Google Pixel in Canada?

May 18, 2013 6:24 PM

What's involved in running a Google Pixel or other 3G Chromebook in Toronto, Canada? Do they just take a normal carrier's sim card and run as if they're phones without phone numbers? Will they run on Wind/Mobilicity/Public or only one Bell/Rogers/Telus, etc? Over all, what issues does one need to be aware of? Thanks.
posted by dobbs to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Response by poster: Also, can one plug an external DVD or Blu-ray player into it and watch films? Can one plug in a CD player and external hard drive and rip CDs?
posted by dobbs at 6:28 PM on May 18, 2013

Google is weirdly cagely about the exact frequency band the LTE modem works on, but it's certified to work with Verizon in the US so it should work with one of Rogers or Bell. It will only work on LTE and I don't think Wind, et al have LTE coverage yet. But if they do, well, maybe. But probably Bell, maybe Rogers.

I think you can plug in hard drives - here's a list of supported USB peripherals in chrome os. I think you can do hard drives and CDs but I don't think there's DVD playback software in any chrome os device. Certainly not blu-ray.
posted by GuyZero at 6:48 PM on May 18, 2013

And ripping CDs - nope. You could enable developer mode and install Ubuntu on it, then you can do all the normal Ubuntu things. But through Chrome OS, nope.
posted by GuyZero at 6:49 PM on May 18, 2013