Google's CR-48 Prototype Chromebook (2010) - Time Travel

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In late 2010, Google launched the Chrome OS Pilot Program. The people who were lucky enough to get in were sent a CR-48, Google's very first Chromebook. After over a decade, I've finally got one. So let's explore it!
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#MichaelMJD #ChromeOS #Chromebook

[@MichaelMJD]

Super excited to finally get one of these machines! Huge thanks to Skillshare for making the purchase possible. You can get a free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium by being one of the first 1,000 to sign up through my link: skl.sh/michaelmjd06211

[@insertnamehere2062]

Hello!

[@wlaznydominik]

ok

[@kevvxfr]

lets go these vids are fire!

[@Cyx12]

Hi I love your videos

[@mrk5179]

Hi

[@andrewbarden7672]

Who ever made the cardboard note or guide need a raise

[@piranhaboy1356]

YES!!! It was so funny!

[@atlanticmelvin]

True

[@chuardo3557]

They were a Google Employee on 2010, he probaby already did

[@TheMAZZTer]

They could probably do that because they were giving the devices away for free rather than selling them.

[@illford6921]

@@TheMAZZTer yeah I imagine they do it for test products and stuff

[@linuxameteur]

I wish people included this kind of humor in their manuals

[@THEcoolGAMER60]

Yea that would make me not wanna yeet manuals across the room everytime i see one

[@LetrixAR]

Being someone who doesn't read books at all, I sometimes read chapters of computer engineering books and I'm surprised that you can find that kind of humor in them.

[@arr3business939]

same

[@XodiumLabs]

Schiit Audio actually does, it's quite great.

[@cidsx]

I made a modded version of windows with that kind of humor, I may release it someday if I ever find it. Edit: just remembered that i formatted that hard drive a long while ago. But i do have some time on my hands so maybe I'll make one with Windows 11, as the one I originally made was with win8.

[@krnelpanic_]

The Chromebook Pixel was codenamed "samus", a lot of their chromebook codenames are named after Nintendo characters

[@ImmortalChanger]

*C O P Y R I G H T*

[@Lollolololpll]

Yep, Mario - CR-48 (this) Samus - Chromebook Pixel (2013) Link - Chromebook Pixel (2015)

[@JimmyHodge698]

@@Lollolololpll 2022 - Inkling

[@WrathfulCrane10]

huh... wered

[@thetechconspiracy2]

@@ImmortalChanger I don't think you'd be able to get them on copyright or trademark infringement, as the codename is really only used internally. If they used it in marketing materials, then Nintendo probably could make a reasonable attempt at a lawsuit, though it may not succeed since the Chromebook isn't targeted as a gaming device. Of course, they could still attempt to sue with the current situation, but it would just be a waste of money.

[@MasonJuarez]

One of their first videos introducing chrome OS had this sort of humor too "So I could chuck this thing into a river..." "what" "...and all my data still in the cloud?" "don't do that"

[@busterbunny005]

It's river actually

[@lavamonster9744]

I think I need a link

[@MasonJuarez]

@@busterbunny005 that was off of memory I forgot the title of the video :l

[@busterbunny005]

@@MasonJuarez yeah, that's understandable

[@August_Forster]

@@MasonJuarez sad

[@RisingRevengeance]

The quick start guide alone is worth whatever you'd pay for this

[@alecman95]

Lmao this

[@ImmortalChanger]

@@notChocoMilk it's a moral obligation

[@QuincyBTD]

Don’t send it to the moon.

[@0divide136]

@@ImmortalChanger lmao

[@gabethefirst]

@@notChocoMilk lol, they're so expensive though lol

[@Prod1genArchives]

who ever made the cardboard note is a legend! We barely see Google have this type of humour in a long time (they are very professional [and not joke-y] nowadays)

[@harisooriya]

😆

[@AlexandruLipan]

Well it was 2010, long before cyberminimalism and pragmatic direct instructions would be omnipresent. After the fruitgen era ended, the sassiness of the world basically went AWOL.

[@Felipe77646]

basically corporate

[@Felipe77646]

@Noble Mineblox ?

[@gatto_furry]

"Forbidden!!!1!1!1!1"

[@asadava]

This is a weird question, but can you scan the instructions for the Chromebook prototype? It would be cool if you did.

[@aqiluii]

Yeah, the manual is more interesting than the chromebook itself.

