Chromebook Tablet

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Elbata

Full time employment: Posting here.
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
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656
I just saw the thread about "multi-user" iPad and it got me to thinking about this:

Why aren't there Chromebook tablets? Chromebook computers are by far the fastest growing in computer sales, I just don't understand why not tablets.

I've quit using desktop computers and don't foresee ever using them again. My Chromebook starts and is ready to go in <10 seconds, accepts multi-user accts, and I'm able to access my computer with iPhone and other devices via the Chromebook app.

With a Chromebook tablet, it would offer the same benefits as a Chromebook computer but offer the benefits of a tablet too. Seems to me it's a no-brainer.
 
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Elbata said:
I've quit using desktop computers and don't foresee ever using them again. My Chromebook starts and is ready to go in <10 seconds, accepts multi-user accts, and I'm able to access my computer with iPhone and other devices via the Chromebook app.
Click to expand...
When you say you have quit using "desktop computers," I assume you are referring to computers that use Windows or Mac software. I agree, I have also stopped using computers running Windows, but I should point out that there are desktop computers that run Chrome OS, the same software that runs Chromebooks, they are called Chromeboxes. A Chromebox is a desktop computer that runs Chrome OS and operates the same as a Chromebook, but it sits on a desk and uses a full sized monitor and keyboard and mouse just like any other desktop computer.
 
Lot of Chromebooks have been popular because they can be had for cheap, like $300 or even less.

You can surf and email but I don't believe you can do photo editing or run a lot of other specialized software.

For instance, I just bought an HP laptop with a 4K screen and I will be able to stream anything on it as well as run my Slingbox to it.

I'm not sure if Sling supports Chromebooks or not.

I also plan to use it some of the time to do photo editing with the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription I'm paying for and I don't believe Lightroom will run on Chromebooks.

The laptop I got is a 2 in 1 that I can flip the screen over in "tent mode" so that I can use as a tablet.

It's a very thick, 4.5 pound tablet in that mode.

I have an iPad Pro so I won't be using the HP in tablet mode much.
 
explanade said:
You can surf and email but I don't believe you can do photo editing or run a lot of other specialized software.
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You can do WAY more than just surf and email. I do all my home computing using a Chromebox and a Chromebook, and that includes email, web browsing, accessing financial and other accounts, spreadsheets, documents, messaging, maps, photos, Drive (saving documents), managing wifi, contacts, calendar, watching videos, playing music, and other things that I am probably forgetting right now.

I agree that if you need to use certain specialized software like photo editing, it may not work on a Chrome OS device and you will have to get a Windows machine, but in my experience Chrome OS does 95% of what I want it to do, and the other 5% can usually be done with an app or other web based solution, e.g. TaxAct for preparing tax returns.

I love using Chrome OS and I would not go back to using Windows....if you offered to give me a free Windows computer I would politely decline.
 
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JustCurious said:
You can do WAY more than just surf and email. I do all my home computing using a Chromebox and a Chromebook, and that includes email, web browsing, accessing financial and other accounts, spreadsheets, documents, messaging, maps, photos, Drive (saving documents), managing wifi, contacts, calendar, watching videos, playing music, and other things that I am probably forgetting right now.

I agree that if you need to use certain specialized software like photo editing, it may not work on a Chrome OS device and you will have to get a Windows machine, but in my experience Chrome OS does 95% of what I want it to do, and the other 5% can usually be done with an app or other web based solution, e.g. TaxAct for preparing tax returns.

I love using Chrome OS and I would not go back to using Windows....if you offered to give me a free Windows computer I would politely decline.
Click to expand...

+1
I forget if it was 5 or 7 years ago when my Windows laptop crashed.

I went to Chromebook and never looked back.

I do everything on it that I did on my old laptop. It's fast, instantly backs up and I can move between machines (DW has one too) with all my stuff right there as if I were on my own machine.

As you note, more and more things are becoming web based so I've found no issue. I love it.
 
