Google's growth plans depend in part on whether it can make the entire Web faster. The Internet is no longer fast enough for Google. To see why, try the Chrome netbook. It's a prototype device that exemplifies one of the company's visions for the future: the idea that we can do nearly all our computing online, accessing information anywhere on a whim. This netbook has a pared-down operating system that's essentially a powerful Web browser. It stores almost no files or software. Almost everything you can do on the device requires an Internet connection. When I got my hands on the Chrome netbook, I understood why Google (one of our TR50 companies; see page 35) finds the idea compelling. I liked the convenience at first-I always had the files I needed, because the machine forced me to store them remotely, "in the cloud." But one day, I waited minutes for my Web word processor to open a file.
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