[@lelluc]

was about to ask this, yes please!

[@a.k.aorangepenguin5032]

Agree

[@bishopworks3203]

Look up "CR 48 Dont panic" and you'll find a scan.

[@MichaelMJD]

No problem! archive.org/details/CR-48-Pamphlet

[@deepestfried]

I like the old fashioned google humor xD

[@deepestfried]

@doomer boy Yeah it happens with almost every company. I miss the era of google and apple and other companies when they made dumb jokes :P

[@GamingNoobpro-dp3iq]

LMAO same

[@Lollolololpll]

Fun fact: Google’s support team for CR-48 were called “Chrome Ninjas” and also supported the upcoming 2 “Chromebook Pixel” models.

[@zionwethington8359]

@CM Punk Ice Cream Bars just like the humor they had before selling their soul for a profit

[@Arguer97]

They were great! Among the best tech support experiences I’ve encountered to this day.

[@zionwethington8359]

@CM Punk Ice Cream Bars lol thnx just wish big companies joked like they used to

[@TheRailroad99]

So sad, I really liked Google back in the early 2010s. But Around 2015 everything got worse. Android gets more and more closed source, privacy gets worse, even their motto "don't be evil" got removed.

[@mlgsnip3rv291]

8:50 Mario went from plumbing to making batteries

[@txe1nd]

Lol

[@CaptainWackyLaterNamedHomer]

Mario transformed into a battery lol

[@aretard7995]

@@CaptainWackyLaterNamedHomer he turned himself into a battery, funniest shit I've ever seen.

[@jak8274]

I was a Test Pilot! The screen hinge snapped about a year in, and the rubbery texture got gummy over time. Installing Ubuntu was a fun distraction, but storage space was always a problem. Its main function for me and other pilots was to use and test Google Plus, which was the style at the time.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Nice Simpsons reference :) that’s how I remember the early post-beta machines being too.

[@LambdaMiscellaneous]

mine had the screen hinge snap too, but the rubber isn't bad.

[@andreadement6633]

That’s sad! I got one on the pilot program during my sophomore year of college too! It’s no longer “updating” but my 7 year old is currently doing 1st grade homework on it while I go down a memory hole about it😅

[@bmloveofficial]

Yayyy hi fellow tester!! We had fun with it didn’t we? I remember when we got to test out the group video chat feature of Hangouts at the time… we had a blast; got to know each other and met a lot of really cool people ❤

[@bmloveofficial]

I still remember when it was strictly just a browser when we first started testing it… to see it evolve how it did is wild… I miss those times 😊

[@tergish1]

To be honest I think the “don’t expose to rap music” thing is because people were still on about rap music ‘corrupting’ kids. So it’s a dual layer joke. Y’know, corrupted hard drives and such.

[@no-xu3eo]

do you mean corrupted fnf- wait worng video

[@ireolawuyi3015]

@@no-xu3eo we can make corrupted chromebooks!, come back!!

[@no-xu3eo]

@@ireolawuyi3015 wait no-

[@christiangomez2496]

did someone say dual layer?

[@tomanderson2006]

The quick start guide is more worth it than the cr-48 itself

[@dooglehead8]

I had one as part of the pilot program (and still have it). The early version of Chrome OS that came with it was much more basic since it was pretty much just booted into a full screen chrome window without there being any sort of desktop or taskbar. I remember it running more smoothly with older versions as well. Also not mentioned in the video is that it came with a Verizon 3g modem that let you use 100mb of data per month for free (I think for 2 years, but there were ways to reset it). 100mb isn't much, but you can get a lot out of it if you disable images. I had this before I had a smartphone, so it was my first experience with using mobile data.

[@TimothyCizadlo]

You could also buy extra data for it. I had to stay overnight in a clinic for some testing, and they didn't have wifi, so the data was useful. This was the era before discord, so I had to find a website that let you log-in to AIM, as that's where I talked with my buddies.

[@wakabala]

Weird, mine didn't come with such a modem. Was it optional or something extra you had to opt in? I can't remember if there was

[@TimothyCizadlo]

@@wakabala One had to activate the modem before one could use it.