Markola said:
Can a person use Microsoft Word on a Chromebox or Chromebook?
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I don't believe so. You use Google docs/sheets/etc.

the one thing I'm having trouble with my chromebook is editing pdf docs. I can see the pdf. But I'm having trouble signing and making other changes to it. I love my pdf program (Foxit) but I'm a slow learner I guess
 
Glad to see this thread, I hadn’t heard of the tablet and will be deciding next year on a replacement for my 2013 Chromebook that I’ve been very happy with. I’ve gotten much more Mac-oriented this year so iPad is in the running.

As far as I know, Sling doesn’t work on a Chromebook (in response to an earlier comment).

[ADDED] One thing I was happy to find a few months ago is that remote access to my Mac desktop from the Chromebook using Chrome Remote Desktop works well. It seems to me that the Apple solution isn’t free.
 
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target2019 said:
Google docs can open and edit MS Word, I believe.
I'm on a PC, so can't verify on a Chromebook.
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Correct. But it's easier, better to convert it to Google Docs. You can always convert it back to MS Word (same with Excel) if you need to.

It's not like MS where you download software onto the laptop (is that still done?)...it's all in the cloud.
 
Markola said:
Can a person use Microsoft Word on a Chromebox or Chromebook?
Click to expand...
Yes. With an Office 365 subscription, you can use Word and other office tools from a browser. (It'd be a similar experience to using Google docs ). No need to download/install anything.
 
Thanks for a great discussion on Chromebooks.

Apple is in the process of pricing me out of their market and I am looking for future alternatives. However, I am not willing to trust all my documents to Google's cloud storage.
 
Chuckanut said:
Thanks for a great discussion on Chromebooks.

Apple is in the process of pricing me out of their market and I am looking for future alternatives. However, I am not willing to trust all my documents to Google's cloud storage.
Click to expand...

While I have all my documents with G, Chromebook does give you the option of sending your files to your own local drive. A bit of an extra step but it's possible.
 
I totally understand being skeptical about storing private/sensitive documents in anyone’s “cloud”. That’s a big reason I expect to keep some traditional sort of computer (desk or laptop) around.

But I’m finding that, for me, the number of documents that need that level of privacy is actually quite small.

I’m just getting started on a photo digitization project and have local, not cloud, storage targeted with a couple of levels of redundancy (for backups).
 
steelyman said:
But I’m finding that, for me, the number of documents that need that level of privacy is actually quite small.

I’m just getting started on a photo digitization project and have local, not cloud, storage targeted with a couple of levels of redundancy (for backups).
Click to expand...

Agreed. Most information is not that critical, and a lot of the critical stuff is out in the wild thanks to businesses that have not protected it very well (I'm looking at you Equifax.)
 
Chuckanut said:
Apple is in the process of pricing me out of their market and I am looking for future alternatives. However, I am not willing to trust all my documents to Google's cloud storage.
Click to expand...

Privacy is apparently a luxury these days. You have to pay for it.

Apple and Google are 180° apart on privacy. It's reflected in their pricing.
 
Thanks to this thread, I’m now intrigued by the Slate. From basic searching it seems relatively new and gets compared to the Pixelbook. The only negative I saw was that it can run hot (as in to the touch). No idea if that’s true.

But it’s attractive as a follow up to my old Samsung Chromebook that can struggle with websites that require more power on the browser side.

I’ll be keeping an eye on reviews as they roll in.
 
Like others here, I have been using my Toshiba chromebook for 2+ years now and use my old Windows desktop about 2% of the time. Once I get the latest version of the Chromebook that lets me install programs from The Play Store, I can ditch the Win desktop permanently. :)
 
steelyman said:
I totally understand being skeptical about storing private/sensitive documents in anyone’s “cloud”. That’s a big reason I expect to keep some traditional sort of computer (desk or laptop) around.
Click to expand...
Chromebooks and Chromeboxes ARE computers and they also have hard drives for saving documents locally. And, as aja8888 pointed out, you can connect portable storage devices via USB and backup files to your heart's content, just like any other computer.
 
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I use a 96 GB flash flash drive in one of my my Chromebook USB ports for storage. Works just fine.
 
aja8888 said:
I use a 96 GB flash flash drive in one of my my Chromebook USB ports for storage. Works just fine.
Click to expand...


That would be a good way to increase SSD storage on the Slate if needed. It looks like it can be configured with 64-256 GB in current models.
 
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