A Chromebook Advantage: New Computer, No Problem

[Lewis Clark]

Chromebooks are not the same as fully functional laptop computers. They cannot download and run every software package that people might want to use. This limitation may not matter for most users, but it will matter for some folks.

[marko]

IMO, unless you have zero computers, cell phones or credit cards your data is already out there and one way or another Google, Apple, FB and a dozen others have access to it via those avenues. All those outfits know more about you than your mom does even if you don't use them.

"I won't use Google but I'm on Facebook all day!" Really?

[ls99]

I do mind feeding the google troll, or the FB etc. this is the only public forum I use.. Whatever they get let them work a bit for it. Though I am sure google scrapes this forum religiously.

[tmm99]

Some people on this site seem to look at a Chromebook like a laptop, but I look at mine (with the toughscreen function) as more like a tablet. With a hard-wired keyboard that can be folded down so I can type just like I could on my iPad. I like it better than my iPad because I can use the enlarge function for a whole lot more things than I could with my iPad. I also like the Chromebook's superwash function. Cleaning up my Chromebook is so easy. I often use the Office extension on chrome to view my excel sheets on Onedrive and the sheets are updatable. I'm sure you can do the same thing using Google Drive and Google sheets. I sometimes download csv files from mint.com and modify it on my Chrombook as well. None of those things are available using my iPad.

One thing I don't like about my Chromebook is that when I type using my soft keyboard (when the book is folded down), the keyboard keys do not make clicking sounds like they do on my iPad.


Overall, a very happy customer. I still have my iPad, but I rarely use it at this point, except to look at supermarket flyers on an app called Flipp as the flyers are too small to clearly see on my iPhone.

[TromboneAl]

The biggest disadvantage of Lena's chromebook is that every time the power goes out and comes back on, the printer no longer works for her. It always takes me a long time to futz with things until it works again.

But I found a page that may solve the problem in the future:

https://www.techrepublic.com/article...offline-issue/

[Retiree_Having_Fun]

As a former windows programmer, I get incredibly frustrated with junk that microsoft has had for years and years but have never fixed. For example, there are some windows in the control panel - maybe environment variables? where the windows are not sizeable. This stuff is all over the place plus getting some things to work requires a buddhist prayer wheel. I often wonder if microsoft employees even use this junk. I think their code base has become scary to even microsoft. Maybe time to start over for Microsoft. Add in the security nightmares, malware, bloatware, cpu loads, battery draining, .... Chromebook just works.

[tmm99]

And oh, I forgot to mention; my Chromebook never slows down unlike my Windows laptop.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis Clark Chromebooks are not the same as fully functional laptop computers. They cannot download and run every software package that people might want to use. This limitation may not matter for most users, but it will matter for some folks.

I've found that 99% of 'downloadable' programs are also available as web/browser based. After 5+ years I've yet to find a CB limitation that could not be resolved or replaced by either a web-based site or a CB app. As more and more functionality become intended for cell phones, I'd think that would only continue to be the trend as CBs now run most apps.

YMMV

[albireo13]

So … which Chromebook are people liking these days?

[camfused]

If you use Neverware CloudReady, you can convert any old Windows PC to a Chromebook, for free.

[OldConch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by albireo13 So … which Chromebook are people liking these days?

Found this on Slick Deals pre-Black Friday for $349. Our BB had 20 stacked on the floor. About half had i5 processors instead of the advertised i3.

Loving it so far.

HP - 2-in-1 14" Touch-Screen Chromebook - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 64GB eMMC Flash Memory - White, Gold

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

Not really a chrome book, but sort of runs like one now and was cheaper than a lot of chromebooks mentioned. . I have an HP stream that came with win 10 and a tiny ssd chip 32gb. Within a few months it did not have enough room to update win 10 which was all it really had on it.

I went with a Linux product mint and installed it into a 250 gb thumb drive. Really have nothing on it except some ad blockers so use that for web browsing things other than my trusted sites.

[TromboneAl]

This is what Lena has:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFbvjoV2Vs

She got it a few years ago. The battery was deteriorating, and then something wire got lose such that the screen often flickered.

I considered taking it apart, but it wasn't worth it.

I suggested she get a Macbook or a larger laptop, but she likes it, and got an exact replacement.

[statsman]

My kid is looking to replace a Google Pixelbook that will be returned to work once the job ends early next year. Why are the Pixelbooks so expensive? Aren't they just Google-badged Chromebooks?

[Lewis Clark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko I've found that 99% of 'downloadable' programs are also available as web/browser based. After 5+ years I've yet to find a CB limitation that could not be resolved or replaced by either a web-based site or a CB app. As more and more functionality become intended for cell phones, I'd think that would only continue to be the trend as CBs now run most apps. YMMV

True, but the downloadable versions of programs are sometimes just enough different from the web-based versions that they can't be used as substitutes for each other. The one example I am familiar with is a particular astronomy planetarium program called Starry Night. The web-based version and downloadable version have different user interfaces, and the functionality is similar but not identical.

This probably won't be a problem for most users, but it causes a problem for me since I use it to teach astronomy classes.

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by statsman My kid is looking to replace a Google Pixelbook that will be returned to work once the job ends early next year. Why are the Pixelbooks so expensive? Aren't they just Google-badged Chromebooks?

Pixelbook is a high performance Chromebook. At least that is what Google says.

[Dawg52]

I've got a Lenovo N22 and it cost around $150 three years ago I believe. Certainly not a high end one but it does everything I need. Fast and durable. Never tried the water test tho. Ha.

[FIREarly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 So does Apple as I am witnessing from the barrage of emails I am getting from them about addons for the watch I bought for DD last week. I never had an Apple account until I bought the watch for her. Let's face it, all internet companies and their suppliers view YOU as their product and cash machine. Look at what Microsoft did with Win 10. Read their T&C's and see how you are agreeing to be their product.

+1

[FIREarly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko "I won't use Google but I'm on Facebook all day!" Really?

hahahahaha

[NoMoreJob]

We love our Chromebooks. When we travel together we can just take one. When I log into it, it looks and acts like mine. When my wife logs into it it's hers. In addition, anything of consequence is stored in the cloud, not on the machine itself. So if it were to be stolen, lost or damaged nothing besides the hardware is lost....we just purchase a new machine, log into it and Voila!, it's now ours!

Oh, and we can buy really nice machines for around $300!

We do keep a cheap Windows machine around for the one or two tasks that the Chromebooks can't handle like updating our vehicle's Nav system but they are few and far between.

P.S. Chromebooks are very secure by nature and require no virus software. Plus all operating updates happen automatically. So we just use our Chromebooks and don't have to worry about them or mess with them. They're the perfect Boglehead machine!