[Technology] Chromebooks

[elninobonito]

Interested in this thread now. Looking for a laptop or alternate device for at home and commuting, something to browse web, watch Netflix on the train and ideally to be able to play football manager. Budget is pretty small, id say max £350...any suggestions?

 

[Easy 10]

Surely there is something better out there? Looking for a light weight laptop/notebook with a decent 5 hour battery.

Battery lasts 8-9 hours apparently (although it rarely moves from my desk so its usually plugged in). There are smaller and lighter units, but its very slim and not particularly heavy. I like having a 15:6 screen, as I watch a lot of SPORT on it.

You bought Acer? Oh dear. Maybe they've improved but as a rule I never go near Acer.

My first. I watched a few online reviews on YouTube for it, and they were singing its praises, as were all the comments underneath so that swayed me.

Just out of curiosity (not asking for a friend) how much did you pay?

£375.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Interested in this thread now. Looking for a laptop or alternate device for at home and commuting, something to browse web, watch Netflix on the train and ideally to be able to play football manager. Budget is pretty small, id say max £350...any suggestions?

I've got an Asus c302 which has been one of the top devices in the past couple of years. It still holds up very well. Mine was 540 quid with a big discount a couple of years ago. Now it's about 400 pounds but i guess you might find it cheaper. Great backlit keyboard, hd screen and lovely build quality.

It's only drawback as far as I'm concerned is that Linux apps don't yet work although that may be coming.

I love it.

 

[BensGrandad]

I am old fashioned I know but I thought that all laptops /PCs had to have windows to operate.

 

[Shopes]

I am old fashioned I know but I thought that all laptops /PCs had to have windows to operate.

Nope. There's quite a few different ones available.

I have my laptop partitioned so I can boot up using either Windows or Ubuntu. Depending on what I'm doing, I'll use the relevant operating system.

 

[BensGrandad]

I have never tried anything other than windows, should i try?

 

[Badger]

I've got an Asus c302 which has been one of the top devices in the past couple of years. It still holds up very well. Mine was 540 quid with a big discount a couple of years ago. Now it's about 400 pounds but i guess you might find it cheaper. Great backlit keyboard, hd screen and lovely build quality.

It's only drawback as far as I'm concerned is that Linux apps don't yet work although that may be coming.

I love it.

I've got the ASUS C101 Flip, from the cheap end of the Chromebook market (cost the equivalent of about 200 quid). I use whenever I travel and it's been fantastic. Lightweight, small (10.1" screen), really good battery life (up to 9 hours), decent keyboard, and the flip function means I can convert it into a tablet or easily stand it up to watch films. You wouldn't want it as your main laptop as it's a bit too small and not especially powerful but it's ideal for travelling.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Yeah, that's very convenient for traveling. Mine is slightly larger and less durable, but i pretty much only use it in my house or at in laws so that's not a problem.

 

[Easy 10]

I have never tried anything other than windows, should i try?

Depends what you want to use it for really, but this is my first foray away from Windows and I've certainly not been disappointed. I've had a google Gmail account for years, it links up with that and was a piece of cake to set up. It operates like an Android phone or tablet - you have the usual Playstore on it and can download apps and games onto it like you would onto your phone. The keyboard is backlit. The screen is a touchscreen, which works great for messageboards.

The only thing it HASN'T got is a built in CD/DVD drive, but then I never used the one on my laptop anyway, so its not something I miss.

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Good review here.

 

[Nottseagull]

But all he has said is that he'll use it for browsing and word. So what's the problem? Google docs can be used offline anyway.

OP specifically states he wants it for letters, but nobody seems to have brought up the problem of connecting with printers which I read about a few years ago. Has that all been sorted out now, or am I confusing it with Linux?

Runs slicker than an otter smeared in swarfega.

I think you've ruined a good joke there! An otter smeared in lubricant would be fast, but isn't Swarfega a degreaseant, or at least capable of removing lubricant ?

Note to Self: What on Earth am I doing, asking about otter degreasing at 3:45 in the morning?

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

OP specifically states he wants it for letters,but nobody seems to have brought up the problem of connecting with printers which I read about a few years ago. Has that all been sorted out now, or am I confusing it with Linux?

I have never had a problem connecting to my printer by wifi. I read a fair bit about CB's on forums and the issue is certainly not often spoken of, any more than people with windows have problems. In fact when my family want something printed out, they usually ask me as the Chromebook is so much faster than their PC/Laptop.

 

[beorhthelm]

I think you've ruined a good joke there! An otter smeared in lubricant would be fast, but isn't Swarfega a degreaseant, or at least capable of removing lubricant ?

Note to Self: What on Earth am I doing, asking about otter degreasing at 3:45 in the morning?

important pedantry and corrections should be carried out at any time.

 

[Easy 10]

OP specifically states he wants it for letters, but nobody seems to have brought up the problem of connecting with printers which I read about a few years ago. Has that all been sorted out now, or am I confusing it with Linux?

I think you've ruined a good joke there! An otter smeared in lubricant would be fast, but isn't Swarfega a degreaseant, or at least capable of removing lubricant ?

Note to Self: What on Earth am I doing, asking about otter degreasing at 3:45 in the morning?

Its a reasonable point and one I am willing to concede. The simile was based on my own experiences with Swarfega and the knowledge that it was quite greasy to the touch. I've never handled an otter though (thats not a euphemism btw).

 

[GOM]

I have never tried anything other than windows, should i try?

If you have a smartphone you will have, Android or ios. For Chromebook think Android phone..

 

[elninobonito]

Guys, any suggestions that isnt a chromebook? It appears you cannot access Steam, therefore football manager on a chromebook I have read.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think you've ruined a good joke there! An otter smeared in lubricant would be fast, but isn't Swarfega a degreaseant, or at least capable of removing lubricant ?

You have earned a pedant star.

 

[schmunk]

Guys, any suggestions that isnt a chromebook? It appears you cannot access Steam, therefore football manager on a chromebook I have read.

https://brismuth.com/how-to-install-steam-on-a-chromebook-57174d1f1f32

 

[Nottseagull]

I am old fashioned I know but I thought that all laptops /PCs had to have windows to operate.

Most Windows PCs can have the operating system replaced by a Linux OS or even have both running (although not at the same time). These are called 'dual boot'. You'll find Linux a bit faster because they are usually much smaller then Windows. They are also free to download and install although this is not something you should attempt on your own.

If you have a smartphone you will have, Android or ios

This is B G remember, so he could well be still using Windows Phone, or even Windows Mobile

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Guys, any suggestions that isnt a chromebook? It appears you cannot access Steam, therefore football manager on a chromebook I have read.

You can install steam on Linux, however the latest football manager hasn't been ported to it. There is an effort to get more windows games working on Linux through steam using something called proton, which you select via the settings when you are running steam on Linux.

 

[maffew]

I have never tried anything other than windows, should i try?

Wouldn't hurt to have a try BG, depending what its for. I mostly stick with Windows jut when I need to (for work/stuff that works best on a Windows domain, active directory, MS or compatable products), but for general stuff, media etc a device running android ticks the boxes for me. Others on this thread will know more about which android/which linux or other might be best. I stuck a linux distro on a (very) old laptop the other day, purely for the point of playing media to a projector and it worked a charm for the intended purpose, I probably wouldnt have gotten Windows to run on it (nor would we have wanted to pay for a license)