Chromebook advice

[george1979]

Hi all,

Thanks to my job, I recently got a free mobile broadband service so obviously I am now itching to buy something to use it on

After doing some research it would appear the haswell based Chromebooks have really come on and seem like a viable option. There are some apps that can be used offline but I generally spend most time online anyway so I seriously considering taking the plunge.

I'd only really be using it for general browsing, emails and perhaps a little word processing. Also to occasionally watch TV/Movies. Would be handy on shoots to transfer/back up footage if needed as well. Any serious work i would always use my desktop for.

I had been considering tablets, but then there are productivity issues as I much prefer a keyboard and not having to use stands etc. Even just being able to stand the screen up without propping it up with something is so much less hassle.

The Dell 11" Chromebook seems like a good option and I found the 4Gb refurb for £190. Solid build, good performance and great battery life. Just the screen that's a bit below par but, for the price, it's hard to fault.

Does anyone have experience of Chromebooks (especially the Dell but I'm open to other suggestions)? What are they like to live with? Any annoyances or things I should be aware of?

Your advice, as always, is much appreciated

[KeyboardDemon]

I would suggest that you start by looking at Youtube videos of Chromebook tutorials and user feedback on these first. Google have been quite proactive with marketing the Chromebooks, they have taken up concession stand spaces in stores like Currys, John Lewis and PC World, so you can check out a store that's close to you and talk to a Chromebook specialist who will give you a run down on features and benefits.

You don't need a very powerful computer to run Chromebook as it is almost entirely cloud based, you certainly don't need a lot of local storage, as it is cloud based, so what that does mean is if you are working on a document on the Chromebook while you're out all you need to do is log in to Google account from your desktop when you get home and you can continue from exactly where you left off when you shut your Chromebook down. The downside is that it will mean moving from MS Office to Google docs in order to be able to keep working that way, you would have to make a 100% commitment to move to Chromebook. The alternative is to get a Windows laptop and switch to Office Live and use that as a cloud based service, but it will be more expensive both in terms of hardware and annual subscription costs.

[MrRockliffe]

I've got a chromebook. Great piece of equipment and perfect for Web browsing. It's not, however, very good for documents (although I don't have office 365 so that may have a large impact).

[george1979]

Thanks for the advice. I've just been watching a youtube tutorial and it does seem like it is a very usable OS. When I had a laptop the vast majority of my time on it was spent online or watching video so this seems like a good fit. I wish the screen was a bit better but you can't have everything I suppose, especially at that price.

MrRockliffe - can't you use Office Online? It's not a fully fledged version but it's free and for basic work it seems to do the job. I haven't used it but a few friends have for uni work (essays etc) and they seem to get on fine with it.

[MrRockliffe]

Yeah but Google docs always messed up the format etc and I gave up with it. Plus I had a PC anyway and didn't have access to Internet anywhere other than home

[george1979]

One more question for the guys using Chromebooks - how are they with media playback? I read mp4s and many other file formats (mkv etc) are supported but I also read many people have had trouble playing videos from their library. How have you found it? This could be a dealbreaker if I can't watch my shows

[jameskgowan]

Might be worth giving one of the ChromeOS builds from Hexxeh a shot to try out the OS beforehand and make sure it is up to standard. If you have a laptop that is spare you can run it from USB. It's not a carbon copy of official Chromebook OS but it's pretty close.

[jameskgowan]

Or perhaps try a cheaper laptop running something such as Crunchbang (Linux OS). May give you slightly more options than the restrictions of ChromeOS.

[w0463167]

You are able to run ubuntu on a lot of the intel chromebooks anyway, for if chromeOS is too limiting

[w0463167]

I do like chromebooks. I find they are a little limiting for me, but they are perfect if all you do is browse the internet with them