Gadgetory

now this is fitting the fact that this device just showed up pixels late because as many of you know I've been running this experiment with the iPad pro I am going to go laptop lists computer less with the exception of this right here if you want to call it a computer I don't know if it is yet if that's what's going on with the iPad this is Google's Play and a similar scenario a futuristic computing device a chrome and Android based device a combination a hybrid along with a cool looking keyboard case and pen input Google's bet on the future computing actually kind of looks a lot like apples just with a slight difference on the software side 8th gen Core i5 processor 8 gigs of ram 128 gigs of storage now I have been using this guy this has been the experiment what I'm gonna do two weeks just this no computer at all I have some thoughts I have some feelings as you would expect that's the 11 inch version super portable twelve point three inches so this one lines up more competitively against the bigger iPad pro so just keep that in mind anyhow there is the device whoo I notice it has these big front facing speaker grilles as you can see right there it's so simple look at the back of it just a tiny little G up there that's it we have some metallic connectors down on the bottom for the various accessories to type-c connectors your power switch slash fingerprint scanner recessed very nice type c2 mini jack connector included no headphone jack on here unfortunately Oh 3,000 by 2,000 pixels it's a full Chrome browser of course that's the advantage here full powered Chrome which is kind of one of the things that people complain about not having living the iPad lifestyle this is chrome like you would have it on a legitimate laptop now it's not just Chrome you can also install Android apps on here multitasking button here which will show you the various things that you have open at any given time the keyboard the circular keys that's a very unusual choice this is a throwback alright so what is this made out of I don't know I don't know this soft interior it can go in a couple of different standing Styles just for a comparison the iPad one has this sort of fabric style cover on on top of the keys over here this is plastic like hard plastic ooh there's no flex it feels more similar to an actual laptop keyboard that is encouraging I'll give you a little sneak preview on my experience with the iPad this keyboard is gonna have a tough time replacing a really nice laptop keyboard you just that is a pretty strong magnet there this goes here what is this origami thing going on oh my goodness wow that's pretty cool the way that this magnet system works in the back allows you to put any angle on the display it kind of clicks in at this maximum degree as you pull it up it will also stop at the very bottom at the minimum angle like surprisingly sturdy maybe even laughable you might be able to put this on your actual lab and anywhere in between as you can see here this implementation here very attractive I must say and that's right there's a trackpad let's see here oh wow okay oh this is laughable you can lap this it's not a laptop per se but you can lap it I'm lapping it definitely on a desk surface you are going to forget you're on a tablet because of how they decided to design this keyboard case and if you want to take it a step further you can use the pixel book pen all right oh just like that no pairing no nothing I'm tapping precision here I launch a browser I go to YouTube and so on scrolling so this gives you this interesting kind of input it's a type of input that I've actually been enjoying on my iPad experiment kind of nice at the kitchen table to have these alternative options for how you would interact with your display this of course is not something you would typically do on a laptop I don't know there's something about this particular angle that makes you want to reach out and touch it big disadvantage between this and the iPad is like where do you put the pen there's no will there's no magnet right is there anywhere to put the pen oh I found a magnet there are you gonna do that is that how they show it off well it would stay there you know I mean I don't know if it's intentional or if I'm just picking up the magnets underneath it's better than nowhere I would say this is magical dare I say here we go like there's something about that which is just so convenient and you know where it is it's a strong magnet and it charges the pen this one on the other hand takes a triple-a battery so quadruple a battery let's do a little typing test on this circular keyboard the quick brown fox you know I could get used to this I like the look I like the circular Keys the trackpad is actually really nice like better than I expected me I don't know maybe it's not macbook level but i think it's better than the pixel book let's test the speakers 11 inch iPad pro course firing out of the sides both sides maybe a little more clarity here it kind of firing at you but I think a little more bass what they've done with the speaker setup on here is actually really impressive considering the form factor actually another quick test while we're here thinness wise there's the iPad pro 11 inch versus the pixel slate you can see they're both impossibly thin all right so listen it's a full fledged Chrome OS Chromebook capable of Android apps a little bit mobile a little bit desktop with iOS you get opened up to the various apps that are touch-centric that exist in that app store over here though you get a full on Chrome browser with all the things that you can do in a desktop or laptop browser you get two USB type-c ports you get the front-facing speakers of course there's a fingerprint unlock on the iOS side on the iPad pro side you have the face on lock face ID just like the new iPhones here you have this pen compared to the Apple pencil that one has a really convenient place to go where it stays all the time this one less so it'll stick to the back but it's kind of like it doesn't even feel like it really should go there definitely can't live there when you have the thing propped up in laptop form from a form-factor perspective it just feels like a laptop when you're on it at a desk the fact that you can pick any angle with the keyboard case also simulates a laptop experience a lot more closely than the keyboard case on the iPad that said for strictly touch based input I think that's kind of where the iPad shines I'm intrigued enough here to consider possibly flipping to this one after the iPad pro experience I've already been laptop less almost 10 days I'm still living I'm still breathing maybe after that one I go pixel slate here and this can be my main and only computing device I think that might be the best way to evaluate it's exciting times though finally we're seeing some real developments in the mobile computing space and not just smartphones so far laptops are still mostly better at most but we're starting to see some some cracks in the foundation of the laptop rain including devices like this one the pixel slave its Chrome I think I should compare and contrast the two you let me know if you're interested that's been an unboxing of the brand new pixel slate I think it's pretty cool