Does anyone have any experience or input on Chromebooks?

 

From what I see the Good is they are very inexpensive and easy to use.  My current laptop is getting old and slow and unreliable so something new is required.

 

I am not a techie, and all I use my laptop for is web  surfing, email, internet banking and little else and don't even have a printer. And no gaming or anything that requires a sophisticated computer.

 

 

 

If you only need to surf the net, do simple internet banking and write some emails, you will be happy to own a NOTEBOOK...without a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM.  The cost should be within USD 400 or around SGD 500... 

By the way, printers are relatively cheap.. monochrome laser printers are now below SGD 100...

 

I've been using the same SGD 450 NOTEBOOK at home for the past 3 years.  The screen is about 11 inches..

To circumvent this small screen, I bought a VGA cable (11 pin) and connect it from the NOTEBOOK to the 47 inches TV monitor... The cost of the VGA should set you back SGD 10 to 15.... Most good TV set now has a VGA inlet ...

I am not a techie, and all I use my laptop for is web  surfing, email, internet banking and little else and don't even have a printer. And no gaming or anything that requires a sophisticated computer.

 

I have a full sized PC at home and bought a netbook for holidays.

 

Then I purchased a Samsung 7" tablet as an e-reader, considering it could cut several full sized books out of my holiday luggage.

That went so well, that by the next holiday I purchased a faster higher spec 8" Samsung tab and left the netbook at home.

The Netbook weighed just over 1kg, plus a few hundred g for the power supply. The tablets are 3~400g and can be powered by a 3A 2 pin USB supply which will also charge my phone and now my latest Camera as well.  That's a good weight saving.

 

The tablet serves as a map (with gps too), guidebook, reading book for plane, games tool, web browser etc.  All of which it handles really well.   The tab doesn't match the Netbook for typing longer e-mails (or posts) and the only thing it really struggles with is a spreadsheet.

The 8" tablet will also squeeze into my trouser pockets (most of them).

It is also possible to buy a bluetooth keyboard for about £20 which works for typing longer e-mails.

 

Considering hotel wifi can be a bit slow at times, I would only contemplate a Chromebook if there was some very clear tangible advantage over a Netbook or a tablet.  

What would that be?   If they are fast, at least 300g lighter AND can be charged by a USB supply, it might be interesting compared with a Netbook....

Typing this through a Samsung tablet...the Note 10.1 bought in August 2012 ...

Yes the gadget is wonderful as it blurs the line between a phone, a camera and a mini computer.

I used mine whenever I go overseas..... the GPS mode is very functional... better than asking the locals for directions...

 

koko..the latest Samsung S is beautiful... but rather expensive.. why not, look for the older Note 10.1..almost the same ....

The Chromebooks I looked at are $200 USD or less so almost a throwaway! All storage is in a cloud so little to lose. 

Also I understand no problems with virus or updates or anything else. But would like to hear from someone who has tried them.

 

In meanwhile will consider all options.

Koko, actually you made me interested in Chromebook today and went to store to see how it looks like, I'm impressed , looks very handy for travel. Thanks for bringing it up

 

vinapu

You made me interested as well. I took a look at one yesterday and it was light and comfortable and very cheap. I liked it a great deal. Very smart for Google to make something that works so perfectly with all of their stuff!

here in this part in EUR they cost about 250/300 EUR (x44 for THB, x1,36 for US$), there are just 3 basic brands, HP, Samsung, Toshiba. They just look like 400-500 € notebooks/laptops.

The main MINUS is that they only work when you are online so you must always  have access. You must have or create a G/mail/google account to have the full use for inthecloud storage-this may offset some who have other accounts or fear the NSA too much. in BKK at least there is much more free wifi as many of you think-even in many cityparks and around govt buildings like schools. Thus you do not need to pay for expensive **$$ coffees to have access for wifi. Safety in it is quite another matter though. I would seek more info re the safety aspects for online banking if your bank is in another country- am intrested in that too.

The main MINUS is that they only work when you are online so you must always  have access.

Wifi in SE Asia can be very flaky indeed, so I would want to utilise some on board storage.   If these things come with 16GB of storage, is some of that free after the OS and applications are installed?  

If not, the first job would be an SSD upgrade.

As Pong said, I do wonder about safety issues but not sure any internet access is safe and secure. I never use my laptop other than with WiFi, meaning I don't work off-line so  that is not a problem. I did check out an Acer 11.5 " for $180 USD and it seemed much like any other laptop. But it did seem slow in displaying exchange rates (x-rates.com) but no slower than my laptop. Very light weight; ideal for travel.

Thanks for input on this post.  I believe I will buy a Chromebook within next couple of months and then report on my experience.

For those in USA: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1382932/?sharedby=60861

Bought an Acer C720 for $189 USD out the door from Best Buy today. Very easy to use, basically plug it in and it is ready to go.

Most complex step is to establish a Google account although that is not needed to access the web.

 

Will report more as I get more accustomed to it. 

So far the Chromebook is all good!  Some quirky things like no delete key or caps lock key but there are shortcuts to achieve the same function.  It starts up within seconds and closes down quickly.  No need to worry about viruses, etc, so far.  The touch pad is touchy and scrolling with it takes some practice. All in all a good choice if looking for a laptop on the cheap.

As mentioned in #2 here, may I reiterate that the best thing in life aint expensive.

Koko, good for you to get the chromebook... now you can get 2 things:

 

1. That VGA cable that connects the Chromebook to a bigger monitor/TV screen

2.  A wireless (2.4GHz)  keyboard and mouse set... Yes no more cables ..

 

Like me, I am sitting/typing this some 2 metres away from my 47" TV screen.... one more thing, you see the beautiful photos of the other thread better, bigger and clearer 

1. That VGA cable that connects the Chromebook to a bigger monitor/TV screen

Think this model needs a HDMI cable.   Which is a better solution anyhow.

I believe that Chromecast (a small gadget that plugs into USB port) can accomplish the same thing by wireless cast of any website onto a TV screen. Now will have to investigate that!

I believe that Chromecast (a small gadget that plugs into USB port) can accomplish the same thing by wireless cast of any website onto a TV screen. Now will have to investigate that!

 

Didn't have a lot of luck with Google's Chromecast, myself. It may well have been because of the wireless connection here at home, but it was very "glitchy". Only about $30US, but I've gone back to a VGA cable.

All in all I am very satisfied with the Chromebook; it does everything I want. .    It boots up and closes down in 5 sec. which is nice.  Also establishing a google account proved easy. Even got a wireless mouse although the touch pad works quite well. As far as connecting to the "big screen" TV, my 15" TV looks half the size of the Chromebook at 10' away! 

pong, can you elaborate on free WiFi in Bangkok? When you see a WiFi network that is not secured, you often have to log in with username and password once you open the browser, or am I missing something? I saw the signs for free WiFi, but whenever I checked (a few times, then I gave up), there was nothing.