Google ChromeBook

I have had my eye on one of these for a while but the one school I teach for did not support the Chrome browser. Now they do so I got one from eBay. It was $160 and arrived today. It is great. It is quick, lightweight, and perfectly functional.

The downside - no real hard drive, without an internet connection it is really a paperweight, can not open Office Docs or PDFs

I plan to use it while travelling from hospital to hospital and connecting to teach online at lunch time. It is "an internet machine" and not much more. I use some things from Google Docs but if an internet connection is all you want to surf the web it is great. And...it does not have an OS do it can not get a virus.

When I was reading the reviews, one person said it is the laptop for people that should not have a laptop!

 

Did you get the Samsung version? I picked up the Acer version (in fact, I am typing this post on it now). Mine came with a 320gb hard drive. I love the size and weight of it. It is so convenient to carry around with me.

While I primarily use it for internet surfing, I also set it to dual boot Ubuntu Linux. After I expand the ram (from 2gb to 10gb), this is going to be my go-to travel laptop. I can do virtually everything on hear that I can on my Mac desktop, except develop iOS applications. I was actually considering picking up a Macbook Air before this, but I don't see the point now.

 

I got the Acer. I need to explore the hard drive size and limitations down the road but I see it as an internet machine,

 

If it comes with a USB port, you can add an external hard drive for peanuts. If it has an SD slot, you can add a card for more storage as well.

 

I'm thinking of getting one for my Mom, she's smart but not computer savvy. She wants to Facebook and check Ancestry.com. How easy is it to type on? Does it run off of Android apps? How do you connect to the internet? Is there a mobile plan that you can get with it?

 

It looks like you could convert these to Google Drive formats, perhaps with limitations in the conversions, and of course only when you're online.

 

It is basically a standard laptop running Chrome OS, so the ease in typing is going to be the same as any other laptop of similar size. They come in several sizes. The one I have is smaller (11.6 inch screen), so it is not as easy to write on as a full-size keyboard, but they have larger ones.

Nope, it is a completely different OS.

WiFi or a wired connection.

Nope. It is just a standard laptop.

Think of it as a computer with the web-browser (Chrome) as it's only interface. If you can use a web browser, you can use Chromebook. There are some built in apps (Word Processor, Spreadsheets, etc), but even those are interfaced through the web-browser. All of the stuff you said that your mom does is easy with Chromebook. However, Skype is not available on Chromebook.

 

Might not be a good idea, since the OS requires that you store files in the cloud and that you have a constant internet connection.

Netbooks often come with keyboards that are about 10% smaller. Still fine for light typing, but not for heavy writing.

No. You need Android to run Android apps.

Just like you do with any other computer, either via Ethernet or wireless.[/quote]

Is there a mobile plan that you can get with it?[/QUOTE]

You can get a mobile hotspot with a data plan. The hotspot might run from free to a hundred bucks, while a simple data plan (5g per month) might run about $50.

My recommendation: Get a Google Nexus tablet and a data plan.

 

:veryhappy: Chromebook is just a portable porn machine :veryhappy:

:yup:

 

Then my Mom will LOVE it!

Thanks Rich and McJon77 for the replies. I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible for her, I'll take a look at the Nexus Tablet too.

 

Indeed you can. Here's Google's own info on what types of external devices and formats the Chromebook accepts. I think Google has done a pretty good job with the online documentation for these machines.

https://support.google.com/chromeos/answer/183093?hl=en

Johann

 

Yeah...everything he said....

 

I did get a Nexus 7" (my first and only tablet) and I like the Chromebook better due to the heavy typing to teach a class.

 

On the tablet side, look at the Samsung Note 10.1. I love mine. I don't do much typing with it but it does have the S Pen that you can use to take notes.

 

It looks like current model Chromebooks no longer come with traditional hard drives. They all have 16GB SSDs (except for the Chromebook Pixel, which has bigger SSDs, but which also starts at $1,299).

