Chromebook: Any truth to Scroogled?

[applebaum]

Hi I just bought an Acer C/B as a Christmas gift for my toddler (started her out on a used iPad 1). I've been using the C/B for the past few days while setting everything up for her. I've used mac & windows based computers from 17" to tablet. I wouldn't discount the C/B but it is what it is-primarily a web browser. That is actually why I bought it for my daughter as iPad doesn't run flashplayer. Yes you can use it for other tasks just like you can use a tablet but not as easy as using a macbook or pc. Already run into a problem with printing. You can print from Google Cloud Print but if you don't have a GC printer it's a nightmare to setup. They are building up their offline apps but frankly the Chrome Store doesn't compare to the Appstore or even Google Play. Also I find that personally I could not work on this smaller screen for extended periods of time. One definite advantage I've noticed is speed and the seamless integration with wifi. It will pick up wifi signals without a hitch. Also this thing is swift. It boots up in a few seconds from shut down & webpages load as soon as you put in the web address. If you need something portable as a second computer I think it's worth considering but keep in mind that you will be limited to Google apps which will only work with a wifi connection. Hope this helps.

 

[mrsmumbles]

Yes, thank you! User reviews are excellent. Very appreciated. :thumbup::beer:

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Geodude074]

Like I stated earlier, the only reason why Chromebooks are "fast" is because of the SSD.

Take any old Windows laptop with a Pentium, Celeron, or even a Core 2 Duo, pop in a $45 SSD and it will be just as fast (if not faster) as a Chromebook.

The Chromebook is so vastly limited in what it can do for $200-$300 that it's just not worth it to me.

But it's your money, do what you want. If you want to spend $300 so you can use Chrome faster, be my guest.

 

[mrsmumbles]

Like I stated earlier, the only reason why Chromebooks are "fast" is because of the SSD.

Take any old Windows laptop with a Pentium, Celeron, or even a Core 2 Duo, pop in a $45 SSD and it will be just as fast (if not faster) as a Chromebook.

The Chromebook is so vastly limited in what it can do for $200-$300 that it's just not worth it to me.

But it's your money, do what you want. If you want to spend $300 so you can use Chrome faster, be my guest.

I was more wondering what the product could and couldn't do. For my purposes I'll need a Windows computer.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JRDroid]

Like I stated earlier, the only reason why Chromebooks are "fast" is because of the SSD.

Take any old Windows laptop with a Pentium, Celeron, or even a Core 2 Duo, pop in a $45 SSD and it will be just as fast (if not faster) as a Chromebook.

The Chromebook is so vastly limited in what it can do for $200-$300 that it's just not worth it to me.

But it's your money, do what you want. If you want to spend $300 so you can use Chrome faster, be my guest.

This simply isn't true. My wife's computer (which cost more than my Chromebook) has an SSD and is noticably slower than my Chromebook. Arguing that Windows on low end hardware is as fast as a Chromebook is like arguing that a Chromebook is as productive as Windows. Neither is true. Both OSes have their place and are good at different things. If you need everything Windows can do on low end hardware, then obviously Windows is the way to go. If all you want is a laptop for email, web browsing, word processing, and light jobs like that, a Chromebook can do all of that and will be faster when we are talking about low end hardware.

 

[Geodude074]

This simply isn't true. My wife's computer (which cost more than my Chromebook) has an SSD and is noticably slower than my Chromebook. Arguing that Windows on low end hardware is as fast as a Chromebook is like arguing that a Chromebook is as productive as Windows. Neither is true. Both OSes have their place and are good at different things. If you need everything Windows can do on low end hardware, then obviously Windows is the way to go. If all you want is a laptop for email, web browsing, word processing, and light jobs like that, a Chromebook can do all of that and will be faster when we are talking about low end hardware.

Yes, this simply IS true.

And what do you mean by "low end" hardware? You mean laptops from 5 years ago with ancient Core 2 Duos and 2 GB of RAM trying to run a RAM intensive OS like Windows 7?

It's going to be 2014 soon and things have changed. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but once again you can buy a $300 laptop with a Core i3 these days. Core i3's are no slouch. In the mobile world, they're the equivalent of Core i5's but don't have turbo boost. Do you think the Core i3 is low end hardware? A Core i3 would blow away the 1.1 GHz Celeron/Exynos Dual found in Chromebooks.

For the price, Chromebooks just aren't worth it for what they offer. Once again, put in a $45 SSD and you will have the same if not faster speed than a Chromebook, plus all the functionality of a real OS.

