3 Things to fix Chrome OS and my CR48

Image via WikipediaI just read a similar blog post that detailed the items that Chrome OS doesn't have that it needs. I found myself disagreeing with the blogger on almost all accounts. I shared my opinion with my suggestions as to the REAL features that are missing in the CR48. I felt so strongly about it that I decided that I'd bore my faithful readers with my review after having the CR48 since before Christmas.
First and foremost the CR48 is nowhere near ready for broad public purchase. The machinery is awesome if a little conservative in processing power...but it is just for use on the internet and doesn't need to run Photoshop CS5 or anything like that. That being said...if you've been using Chrome browser you're ready to buy one of the newly announced Chromebooks coming to a big-box store near you in June. I can say that because I suspect that the CR48 line has provided the data needed to make the upcoming Chromebooks not only stable but more advanced on the software end than the current dev or beta releases on CR48 and that updates and improvements to the CR48 will slow and have fewer serious tweaks in coming months.
Now, again, based on the assumption that most of the problems that exist on the CR48 TODAY are going to exist in the Chromebooks next month, here is the list of things that need to be corrected.

1. Media player! Holy cow this one is big. In large part a computer is only useful in as much as it is able to play/run various files from a variety of media. If I have a SD card with the first 5 episodes of Big Bang Theory that I want to watch on my laptop I better be able to get my fix of Sheldon, Penny and Leonard without having to jump through hoops. My experience with the Media player is that it'll play MP3's like a champ. Easy peasy. But Mp4, Mpg, Avi, just about every video format that I've had time to try doesn't play on the media player. I've tried the dev channel, the beta channel, and followed forum instructions and have yet to have a downloaded file work in the media player. When this is fixed I'll be an even HUGER advocate for this OS.
2. Centralized or simplified storage solutions. Right now I can save my pics on Picassa, Box.net, Flickr, GDocs, and a variety of other resources. Each of those offer varying capacity to me for saving those important files. If I want to save my music I presume I'll be able to save them on either AmazonMP3's system, or GMusic and have access to them in a playable format with ease. The problem is that in many cases I have to have a user id and password for each of those and remember which service I saved the file with. If I save my homework in Box.net and I keep looking in GDocs to find it I'll be at it all night. I need to be able to have a central cloud "C" drive that I can quickly count on for finding ALL of my files regardless of the service I need to use them. If this is some URL storage service that creates searchable & tag-able bookmarks to my files then that's what that means. If it means Google ponies up more than they already do for their individual services so I can save my videos (specifically those I'd play on that media player) then that's what needs to happen. YouTube will not play my purchased media but the media player better and that means I need a place I can store and search for that media. 
3. Offline use of extensions would also be nice. There are some extensions that I use that aren't always just useful on the internet. Occasionally those extensions are useful for other things. 

That's it. The list is short and likely already corrected just not on my CR48. The hardware issues with the trackpad and the slower rendering of Flash are things I can get over for the price I paid for this beta tester. Had I paid $300-400 for this thing I'd be disappointed...but we've been assured these won't be issues with the new Chromebooks. Chrome OS is an important addition to the marketplace because it will bring millions to the "Cloud" and it will give a simplified "average user" experience that will appeal to people who have no use or experience with things like design software or other processor/graphics hungry programs. Chrome OS is for consumers that still want functionality with basic features that most people buy a computer for in the first place. Chrome OS is not for people who require the raw power of a computer to create products or consume bleeding edge games. Chrome OS is for people who want to write a paper for college and then watch some YouTube or upload their most recent vacation pics. It's functional, useful, familiar, and does what most people ask their computer to do and then more. For all of the benefits of Chrome OS click here. Then tell me what you think.