Chromebook

[Faisal]

Has anybody bought a chromebook and enjoyed using it?

I will be travelling internationally to a hardship location with limited internet and I rather not bring my first love an i7 alienware laptop just incase it gets damaged. Thus the choice of a chromebook mainly for work, watching movies and basicallu that is it.

Also has anybody used a chromebook for gaming purposes specifically single player games like Civ or COD or anything else I can play to destress.

[anon_investor]

Without internet, a chromebook is severely limited. I have one I used to travel with and, it's basically just a chrome browser. If you get the newer ones they have the ability to install android apps, but hit or miss if those work. You cannot install anything that is not an extension of a chrome browser or an android app.

You would be better served buying a cheap windows laptop.

[dsmclone]

I have about a 5 year old Chromebook(HP I think) and it runs like a champ. I rarely use it around the house but I do take it on trips and haven't had any issues. I believe my screen is 14" and I'm happy I chose that size.

With that said, without internet it's not good.

[wolf359]

I bought multiple chromebooks, and love them. My kids use them, and I've even gotten my technophobe wife to prefer using it over a Windows system.

We take them on trips as our sole computer.

HOWEVER... We do not use the Chromebook for gaming. It is not a game machine. It is internet browser. It can access youtube, movies, and other online content. If you do not have Internet, its use is limited. It does not run Windows OS, so if you're running Windows games, it won't work for that. I did take it on an extended trip without Internet and pre-loaded movies onto a flash card. That worked well for entertaining the kids.

The best you can do is run Android games, or online games. Some models have support SDHC memory cards, or you can use USB flash drives for movies or music content.

[02nz]

The Asus E203 is a good Windows alternative. It’s cheap, light, and has decent performance. Best Buy doesn’t carry it anymore but still available open box for $120 or so. Need to get an SD card or external drive though, as the onboard 32GB of storage isn’t even enough for Windows updates.

[mptfan]

Has anybody bought a chromebook and enjoyed using it?

I have bought several chromebooks and I love using them. I also have a chromebox that I use at home as my primary desktop computer, I no longer use Windows based computers at home. I highly recommend chromebooks and chromeboxes.

[Dottie57]

I would purchase a smaller less expensive window laptop. Games will need to be on the hard drive f no internet available. Maybe a tablet where some games can be stored locally would be good.

[b4real]

Very happy with my switch from windows to chromebook a couple of years ago. The chromebook has been reliable, the os updates automatically and frequently, no crashes or blue screens, and no worries about viruses. Most android apps work fine and are more convenient on the chromebook than the phone. Also runs linux programs. Gmail and the rest of the g suite apps can run offline. Such a nice experience compared to windows. https://chromeunboxed.com has a lot of info and reviews.

[sunny_socal]

I would purchase a smaller less expensive window laptop. Games will need to be on the hard drive f no internet available. Maybe a tablet where some games can be stored locally would be good.

Same here. Chromebook is only good online.

[Dottie57]

Has anybody bought a chromebook and enjoyed using it?

I have bought several chromebooks and I love using them. I also have a chromebox that I use at home as my primary desktop computer, I no longer use Windows based computers at home. I highly recommend chromebooks and chromeboxes.

Would you recommend in a no internet or low speed internet situation?

[Toons]

Been using chromebook since 2011
The beta version.
Typing on one now
Chromebook and phone use 99% of the time,,
Gradually found myself drifting away from Windows based computers since 2012.
Pretty much use Windows now for Quicken and
Watching Youtube videos.
Samsung and /or Acer for me

[Geneyus]

Does Microsoft Office work on Chromebook? I looked at them a while back, but I remember finding one compatibility reason not to buy one. I can't remember what it was at the moment.

I have an HP laptop at work, and I've been really impressed with it. I have made a lot of PowerPoint presentations, watched training videos, had 15+ browser windows open at once, etc. It never misses a beat.

[Grasshopper]

I have used Acer chromebooks for 6 years, Ms G uses one now that I longer wanted to be her IT guy for windoze.

[WiscoTrout]

We have two Asus Chromebooks that we use quite a bit and are very happy with. They are reliable and do the job we ask them to, which is as web browsers and media players. We also have a MacBook Pro in case we need a real "computer". We aren't game players however, so I'd maybe look to a cheap windows laptop if that's a primary concern.

[skeptical]

I just switched off of OSX to Chromebook, for a variety of reasons. I went with the Pixel, and hacve been using it as my only system for a few months.

Summary: If you can run really your life through the browser, I recommend it, otherwise, a cheap Windows machine would be better. So, real games are probably out.

Pros:
- No more OSX
- Very quick bootup, can run a long time on batteries
- Nice looking piece of hardware, lightweight
- Touch screen is nice

Cons:
- Anything that does not run in a browser, specifically Chrome, sucks. Even if you find an app, and even if it works (which narrows thing down considerably), it poorly.
- No Sonos controller - use the iPhone app. Going to have a problem when I need to manage the system.
- Hardware sometimes shuts down for no reason, loses the cursor for no reason, and tablet mode is flaky.

Overall, MacbookPro is a better solution, except that I am fed up with Apple and its forced updates and machine upgrades, including the iPhone. I am learning to live with diminished capacity so I can get the simplicity, flexibility and economics of Chrome. I can have a nice system at home, and get $200 machines for backup/travel. And it forces me to be truly cloud based.

[rj342]

Does Microsoft Office work on Chromebook? I looked at them a while back, but I remember finding one compatibility reason not to buy one. I can't remember what it was at the moment.

I have an HP laptop at work, and I've been really impressed with it. I have made a lot of PowerPoint presentations, watched training videos, had 15+ browser windows open at once, etc. It never misses a beat.

You should be able to use MS Office web version if you have a good connection. Might be too awkward if it won't let you use a mouse on the Chromebook.

[Horsefly]

I love Chromebooks, and am on one now. Great for travel. I've moved mostly away from Micro$oft apps and use Google Docs which can read MS office docs. Two things I really like about the whole Chromebook concept:

• When I leave my desktop Chrome browser and switch to the Chromebook, it already knows all my history, bookmarks, and plug-in apps. It's as though I lifted up the Chrome I was using and moved it.
• When it's time to buy a new chromebook and toss the old one, there's nothing to "move". For the dozen or so windows laptops I had through the years, I hated the whole process of getting the new laptop usable and having all the stuff I wanted from the old one. I'm now on my 4th Chromebook, and I don't think I spent any time at all other than signing in to my Google account the first time.

Having everything in the cloud took a little getting used to. I pay extra for something like 100GB of Google Drive (or is it 1TB?), and keep most stuff I work with on a daily basis on Google Drive.

[AerialWombat]

As others mentioned, a Chromebook needs Internet. With spotty wi-fi, you basically just have an expensive paperweight.

I have an Asus E200H for the same purpose. I travel with every expectation that it will be stolen or destroyed. I'm on my second one. It has an Atom processor, similar to many Chromebooks, but it's a full Win 10 laptop. It's slow, but it will run Office applications just fine, connects to a projector, and I can (painfully) do some basic audio editing with it, so it works just fine for what I need. You can find the newer versions for under $200 if you look around.

[Trader Joe]

Has anybody bought a chromebook and enjoyed using it?

I will be travelling internationally to a hardship location with limited internet and I rather not bring my first love an i7 alienware laptop just incase it gets damaged. Thus the choice of a chromebook mainly for work, watching movies and basicallu that is it.

Also has anybody used a chromebook for gaming purposes specifically single player games like Civ or COD or anything else I can play to destress.

Chromebooks are not built for gaming purposes. With a reasonable internet connect, basic Chromebook use should be acceptable. Best of luck.