 

[iN8ter]

It really depends on what your needs are. My wife is not what I would consider super computer savvy at all... She has one and uses it for just about everything. She goes to college and works, does all her papers etc on it. She doesn't always have wifi either, and gets by just fine.

There is a bit of a learning curve if you're used to only doing things on a pc. The main thing is how to properly use Google drive. Took me a few times of explaining it to her lol.... A couple of benefits: it's easy to use, very friendly ui... And it never has problems, like never. It's never locked up or anything like that. Good luck with your decision!

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No, it doesn't.

ChromeBooks are bad value at this point, simple as that.

All a ChromeBook is, is a locked down machine running barebones Linux and Google's Chrome Browser/RunTime on top of it.

You can get all of that - and much more - on a Windows Laptop and those laptops are too cheap these days to discount. If people were choosing between a ChromeBook and a MacBook, then I'd have a different opinion because the price disparity would be so outrageous that compromises would be WORTH it.

But compared to a Windows Laptop... You should get the Windows Machine practically anytime over a ChromeBook since the CB offers literally no value over a Windows Machine with a Chrome Browser installed on it, IMO.

Get a ChromeBook with Web/RunTime Apps, or get a Windows Machine upgrade the RAM to 8GB for $30 and install Essentials/LibreOffice/GIMP/other freebies on it and use it anywhere and for much more useful and demanding things?

The only reason to get a ChromeBook is for battery life, in *some cases* (most of them are bad there, too).

Windows 8 requires almost no maintenance, the system basically runs and maintains itself. It's fast and stable.

ChromeBooks have no selling point right now, except being a Google-developed system...

 

[iN8ter]

Yes, this simply IS true.

And what do you mean by "low end" hardware? You mean laptops from 5 years ago with ancient Core 2 Duos and 2 GB of RAM trying to run a RAM intensive OS like Windows 7?

It's going to be 2014 soon and things have changed. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but once again you can buy a $300 laptop with a Core i3 these days. Core i3's are no slouch. In the mobile world, they're the equivalent of Core i5's but don't have turbo boost. Do you think the Core i3 is low end hardware? A Core i3 would blow away the 1.1 GHz Celeron/Exynos Dual found in Chromebooks.

For the price, Chromebooks just aren't worth it for what they offer. Once again, put in a $45 SSD and you will have the same if not faster speed than a Chromebook, plus all the functionality of a real OS.

This.

 

[JRDroid]

Yes, this simply IS true.

And what do you mean by "low end" hardware? You mean laptops from 5 years ago with ancient Core 2 Duos and 2 GB of RAM trying to run a RAM intensive OS like Windows 7?

It's going to be 2014 soon and things have changed. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but once again you can buy a $300 laptop with a Core i3 these days. Core i3's are no slouch. In the mobile world, they're the equivalent of Core i5's but don't have turbo boost. Do you think the Core i3 is low end hardware? A Core i3 would blow away the 1.1 GHz Celeron/Exynos Dual found in Chromebooks.

For the price, Chromebooks just aren't worth it for what they offer. Once again, put in a $45 SSD and you will have the same if not faster speed than a Chromebook, plus all the functionality of a real OS.

I mean current low end hardware. I'm comparing my Chromebook I actually own and use with an Ivy Bridge Core i3 machine with 4 GB of RAM and an SSD. I own both machines. I use both machines. The Ivy Bridge laptop cost me double what I paid for the Chromebook. I agree that if they were running the same OS, the Celeron and Exynos machines would get blown away by the i3 machines, but they aren't running the same OS. Have you ever actually owned a Chromebook? I use one daily. I use a Core i3 machine daily. I use a Core i7 (quad core) machine daily. Windows on the i3, 4 GB RAM, SSD touting laptop is not as fast as ChromeOS on the Exynos 2 GB machine. Can you get a usable Windows machine for $300? Absolutely. If you need programs that only run on Windows and need a cheap, portable machine, go for it. If all you want to do is browse the internet, send emails, and do light productivity, a Chromebook is cheaper and faster. Trust me, I use both daily.

I did not expect to like my Chromebook as much as I do. When I bought it, it was out of curriosity. I fully expected to end up thinking it was useless, return it, and get a Nexus 7 with the money. But, you know what? Once you actually use one, you realize why they exist. They are faster, less complicated, and just provide a better user experience than anything that comes close in price. I don't think they'd be ideal as your only computer, but I'd say the same thing of a $300 Windows laptop (which usually have Celerons or Pentiums, not i3s as you claim, you really need to step up to $400 to find i3s unless you find a pretty good sale).

