Originally Posted by
freecia
There's a VLC build for ChromeOS. VLC plays almost anything, including DVDs -- really the only exception I can think of are things that use more modern DRM (and it will happily play BluRay images with the DRM removed.)
Originally Posted by
bss308
I highly suggest a new MacBook 12 inch (not the pro.) The size is excellent for traveling, and has enough power to do most basic tasks. Very long battery life. You can get one for under $1k. Not cheap, but well worth it.
Very very slow, underpowered machine, especially the base model with the m3 processor. It's not as slow as some of the < $500 Chromebooks (or trash < $500 Windows machines) -- for ChromeOS, that's almost excusable, but for a $1300 machine, something clocked that low really isn't. The Macbook Air is
cheaper, quite a bit faster, and not THAT much bigger -- and still slower than comparably priced PC machines where you'd have a
quad core i5 (like the Macbook Pro 13) rather than a dual.
Originally Posted by
javabytes
Dell XPS 13 or 15 are the best all-around travel notebooks today if you're after a PC, between performance, form factor, and build quality. (Yes, 15" might be considered too big for a travel laptop by some, but it's still thin and light.) Lenovo Thinkpads like the X1 Carbon can be rock solid companions for road warriors also, but tend to lack style and screen quality compared to the Dells.
Not sure I'd call the XPS 15 a travel machine; I've got one (last-generation; 9560), and as far as full-power machines go it's one of the most compact (if not the lightest) and one of the better PC attempts to clone a MacBook Pro 15 -- but it's too big to open in a lot of coach seats, and pushing 5lbs.
XPS 13 or if you need something with a few more ports and a more business-y keyboard, the Latitude 7490 are great small general-use machines from dell (to my mind; the 7490 may be too big to be a "travel machine" to some), although IMO the best balance of size, power, and ports in that size range is the X1 Carbon, which basically does to a 14" screen what the XPS 13 did to 13s -- gets it into a one-size-smaller chassis. With a great keyboard (unlike the short-travel one on the XPS) and most of the standard business ports. If it were my money, I'd save the cash and get the 7490 (which is frequently almost cheap on Dell Outlet) but if someone else is paying and I had a choice of manufacturers the X1 is the nicer machine.