[@Shaddow798]

I want to see if I could downgrade mine back to the first version of chromeos. But mines currently running windows 7 if I remember

[@BrasssMunky]

Same! I remember being able to look up directions on it being absolutely wonderful, and a lifesaver a few times. It felt very crazy to have such a tiny machine, with solid battery life, that could access the internet at somewhat acceptable speeds remotely I had eventually preferred running a lightweight Linux desktop to get more usability out of it late in its life, and I remember not being able to get the modem to work in Linux, but by that time, it wasn't very necessary

[@martinricci8454]

This makes me so nostalgic. I was a part of the pilot program and got my free CR-48 in my second year of college. It was one of the coolest things that ever happened to me. I still have my CR-48, though it mostly sits around as memory of some truly awesome days

[@SkelloB]

Honestly, I think the search button (or as Google calls it: 'the everything button') should be where the windows button would be so that it gets a Cap Lock button and a smaller Control button.

[@SupernovaeTech]

I remapped the search button to caps lock on my school Chromebook. I agree it's weird they didn't replace the windows button with it though

[@amitkulkarni3922]

Yeah it makes more sense that way. Even mac keyboards have a command key at the bottom instead of where the caps lock would be.

[@biggestoof524]

This is the thing which stopped me from buying a chromebook and I ended up buying a same priced windows laptop. I'm really suffering from this. It's just so slow.

[@SaramTaco]

honestly I don't really mind the search key, I never use the caps lock and it is slightly easier to access with my fingers than a windows key would be

[@Lincxln3D]

This version of Chrome OS gives me serious nostalgia because it’s the version I used in school in 2016.

[@mtsimlover2]

same

[@aetvrna]

ikr its so nostalgic I actually appreciate it now that it's gone

[@musteycraft9854]

Frick you We still use Windows 10 education edition

[@Sungblox]

@@musteycraft9854 wait, that exists?

[@robertnussberger2028]

My school had those other ones with the brief case handles in late 2016. I thought those were interesting. You just don't see those anymore. Atleast for me I don't. My school replaced them with these thin lenovos that had the worst keyboard in the world.

[@MrExplosion449]

The caps lock button could have remained in the same place, and they could have put the search button in between the giant ctrl and alt keys

[@dolsimon]

THATS BECAUSE WE LIKE TO WRITE THINGS IN CAPS.

[@amnottabs]

I had the Acer he mentioned (C710) and it had a regular Aspire V5 keyboard with normal layout; when I moved to a Pixelbook that Search key was annoying but the worst offender was the "menu" button on the Delete spot, I never got used to it and gave it to my mother who owns it until today mostly for KZbin

[@lilliegreenlaw]

I will say (having used chromebooks for the past 6+ years) I don't miss it as much as I would have thought. I use caps reasonably often, but I've gotten used to using the shortcut (which I hear they're changing) especially since Chrome OS is excellent for keyboard shortcuts.

[@AviatingRandom]

they call it the "everything button" *i mean w*

[@biggestoof524]

Yeah

[@JakeR0bH]

I wish tech manuals continued to be like that, I remember seeing an Apple ][ manual saying that the unit should be in one piece unless is was shipped in a Sherman Tank!

[@EnigmaticLucas]

I saw a snippet from a Wii manual online somewhere that said “your Wii is not thirsty, it does not need orange juice”

[@mecrumbly429___4]

remember 90's apple commercials?

[@linuxducky]

I remember these all over tech KZbin back then, everyone wanted to get their hands on them so bad including me!

[@SnrubSource]

I remember when ChromeOS couldn't even run Android apps or real programs, what's funny is that there's a lot of people who still think Chromebooks can only run browser stuff

[@MiguelRPD]

I ended up getting one ! It was only chrome back in the day.

[@codycast]

@@SnrubSource that’s still basically true. They’re garbage. I’ve tried to get them into the hands of our property managers since most of what they do is web based but so many things pop up that they simply can’t do that we gave up on them.

[@SnrubSource]

@@codycast far from it

[@codycast]

@@SnrubSource far from what? I’m giving my opinion as a business owner that tried to use them. If YOU like them then great.

[@helloish12321]

My mom signed up for the beta and got this thing shipped to us for free. I still remember the box with the mouse on it. I used it all the time it was remarkably useful in the 2010 to 2011 era internet, especial once google drive got a little more useful. It was very user friendly and unfortunately was better built than most production Chromebooks that actually came out. And it wasnt built all that durable anyway, but the screen touchpad and keyboard were better than most cheaper laptops back then. My sister broke it like most electronics she touches. The hinge messed up way worse than yours to the point you couldn't use it. That was 10 years ago. Wish I still had it. A relic from when Google was a company you could cheer for.

