Chromebook Advice
 

Hi all,

Wanted to get some advice on Chromebooks. I did a search but couldn't find anything relevant that was posted recently.

I am considering getting a Chromebook and want to see what people think. I only need it for gmail and browsing. I can save work docs to Google Docs/Shets so that is easy enough. Secondly, how is the wifi with them? For example, if I go to conventions are they reliable enough to be able to log in and show potential clients our software etc? What are the negatives people have found using them?

Lastly, is there a real difference between Chromebooks? Acer have one for $169, yet Toshiba have one for $279?

Would be grateful for any advice anyone can give. ^

Once you get past the concept of only being able to work in what is essentially just a browser, you'll fall in love with pretty much any version.

The differences (other than price) is all down to build quality, features and of course the display. Personally, I'm not a fan of Acer - while they do make decent price/feature machines, they are just too cheaply made for my liking. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 comes in a version with a nice high-res display, something that is great for browsing.

The two I love most (and I own) are the new Acer Chromebook Flip, and the Chromebook Pixel.

Many BestBuy stores have a small store-in-store concept with several machines on display, though neither of the two I mentioned are in-store.

Wi-Fi has never really been a problem for me on any Chromebook, and I rely a lot on public Wi-Fi at convention spaces.

Negatives are that some basic stuff like screenshots, photo editing and certain file viewers can be a challenge.

You raise a good point regarding certain file views can be a challenge. I hadnt even thought of that. What happens in such incidents? Although to be honest most of the stuff I am looking at business wise would be MS word so google will convert that. I assume the same with a PDF?

Plus the lack of any way to compose in WordPerfect, and of course, if you use a pop3 client for your email you'll have to do a workaround. Yes, I know, I know.... ;)

I am tending to use mine for short trips where I use the Chromebook to remote back to my main laptop via either Chrome Remote Desktop or Teamviewer.

I'm really liking the Lenovo Chromebook because it is built like a tank (which would be a minus for some folks) and it has my beloved TrackPoint instead of just an evil touchpad.

I have a USB drive which is not recognized by two Chromebooks. It is recognized by Windows XP which shows the File System as: FAT, which should be recognized:

Anything I should try other than reformatting? Should I reformat using any specific tool or file system?

Miss Swede wants a Chromebook. Here is what I'm looking for in one...

1. 2-in-1 form factor
2. Smaller the better
3. 1080p screen

The best candidate I've seen so far is the Acer r13. Are there any other alternatives? I can budge on #3 if there is an 10/11" that is amazing.

If I were buying a Chromebook, I would try to ensure it's a model that supports Android Apps from the Google Play Store, or will in the near future. This will open up a wide swath of apps not otherwise available and make it a far more functional machine.

I think you picked the best one. And to answer IsleOfMan, it should work with the Play Store, if not now then very soon.

do any of them have a touchscreen ?

might help when you can use the Android apps :)

The r13 does. Just seeing if there are other (cheaper) alternatives.

The r13 ticks all of your boxes (except it's not really small). With anything cheaper, you're going to lose something from your list.

The new Samsung Chromebook Pro looks amazing, but the $500 price tag gives me pause.

ASUS Flip:

10.1" 16:10 WXGA (1280x800)
262.8 x 182.4 x 15.6 mm (WxDxH)
0.89 kg

https://www.amazon.com/Chromebook-10...ords=asus+flip

I wouldn't advise the Asus units. We have these at work and they have been nothing but trouble. 40% of them have been returned at some point.

The rest of the Chromebooks are Dell Chromebook 11's. We have had no failures of these. They are really robust as well, I knocked one off the top of the data cabinet and it didn't even have a scratch.

I have had no problems with my ASUS Flip (aside from difficulty activating the 10 free GoGo sessions last year when flying on a specific airline). It works well with most of the Android apps that I have tried. However, I know only one other person who has one, and she did need to have hers serviced because it would not reboot.