My newest Chromebook

[SeilerBird]

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,56531.msg604864.html#msg604864

A year and a few months ago I bought a Chromebook and fell in love. I very rarely ever pull out my Windows laptop any more since my Chromebook does everything I need to do for me. But the 11 inch screen really bugged me. Last week I discovered that HP was now manufacturing a 14 inch Chromebook. This presented a problem for me since I have had two HP laptops and I had trouble with both of them. But the real problem was in contacting HPs "customer service" which is staffed by totally clueless people. I ordered the new Chromebook immediately and so far I am glad I did.

The 3 inch larger screen is a huge improvement and they also improved the trackpad and the keyboard. The trackpad on the Acer was pathetic. Every other trackpad I have used had two buttons at the bottom of the pad, one for left click and one for right click. On the Acer you had to tap the trackpad once for a left click and twice for a right click. I never did warm up to that idea so getting a trackpad with both buttons is a huge improvement.

The keyboard on the Acer was crippled. There was no caps lock/insert/delete/pg up/pg dn/end keys because there wasn't enough space for them. The HP has all these keys.

The HP is also snappier but I don't think it was because of any hardware improvement but due to the fact that OS is fresh. I attempted to reinstall the OS on my Acer but the instructions didn't work. With a Chromebook the hardware really doesn't have much to do with the speed of the computer. Speed is almost completely in the speed of the Internet connection.

And since the speakers are larger the sound is a bit better.

I got my Acer for $239 at a time when it was selling for $350. I got a refurbished model and it was cheaper. I did the same thing with my HP. Right now the 14 inch HP Chromebook is $320 but I got a refurbished model for $205. It arrived on Thursday and on Friday I listed the Acer for sale at Amazon for $149. It sold on Saturday. So it cost me $55 to upgrade from an 11 inch Chromebook to a 14 inch Chromebook. I am a happy camper.

The Samsung 11 inch Chromebook has been the number one best seller on Amazon for the last few months so I guess the public is discovering them.

 

[John From Detroit]

If you "Sanatize" that Acer I might consider taking it (Remove all your personal stuff).

One thing I did with my Dell Laptop.. The keyboard was giving me fits and trackpads are for me the devil's own invention.  So I visited Micro Center..

They had a Wireless Keyboard and mouse specifically designed for laptop/netbook use  Inland model 225961.  My only "Complaint" is no number pad (They use the letter keys like a full size KB)  Works great.  Just now the Dell's on-board KB is disabled, as is the trackpad.

 

[SeilerBird]

If you "Sanitize" that Acer I might consider taking it (Remove all your personal stuff).

I did a Powerwash, which is an Advanced Option with Chromebooks to completely remove all the personal stuff and return it to new condition. I did the Powerwash on Friday and it sold on Saturday so you are a week late.

 

[99WinAdventurer37G]

I did a Powerwash, which is an Advanced Option with Chromebooks to completely remove all the personal stuff and return it to new condition. I did the Powerwash on Friday and it sold on Saturday so you are a week late.

I thought about those Chromebooks, as I use Android devices and Chrome is one of the browsers I use most often.  I was given an I-pad, and I like that it is light and instant on, but so far it is just marginally ok for internet, and video poker.  But for business purposes, it is only a partial help, I can view a pdf instead of having to print it out. 

What I need is something to run Excel, a .pdf viewer / editor (I sign & edit forms, save them, and send them back,) and use the internet.  I don't know if the Chromebook would work for that, or maybe a surface 2 would be better.  I do have some cloud services; backed up files, so I might not need a large hard drive, but being mobile I don't always have access to the internet, which may be a problem.  Also I do like the larger screen, but still need my glasses unless I constantly scroll the 3 words on the screen at a time.

 

[SeilerBird]

What I need is something to run Excel,...

You can run Excel with a Chromebook:

https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/3220473?hl=en

...a .pdf viewer / editor (I sign & edit forms, save them, and send them back,)...

You can edit pdf files with PDFZen:

http://aboutchromebook.com/adobe-acrobat-for-chromebook/

...and use the internet.

The Internet is Chromebook's long suit.

 

[SeilerBird]

Chromebooks now have 21% of the laptop market.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2428789,00.asp

Almost 2 million sold this year. Three of the top four best selling laptops on Amazon are Chromebooks. They are going mainstream.

 

[Tom]

21% is a minority position, and the jury is still out on the Chromebook. It's going to be an interesting time ahead, but I don't see a compelling reason to go in that direction.

 

[Jeff]

Maybe things are changing but I bought a CB for my folks a year ago and Google had no support for several popular programs like  Skype. They wanted you to use their proprietary products but the family were all available on Skype so we returned the CB.

 

[SeilerBird]

21% is a minority position, and the jury is still out on the Chromebook. It's going to be an interesting time ahead, but I don't see a compelling reason to go in that direction.

21% is of course a minority position, however Chromebooks have only been in existence for a year and a half so that is a pretty good beginning.  A Chromebook is not for everyone, only for people who want to save massive amounts of time and money.