[@BrasssMunky]

Omg yes, nobody ever talks about the cr48! I had received one, and used it for ages! I had thrown a lightweight Linux desktop on it to use at school for a while when chromeos had gotten too heavy, and I wanted some more gui tools. The machine itself had basically fallen apart eventually, but I had kept that absolutely rad box in pristine condition as a keepsake up until 2018, with all the packaging inside and everything. Thanks for this, I forgot how awesome the internal booklets were, I don't think I ever reopened the box, I liked to keep it sorta on display

[@sebastiandalton3981]

It’s a good day when Michael posts.

[@angusmeigh5141]

I am nearly 55 years old and 2010 seems like yesterday to me! I can remember the early personal computers way back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They only had a few kilo bytes of memory and were very basic machines.

[@AThousandPapercuts]

remember when multiple MEGABYTES of RAM seemed huge in the 90s

[@logan8640]

0:25 ay thats me lol

[@zionwethington8359]

Lol

[@Arguer97]

Not only did I receive a CR-48 as a beta tester, but my high school was one of a few in the country to receive a couple dozen of them. Google knew from the start that ChromeOS would be great for education. I remember the device being pretty durable, but the hinge was a common fail point. All around, it was a dream to use. My personal CR-48 had motherboard issues that bricked it a few months into ownership. The part at 5:34 is comically inaccurate. There were no CR-48 “authorized technicians”, only exceptionally good e-mail support. When I reached out, the guy assigned to my case eventually sent a link describing how to crack the computer open and a picture of the internals. He guided me, a 14-year-old, through my first time messing around inside of a computer.

[@nicolasfernando1408]

Michael got accepted in the Chrome pilot program 11 years later

[@qpol]

"do not expose to rap music" yes please it gets very angry when near it and will not function because it is angry

[@PixelTheRetro]

The intern that got the OK for this manual must had the time of their life right there. Wonder where they're now

[@NcWcN1]

Cracking a joke at another video game Mario's expense: "You better tell him, Mario..."

[@kathrynradonich3982]

I applied to this and got accepted when this happened. I remember being so excited for it and then being pretty disappointed in the limitations of chromeOS. But it’s gotten better in the last 10 years

[@forzafan4569]

Yeah now we have android app support for newer models

[@ChristopherSisk]

I remember the day I received mine from Google and was utterly shocked I'd been chosen to test it. I loved my CR-48. Used it for a good year or so and then it became my mom's daily driver laptop for a couple years until the battery finally started to give out and bulge. Great little machine.

[@skytheguy0438]

HOLY SHIT I HAD ONE OF THESE! I remember my dad won one in a thing and I used to watch a ton of KZbin and play flash games on that bad boy! The hinges broke and I have no clue where it is now unfortunately. I'll have to look for it now!

[@TimothyCizadlo]

The hinges were screwed into the plastic, so on mine, it was more that the plastic broke than the hinges breaking.

[@Block57]

Basically the same story over here! Go dig it out, it's a fun little thing to mess around with every once in a while. I have mine just under a countertop next to me.

[@skytheguy0438]

@@Block57 Unfortunately I think it was gotten rid of a long time ago. I wish we hadn't gotten rid of it but what are ya gonna do?

[@iSnarkTV]

If Google's prototype was CR-32... Maybe it works on CR-32 battery powered laptop 😅🤣

[@fierytechknowhows]

7:15 However for modern Chromebooks in settings (I don’t know if it was available yet back then) you can customize the search key to do many different functions one of them being caps lock

[@prod.kanade]

I love how your videos getting better and better, like, its pro - I can learn things and there is some of your personality, humor, gimmicks.. that's awesome Michael!

[@multiverseone8115]

Alternative title: How Mario was put on fire to make burnt Mario

[@ABoxIsMyHome]

Lol see what your doing but that is kinda forced haha

[@insainllama]

I remember the CR-48. I wanted to be a beta tester so bad haha

[@MiguelRPD]

I was one :D

[@MiguelRPD]

@@choppercove The laptop was pretty nice and quick for its time. You could send but reports bit the company did not hold anything against you if you didnt.

[@LambdaMiscellaneous]

I found one at a thrift store and had no idea what it was…

[@LambdaMiscellaneous]

Gave it to my friend, now I want it back.

