizmodo:

So would I recommend it over the iPad Pro? To a lot of people yes! Especially if you’re considering buying the iPad Pro, which starts at $800 for an 11-inch model and $1,000 for a 12.9-inch device. The Pixel Slate starts at $600 and moves between laptop and tablet mode much more smoothly. It’s an inexpensive tablet that doubles pretty neatly as a solid work device — though I’d suggest spending at least $100 more to go from 4GB of RAM to 8GB. The Pixel Slate does the jobs of a tablet so well that Apple should take note. And if you’re a Surface Pro acolyte who isn’t beholden to Windows, then the Slate is worth a look too.

A fascinating yin to Dieter Bohn’s yang. Really seems like they’re reviewing two different devices. As to who is right, Cranz uses at least 12 exclamation marks in this review, which I’d wager speaks to her taste.

Dieter Bohn on Google Pixel Slate: ‘Slapdash Software Ruins Good Hardware’ ★

Dieter Bohn, writing at The Verge:

Other bugs are just sort of infuriating. When the keyboard is attached, moving windows around feels relatively fast and smooth, even with a few Android apps and well over 20 tabs or web apps open. But switch the Pixel Slate into tablet mode and start using the swipe gestures, and it turns into a stuttery, laggy mess. Input with the Pixelbook Pen is similarly unpredictable: sometimes it’s fine; other times, it lags so badly in Google Keep that I have to quit the app and try again.

Chrome OS is an operating system designed for laptops that has enrolled in an adult education class for tablets and hasn’t even understood its assignments, much less done the homework.

Pretty scathing review. I had the same impression after just a few minutes playing with a Pixel Slate: decent enough hardware but very unpolished software, especially the Android apps thing.

Also, the thing I wrote the other week about looking forward to a future where you don’t have to worry about CPU options for MacBooks applies in triplicate to the Pixel Slate — there are way too many CPU options. It’s ridiculous.