 

[John From Detroit]

I was looking at them,, But wound up with a new Toshiba WIndows 8.1 machine for about the same price (250) ... Lots of HD too (500 Gigs)  It is amazing that the CB's hae taken over 20 percent in less than 20 months though.

And I suspect SKYPE is now out for them...

 

[Tom]

Aye Jeff, compatibility is an issue. When you commit to Chrome OS, you lock in to the whole Google thing, including their apps that largely reside off the computer and your data largelyb resides in the Cloud. Apps & data stored elsewhere require an internet connection to access/work, although some offline stuff is possible. The premise is that you the user spends most of their computer time online, so why not build the computer as an 'internet appliance.

Removing the baggage of an MS/Windows OS allows faster boot-up, and having the data stored in the Cloud provides reliability & backup, in addition to access from anywhere that has an internet connection.

Hopefully, we'll see big strides in compatibility between platforms going forward, but I'm not smart enough to see the path.
Edit: Typo.

 

[SeilerBird]

When you commit to Chrome OS, you lock in to the whole Google thing, including their apps that largely reside off the computer and your data largelybresides in the Cloud.

Actually you don't lock in the whole Google thing. Using Google is totally optional. You don't need a Gmail account to use it. And you don't have to store one thing online in the cloud, that too is optional. It is simply a web browser on steroids.

 

[Tom]

There's no doubt that the Google OS model has a head of steam, and Google has the wherewithall to make it successful. A closer look at the stats currently being tossed around shows that the 21% applies to U.S. businesses and institutions (excludes consumer sales). OTOH one report showed that 2/3 of Amazon's holiday sales of notebooks were Chromebooks; If true, that's impressive.

 

[nettech]

To the Gentleman who wants to do excel sheets with chrome don't be fooled by the hyperboil chromebooks don't have the power to do business mind apps, and it is not 100% compatible with excel if pdf and excel sheets and other office related stuff is what you do you would probably be allot happier with a surface 2. chromebook primarly relay on a stong internet connection and they have been around actually for 4 years I was testing them for google 5 years ago and the first one came out in Nov 2009

 

[SeilerBird]

I have been doing spreadsheets for the last year and a half on my Chromebook. Of course they have the horsepower for business apps. Chromebooks are not burdened down with running Windows overhead in the background. That why it boots up in seven seconds.

Yes Chromebook beta was around four years ago but they have only been for sale to the general public in the last two years.

 

[Ned]

Google Apps can read (and write too, I believe) MS Office files and Open Document Format (Libre and Open Office) files and can handle anything that Office can.  A Chromebook does require an internet connection to store and retrieve files from the Google Drive cloud, but that's a limitation of the hardware, not the apps.  While not a universal replacement for a Windows or Mac system, a Chromebook is viable for many business uses where a wireless internet connection is always available.

 

[Tom]

An interesting, albeit simple, perspective: here.

 

[SeilerBird]

An interesting, albeit simple, perspective: here.

Nice article. He has all his facts right. You can't edit photos with a Photoshop type app yet, setting up a printer is a hassle and not all Office features are available on Google Drive. I have been using Google Drive as a substitute for Office for many years and I would never go back to Office. I bought my Chromebook for less than the price of Office.

But for sure a Chromebook is not for everyone. I live right next to a 10g Wifi connection so I am always on the Internet at no cost to me. My Windows laptop is only used now for editing photos, everything else I do on my Chromebook without any problems.

 

[vanbuskirk]

I love my Chromebook!  My husband and I both have laptops that we use for work but during the evening when I am half watching tv or while in bed I use my Chromebook  to browse the net.  I like it much better than using our iPad as I prefer the built-in keyboard.  As a matter of fact we purchased the 14' for my 81 year old mother as a Christmas present.  She has a windows desktop and is constantly calling us for assistance.  I like the fact that all she has to do is search for an app and it automatically installs with one click.  Downloading confuses her....  I realize that you can get a laptop for the same price however I like the size and simplicity of the Chromebook.

 

[SeilerBird]

I love my Chromebook!  My husband and I both have laptops that we use for work but during the evening when I am half watching tv or while in bed I use my Chromebook  to browse the net.  I like it much better than using our iPad as I prefer the built-in keyboard.  As a matter of fact we purchased the 14' for my 81 year old mother as a Christmas present.  She has a windows desktop and is constantly calling us for assistance.  I like the fact that all she has to do is search for an app and it automatically installs with one click.  Downloading confuses her....  I realize that you can get a laptop for the same price however I like the size and simplicity of the Chromebook.

I love your story Kim, thanks for sharing. This is why Chromebooks are gaining popularity so fast. Last summer I bought my nephew Bill a Chromebook and showed him how to use it. He is not technology savvy and so it works perfectly for him. He lives on top of a mountain with no electricity and no phone lines so he got a mobile hotspot and now is in touch with the world. He even takes it out into the Pacific in his boat.