[@FS--ew3se]

@@LambdaMiscellaneous lmao

[@bunnygirl8482]

I love that minimilstic and environment friendly packaging. Also guy who made guide needs a raise. other companies should follow this.

[@gavinthecrafter]

I remember a few years ago when the computer lab at my school "upgraded" our computers from fully working Windows 7 desktops to cheap Chromebooks... To this day I am still confused

[@thishandlesucks-webcookie]

me too, instead they just installed chrome os. I loved windows :/

[@musteycraft9854]

At my school we never used Chrome books We still use windows 10 education edition lol Win7 for a short time

[@guffingtonreal]

@@musteycraft9854 We got our laptops upgraded to really beefy Windows 10 machines, for a school at least. The tech guys actually knew what they were doing somewhat.

[@nas1m]

@@guffingtonreal my computing class got upgraded to i7-8700 and 16gb ram, man they are fast but they normal pcs in the library has i5 8400 and 8gb ram

[@CantPayEpisodes]

My school done something silicate, they took our (perfectly functioning) netbooks and replaced them with these stupid things

[@gustukas]

Keep up the good work, Michael! I love your channel!

[@MichaelMJD]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@wctcasc]

@@MichaelMJD Your Windows XP Tablet PC edition ISO is just Windows XP.

[@jonasdatlas4668]

Ooh, time travel is one of my favourite formats on your channel!

[@hatenayousei]

this is nostalgic. I remember using a similar one in elementary school. we started using them when I was in 2nd grade (2014). since they were brand new, it was really unregulated, you could do whatever. now I'm a high school freshman, and they're so restricted, it puts north korea to shame. now, my school won't let you even open an incognito tab or change your new tab wallpaper.

[@HugoMskn]

Whoever made the guide is a genius, because it make people want to read it AND teach them the basics

[@ericmehsikomer8566]

I loved my CR-48. Used it a lot till the hinge went funky. I think they all did that. I think the most useful part was the free 100mb of cellular data they came it. And yes the 3g radio worked great!

[@ITAC85]

I'm early! It's a new MJD video, this is gonna be great!

[@joeyhillers9460]

When I saw that screen, I got immediate goosebumps because I picked up my first chrome book for $40 back in 2015

[@warthunder1969]

Both me and my brother paid $100 on clearance for black Friday for my first one in 2015. Acer CB3-111 with 2GB ram, a dual core celeron processor and 16GB storage. I still have both today and use them for watching youtube even though I have a newer one.

[@kyleglasgow007]

I ended up getting one of these shortly after the pilot program was launched. I trade a phone for it & I loved it. It worked for many years as a backup device or something I would take to meetings if I didn't want to lug my SL510 Thinkpad with me. I used this machine a lot up until maybe 2015 or 2016 when I replaced it with a MacBook Air that I got from work but I really loved it. I ended up throwing a few different OS's on it at one point & the 3G service still worked on it almost right to the end. I still have the box but I traded the CR-48 to a friend of mine for an i7 960, some awful X58 Intel board, and some early 2000's Lian Li case that weighed about as much as a Volvo. But this was a fabulous machine. I kept Chrome OS on it for a few years until there was an issue with Chrome OS not liking certain sites on my works Intranet so I ended up getting a version of Mac OS X 10.6 on on here (it ran far better than I would have expected) but ultimately ended up putting Arch or Mint on it. The sometime around 2013 or 14 there was a version that seriously upped the battery life on it, I think I was getting almost 8 hours at one point but shortly after that there was another update that just killed the life & performance (this was also around the time I switched OS's on it). Overall my experience was really really good and I loved the device. With some tweaks they were quite good and the built in 3G service was super nice. I never had the hinge issue but I did end up having to replace the battery once and that was very hard to track down at the time.

[@JessicaFEREM]

So I guess you can't take your cr-48 into space. Rip nasa

[@hkey_current_user]

Don't be so sure nasa: *laughs in space*

[@Jake1702]

Hold on a minute. The manual said don't take it to *the moon*. Everywhere else is perfectly fine.

[@ThatLinuxDude]

Can't wait for the Luigi machine.