The SSDs are presumably snappier than a traditional hard drive, but they are also much smaller. The lack of local storage will tend to make the user more reliant on Google cloud storage and other online Google services. It will also tend to discourage users from installing Ubuntu (or other Linux distros). You could probably do it, but it would take up a significant chunk of that already-small 16GB SSD.

 

The cheapest current Chromebook (Acer C7) is $199. I haven't shopped around much, but a similar ASUS netbook with Ubuntu pre-installed is currently $340 on Amazon. Displays and processors appear to be equivalent, but the ASUS has the edge in other categories:

- more storage (320 vs 16 GB)
- more RAM (4 vs 2 GB)
- better connectivity (USB 3 vs USB 2; Bluetooth)
- slightly thinner and lighter
- better battery life

The ASUS probably comes with Firefox pre-installed as the browser, but it would be easy to install the Chrome browser. And when you run the Chrome browser on any hardware, you get the same capabilities as Chrome OS, right ?

So for an extra $141, I could get a computer that can match or beat a Chromebook in every respect, and which also is fully capable offline, and which can run everything in the Ubuntu Software Centre (LibreOffice, Skype, etc) instead of being limited to Google services. Obviously people have different needs and budgets, so the Chromebook may work for some. But for me, it seems like the Chromebook sacrifices a lot for that $141 savings.

 

Duplicate post, delete

 

Umm... I think it does. It's called ChromeOS and it's Linux-like. And yes, it's mostly unaffected by the slew of viruses, that target Windows. There have been Linux viruses, like Alaeda and Bad Bunny, but they're relatively few and far between. I can imagine that some fiendish 12-year-old might have one in beta-test for ChromeOS now. Wait a minute...I'll ask my grandsons if they've heard anything. :smile:

Yes, it is exactly that.

It's an easy thing to miss, that there's Chrome (browser) and ChromeOS operating system. That's because the Google cloud-stuff you do on your PC or whatever is done through the browser - no extra OS required. If you want to play with all the ChromeBook apps in the Google Store - then you need ChromeOS. And it's possible to try out ChromeOS before you make any decision to buy Google's hardware.

You can download ChromeOS (legally) in several places. This one is reported to be pretty good: Chromium OS builds by Hexxeh I believe you can run it from a 4-gig USB thumb-drive, without installing it to your hard drive. I'm just the signpost here - I take no responsibility if anyone's computer gets messed-up.

Johann

 

Technically, no you can't. Chrome OS is like Mac OS X; the only way to get it (legally) is to buy certain authorized hardware products, where it is pre-installed. This is different from the Windows OS, which can be easily purchased independently of any hardware.

Your download link is for "Chromium OS", which is related to "Chrome OS", but not the same. "Chromium OS" is an open-source project which shares a code base with "Chrome OS". In its current form, it is really only of interest to developers: as stated in the Chromium OS FAQs: "Chromium OS is not for general consumer use." I have tried the latest version, and I agree.

 

Technically, you can only get Chrome OS on Google's hardware, as noted in the previous post. However, it is still possible to duplicate the ChromeOS experience on a Windows, Mac or Linux computer. Just do the following steps:

1. Install the Chrome browser on your existing Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. This is easy to do.

2. Go to the Chrome Web Store and check out the selection of apps that run within your Chrome browser, like Google Docs or Angry Birds. Note that many of these apps can be downloaded and installed locally, so you can edit documents or play games in your Chrome browser even when you are not connected to the Internet.

3. Now set the Chrome browser to full-screen mode on your computer, and stay in it at all times. Never close the Chrome browser. Never switch to any other applications. Do absolutely everything (work or play) in the Chrome browser, using browser apps from the Chrome web store as necessary.

This is the ChromeOS experience. ChromeOS is much simpler than other computer operating systems: all it does is run the Chrome browser, along with any associated browser apps from the Chrome web store. That's it.

If Chrome browser apps fit all of your needs, and if you don't mind Google tracking everything that you do, then a Chromebook may be a good deal for you. Chromebooks are generally cless expensive than conventional Windows, Mac, or Linux laptops.