I love Windows 8 and am a big proponent of touchscreen laptops (the i3 machine has a touchscreen), but for budget laptops, Chromebooks are better for most people. Almost anyone who actually has used one for an extended amount of time would agree.

 

[xchange]

Have you ever actually owned a Chromebook? I use one daily. I use a Core i3 machine daily. I use a Core i7 (quad core) machine daily.

This part of your post is actually where your argument falls apart. Most folks aren't collecting 3 different laptop style machines like you do. For the vast majority of people, one laptop is what they desire to get things done, not 2 or 3 like you. You're the exception not the norm. For the rest, a $400 laptop >>> a chromebook.

 

[JRDroid]

This part of your post is actually where your argument falls apart. Most folks aren't collecting 3 different laptop style machines like you do. For the vast majority of people, one laptop is what they desire to get things done, not 2 or 3 like you. You're the exception not the norm. For the rest, a $400 laptop >>> a chromebook.

A few things:

1. Multi PC households are not uncommon. The i3 machine is my wife's, not mine, but I still use it if it is what is handy. Spouses (and even pre-teen to teen children) often have their own PCs in a house. The i7 machine I use for school and work, basically because I need Dreamweaver and the ability to preview sites in multiple browsers. Whether it is at their house or at their office, people using a seprate work and home machine is not uncommon. Basically, my situation where I am using 2-3 different PCs on a daily basis is not at all uncommon.

2. How does my point fall apart? My point the entire time has been that a Chromebook is faster than a $300-$400 Windows machine and that they make superior second (or third) computers to $300-$400 Windows machines unless you specifically need Windows only programs. My only contention is the price point. I do not think a $400 Windows machine would provide a good experience for most people unless you were only web browsing, emailing, and doing light productivity, and then a Chromebook could work. As a primary machine though, a $500 Windows laptop is superior to a Chromebook. I've never disagreed with that and I never argued that if someone is only going to have one laptop that it should be a Chromebook. The only time I would make that argument would be if they refused to spend more than $300 on a laptop.

 

[gabbott]

For family members that require getting ahold of me when their windows machine is running really slow and/or gotten it infected with malware AND they use their machine for basic internet use, a chromebook makes sense. You can't really mess up the OS.

There is a market for them.

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[JRDroid]

For family members that require getting ahold of me when their windows machine is running really slow and/or gotten it infected with malware AND they use their machine for basic internet use, a chromebook makes sense. You can't really mess up the OS.

There is a market for them.

Posted via Android Central App

This. I wish my grandma would get one. All she uses her computer for is email and the looking at pictures. A Chromebook (or even Chrome desktop) plus an external hard drive would save me and my mom so many tech support headaches.

 

[applebaum]

Just wanted to add that I didn't pay the retail $199 for the Acer C/B. Found a manufacturer refurb from Groupon for $129 which is like new except for one tiny scratch. Sure you can find refurb deals after the holidays. Wouldn't have wanted to pay full price for a Chromebook. At $129 it's a great deal but wouldn't have it as my only computer.

 

[xchange]

A few things:

1. Multi PC households are not uncommon. The i3 machine is my wife's, not mine, but I still use it if it is what is handy. Spouses (and even pre-teen to teen children) often have their own PCs in a house. The i7 machine I use for school and work, basically because I need Dreamweaver and the ability to preview sites in multiple browsers. Whether it is at their house or at their office, people using a seprate work and home machine is not uncommon. Basically, my situation where I am using 2-3 different PCs on a daily basis is not at all uncommon..

I say otherwise

 

[JRDroid]

I say otherwise

So are you disagreeing with most people using different computers for personal and work uses or with most couples having separate computers? Or both?

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[xchange]

So are you disagreeing with most people using different computers for personal and work uses or with most couples having separate computers? Or both?

Posted via Android Central App

Most people aren't hopping between 3 different computers in their home on a "daily basis" (your words). At best you mostly have people using a desktop for a while and then messing with a laptop in the living room at some points that day. I don't see a good usage case for adding a chromebook to that equation if they already have the laptop for regular folks.

 

[JRDroid]

Most people aren't hopping between 3 different computers in their home on a "daily basis" (your words). At best you mostly have people using a desktop for a while and then messing with a laptop in the living room at some points that day. I don't see a good usage case for adding a chromebook to that equation if they already have the laptop for regular folks.

I said 2-3 (my personal is 3), which your example agrees with. I wouldn't add a Chromebook to that, but when it comes time to replace the living room laptop, a Chromebook may be a cheaper alternative that can do everything you are looking for from a living room laptop.

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