[@xfgdf]

lol

[@mistekfcio]

Oh my god I remember I applied for that program but never heard back. You hit me with so much nostalgia haha

[@bmloveofficial]

I was a tester for this prototype; it was a fun time and I met some of the best people. We were a tight community and we had a lot of fun with the software. I know; people thought it was basic but it started a revolution to what people have today. I miss the box… I remember getting it on my doorstep and thinking what in the world is this?… I opened it and saw the laptop… I remember when Netflix didn’t work on it lol; I remember us doing video meetups on Hangouts and getting to be the first few to use Google+ when they brought that into existence. I actually loved my Cr-48; I used it everyday; got me through school at the time and I watched lots of KZbin videos… submitted tonsss of feedback… I was thankful to get to be part of this and to keep the laptop… I used it for years after the fact but eventually it got slow and the hinge started to deteriorate… thank you for showcasing a piece of history that I still think back on and smile… I had the most fun of my life during that pilot program; I wish they did more pilot programs ❤

[@totallynotbluu]

Fun Fact: ChromeOS is actually based on Gentoo Linux.

[@soraltt]

good to know

[@ShadowGD_OfficialYT]

Wait, so Chrome OS is just a modded Linux?

[@kquote03]

@@ShadowGD_OfficialYT very heavily. It doesn't even include the standard GNU core utilities.

[@FrancoRossel]

@LoafOfDoge Actually, Linux apps run on a Debian virtual machine, not on the Chrome OS system itself.

[@totallynotbluu]

@doomer boy It is probably removed due to how modified it is compared to standard Gentoo

[@haludae]

I love how here in the comments there’s people that complain about chromebooks in their schools while mine didn’t had any laptop 😎

[@latebloomer2]

Because of pandemy, my 8 y.o. niece needs laptop for her online school, rather buying a crappy celeron $300 laptop (i'm not in US) , I get a $150 2013 Thinkpad T series with 3rd gen core i5 , put new cheapest 120GB ssd on it, just enough for free Windows 10 pro (use w8 pro license inside bios) and chrome browser. It is 4 times faster.

[@Maximus20778]

@@latebloomer2 yh chrome is is garbage

[@blahajenthusiast101]

I have lots of slow intel i3 windows 10 computers in my school

[@Maximus20778]

@@blahajenthusiast101 how tho? My celeron runs fast

[@EnigmaticLucas]

My school had computer labs until Fall 2016, Chromebooks from Fall 2016 to Spring 2019, and iPads from Fall 2019 until at least Spring 2020 (when I graduated)

[@Cain1250]

Mate I barely know how to open a laptop but I proper love your videos. Look forward to every one. Top man.

[@ChubiChan]

So, I not only had a cr-48, I also worked on contract for a marketing company to represent Chromebooks in best buy during their launch. It was funny, everybody at training was struggling to learn and adapt to the software, and I was just big chilling with both my issued Samsung series 5 550 Chromebook AND cr-48, helping my team with all the training first hand. Google invested so hard in us and Chromebooks, and I'm so glad to see them take off, tbh. Great vid.

[@wiredmind]

Yooo I have one of these on its original OS. My favourite laptop design ever tbh.

[@MiguelRPD]

I was a beta tester for one of these units :) I remember someone made a website that let you see if a Chromebook was being shipped to your city. I was excited to see one was coming to my relatively small city and a few days later it showed up In a swanky box. It was my first laptop and it worked amazingly well for it's time. Unfortunately over 2 years the hinge destroyed the frame of the laptop and eventually the screen died because of it :(. It looks like your unit has a newer version than the base version. The base had no desktop mode. You went straight Into the browser.

[@tuckgaines861]

My Chromebook died after 1 month

[@gaelgodbout550]

i like the fact that the guest back ground hasn't chaged at all since it's creation

[@blainepalmerza]

Awesome video, Michael!

[@StuffWePlay]

TIL: In 2010, Google gave all new meaning to "Do the Mario"

[@grey5626]

I encountered one of these when they were still new and novel. Alas, as IT Admin of iSEC Partners (now NCC Group) that meant the reason I encountered it was because Google (now Alphabet Inc.) were a client. I was excited to see one on a desk when I entered the office one morning, only to become dismayed because the only reason it was there instead of with one of our consultants was because it had already been bricked. When I finally encountered a functioning Chromebook some time later, it was a huge disappointment from the hype and still full of bugs. One of the worst platforms I have encountered in the 21st century and something I tend to be rather ashamed to having played a part in furthering (albeit, at least iSEC Partners/NCC Group typically would find and help rectify bugs, but it's hard to make something so bad, much better).

