Chromebook or Tablet w/ Keyboard?

[kelton]

My original Samsung Chromebook is laggy and weak, so I was looking around at the new Chromebook offerings... liking the idea of a cheap, no hassle computer. A Macbook Air would be better, but it's a bit more of a fine jewel that would be more of a loss if stolen.

I never feel terribly confident in the offline abilities of Chromebooks. More than once, something that I thought I had pinned for offline access just wasn't set up correctly.

For saving things offline, I have far more faith in the android phone....and, I suppose, the android tablet. (iPads have a weird, proprietary "file/folder" system that I find confusing)
Android feels more mature...with well designed apps.

I work in buildings where I may or may not have cellular or wifi access....and I am very actively moving around...so I need something easy to grab and handle.
It's easy to "lose" things in my job, too. If it weren't for the worrisome offline problems, I'd be happy with the Chromebook for these tasks.

Evernote (Premium...for offline ability) and Google Docs would be my primary apps.

An Android tablet with keyboard is probably a $100 or more than a Chromebook. I like the Tab S 10" tablet. Any of the newer Chromebooks would probably feel like speed demons compared to my old Samsung.

So, what's the argument for selecting a Chromebook over an Android Tablet & Keyboard?

 

[Rukbat]

You already made it. Aside from the approximately $100 difference in price (and if you're in the US and shop on Black Friday you can probably make up that difference), you've already decided on the Android tablet. (I feel about the same, except for having to carry around a keyboard - I prefer real keyboards, but I prefer not having to carry one around. I'd like to live to be a healthy 300 too, if I can have impossible things.)

 

[B. Diddy]

The main argument for a Chromebook over a tablet with a keyboard is web browsing (and by extension, productivity using web-based apps). No matter how powerful an Android tablet is, the browsing experience using any tablet browser is still going to be slower than a decent Chromebook. As you might be able to tell, I spend a bit of time on these forums (no duh ), and my device of choice to pound away at the questions is my Chromebook. If I were to use a tablet, the browser would be slower, and the Bluetooth keyboard would be less reliable (with occasional stutters or the inevitable temporary loss of connection). Sure, I could use the AC app, but that isn't as fully featured as the web interface.

Chrome OS has improved remarkably over the past couple of years (I can tell, since I tried a Samsung Chromebook briefly back then), and offline capabilities are much better. If you haven't completely committed to an Android tablet/keyboard solution, then I suggest you consider buying a Chromebook from some place with a decent return policy. Costco would be ideal, but Best Buy is also pretty good. Use it intensively for a couple of weeks, and if you find that the offline issues are still major concerns, then return it.