Opinions on Chromebook 3

[Brew Swayne]

Just want to get some opinions on this chromebook. I'm really just looking for something to let me websurf and email while occasionally streaming some Netflix or music. Pretty sure CB3 should be fine, but I've never owned one before so I want to avoid the hassle of returning it if it's not going to suit my needs.

Also, does this model have a slot for expandable memory? 16GB won't last very long, especially now that Android apps are going to be made available for it.

 

[rchapman80]

My wife and each bought one of these about a week ago. Her school is getting about 20 Chromebooks per class room and since they are a small private school with little money I offered to set them all up. These are some type of grant or awarded money and the teachers are not given one because of the requirements. I wanted to get a taste of Chromebooks and what the had to offer since I will be setting up the whole classroom features.

After a week I am both impressed and disappointed. I must confess that this is my first Chromebook so I can't say they all behave the way the Samsung Chromebook 3 does. We purchased this model because we didn't need anything expensive.

Pros:
Price $180
Build Quality is quite good for such an inexpensive computer. I enjoy typing on it. For me the keyboard is pretty good. Not as good as my MacBook Pro or my work Dell but good.
Easy Setup
Screen, again for the price I wasn't expecting a 4k or 1080p HD.
Yes there is external storage. The unit has a Micro SD slot on the left.
2 USB ports HDMI and headphone jack
4GB of RAM. You should not get the 2GB version. Spend the extra $10. It's worth it from a performance standpoint.

Cons:
It can bog down on some websites. Android Centrals home page is a good example. Don't expect a i5 performance. It is an Celeron processor after all.
Trackpad. It's not great. Feels almost mushy and a very loud click when you press it. I'm sure this will get quieter with time. It is nice and big though.
Android Apps are coming for this model but I don't believe Google/Samsung has turned on this feature for this model yet. Googles own website says coming soon for this and other models.

Overall none of the cons would make me return it. Remember that you are paying under $200 for this, so if you have realistic expectations you will like it.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'd be happy to answer. If you do purchase, let me know what you think after a week or so.