[@willg125]

I remember figuring out a shortcut to make the machine go into "recovery mode," and would do it to friends chromebooks in school when I walked past them. You could perform the shortcut before they had time to react, it was great. That's about the only good thing I can remember about them, though.

[@Jaylen510]

Never change! Love your videos! :)

[@TylerFurrison]

Since you have MARIO specifically, you might be able to install GalliumOS (or other Linux distros) without too much hassle

[@VS-en4fb]

It'd be awesome if you did a video comparing this to Chrome OS's latest build now!

[@youreperfectstudio4789]

New chrome books are great! I just got my first one for $99 and run Arch in a VM on it - great combo of easy to use for basic things and possible to use for advanced things

[@SgtPusPound]

Hi Michael I love your content!

[@linkthehero1234]

its funny how 11 years later the specs are still basically the same

[@kquote03]

I guess the battery would be better because many of them started using ARM CPUs but somehow I've seen new chromebooks with worse screens than the cr48 ::::P

[@FrancoRossel]

Well, you can get Chromebooks with i5s and Ryzen 5s too now

[@FS--ew3se]

@@FrancoRossel y pair a ryzen on a chromebook. I hate u chromebook

[@FrancoRossel]

@@FS--ew3se Why not? It works.

[@FS--ew3se]

@@FrancoRossel It's too much juice for a chromebook I just think that a i3 is the best u should pair with a chromebook.

[@xyz.anonymous]

Judging by that documentation, I think this was made by Aperture Science.

[@BrandonBarkley]

I got one of these like 3 years ago, love the box art for it

[@danholli123]

I still love using my Acer C720p (peppy) Chromebook to this day! It's no longer running Chrome OS daily due to its support expiring, I usually use Cloud Ready (chromium os) I have a backup drive of the latest version of Chrome OS in case I ever need to go back

[@maxeluy]

Please Scan that user guide! I need it! Was awesome!

[@thatoneuser5066]

There is a way to install Linux on this, it involves flashing a BIOS and flicking a switch under the battery to enable developer mode. I have never done it before, but I just looked it up. Hopefully it will make an interesting video.

[@musteycraft9854]

I want windows on this thing (Vista to 8 works for me) Linux is too complex

[@LymanPhillips]

@@musteycraft9854 linux is simpler than Windows. Even the installer is easier. You could install something like Xubuntu and you'd have a nice, easy to use, low resource machine that still can run up to date browsers.

[@musteycraft9854]

@@LymanPhillips Linux is a simple install but the apps aren't

[@Barten0071]

@@musteycraft9854 you just click install in app center

[@musteycraft9854]

@@Barten0071 custom apps not

[@simplewesomeness]

My goodness. This takes me back. My high school laptops were two CR 48’s from this program. I was able to install Ubuntu and I took them everywhere

[@MrVengance32]

I have one of these lol. Its so slow now, but has gotten me thru some tough times. What a little trooper!

[@jensanderson183]

Ah yes the chromebook, the most hated casual laptop of all time.

[@zionwethington8359]

I have. Lenovo Thinkpad 13 Chromebook and installed windows 11 and Ubuntu on it

[@jensanderson183]

@@zionwethington8359 (running chrome OS)

[@FS--ew3se]

@@zionwethington8359 how did u get win 11 iso lmao pls help

[@BilisNegra]

​@@zionwethington8359 Did you replace the eMMC module? I mean, Windows on a 32 GB drive sounds pretty bad (I know there is a version with 16 GB but assume it's not yours: even the Windows installation alone would probably not fit!).

[@mayhair]

@@zionwethington8359 Didn't know they made ThinkPad Chromebooks. (I have a normal ThinkPad.)

[@Uejji]

I was accepted into the pilot program and received a Cr-48. I still have it around somewhere. I ended up flashing the bios and installing Ubuntu on it. Now it's just mostly taking up space due to the first gen Atom. Also it arrived with its USB port non-fuctional, so I had to do all this via SD card.

[@ItChannel420]

The fact that they still have the same keyboard format from 13 years ago til now is crazy to me

[@archivushka]

Remember times when people said "don't buy Chromebook if you have a tablet"

[@nintendofanatic2837]

Honestly i would still say that

[@cameronsharon9617]

So this is when evil was let into the world.

[@claykoo9122]

epic vid mjd i like looking at old tech :)

[@THEONEGUY]

I loved my CR-48. Used it all the time to just do a quick internet search, watch youtube, things like that. It stopped powering on, even when plugged in. I bought a chromebook a few years later, and it just seemed laggy. If you had Netflix or youtube open in one tab, when you would do anything in another tab the sound would stutter each time you clicked something. Felt like it started off strong, but i've never gone back to chrome OS since.

[@mrcyborg9216]

Yo were did you got it i been trying to find one. Ps: you can downgrade the chromebook to its og os

[@dcfuksurmom]

Try chromium os, its open source and supports regular pc hardware so it should be doable. Also I'm assuming that bc its a chromebook that the ssd is onboard?

[@mecrumbly429___4]

Official chromium OS has to be compiled from source (not with GCC, don't get your hopes up). try Neverware's CloudReady, it's basically stock with some branding added.

[@dionelr]

I remember all my coworkers and I applying for this program. None of us got it, but we were slightly obsessed with the idea of a low power web browsing machine that's completely Google connected.

[@DuoizHere]

Amazing hand movements

[@unused5229]

0:25 @Logan is my older brother so that is the coolest thing! When he saw it he was so happy!

[@logan8640]

can confirm this

[@IanKincaidPhoto]

Next video idea: Turn an old Chromebook into a Windows laptop for free 😅

[@dcfuksurmom]

16GB internal storage.

[@ImmortalChanger]

@@dcfuksurmom not even Windows vista would fit in there except for maybe TinyVista or something

[@IanKincaidPhoto]

@@ImmortalChanger I prefer Windows 95 anyway

[@dcfuksurmom]

@@ImmortalChanger that was my point

[@ImmortalChanger]

@@dcfuksurmom I know

[@ghxst1y598]

This video was pretty cool , it was nice to see what the first chromebook looked and feeled like, in many ways it is similar to modern chromebooks

[@lizzietheshortie]

Gosh, this gave me so much nostalgia from 3rd grade from when my school got our first Chromebooks.

[@ipluxOyasumi]

You’re the best tech channel. Change my mind.

[@ipluxOyasumi]

Also was a computer codenamed Luigi?

[@vertz1515]

Before schools used it to death.

[@masterchief366]

Its stupid >:((((

[@breadworkshop]

I received one of these during Google's 2010 campaign and it was great, especially since I didn't own a laptop at the time... I promptly flashed it to Arch Linux and used it as my primary PC. Very fond memories of it working way better than I'd expected. Then after a few months I dropped it, and it broke catastrophically, screen, case and all... I guess that's the bad part about Chromebooks, they're not built to last, and the prototype is no different. I still remember its soft, rubbery finish, it felt a bit like using a Macbook wearing a Thinkpad's skin. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@scapegoatxiofett]

I applied for this and promptly forgot all about it until one day a box got delivered. I was SO confused when I opened the outer box and saw the hamsters diagram and was so excited when I realized what it was. I used it pretty heavily for a few months while I was still in trade school and remember the mobile data working well (but burning through it quickly so I never left it on). I also remember opening the case to do... something to allow me to install Ubuntu directly to that miniscule drive. I still have it, but the battery is completely dead and there are no replacements to be found online. When even AliExpress doesn't have them, you know you're screwed. I still say my favorite thing about it is the utter lack of branding. If there was a way to retrofit this chassis with a CM4 board, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[@linux_doggo]

I wonder why that pamflet wasn't recycled haha

[@jameswalker199]

Too funny and kept for posterity?

[@MrRiceKrispyNotTaken]

Nintendo lawyers on their way to sued google for using the name Mario on one of their chromebook prototype Btw your video is epic mjd!

[@devynmapes]

I received one of these back when the pilot program was running. Chrome OS, at the time, was super basic. Still kind of is. The OS back then was primarily.... well, just a single full-screen chrome window. There isn't much else to say. The hardware was fairly slow, even for the time and it routinely had some difficulty loading web pages, etc., even in 2010. After the testing period was over I ended up toggling developer mode on the CR-48 and installed Ubuntu onto the hard drive and let a friend use the device through college. It's definitely an interesting piece of tech for sure.

[@appleontheapex]

I have one of these still! Haven't powered it up in over 8 years. Maybe it's time to revisit it.