Google Chromebook questions

[nakroth310]

Hi there. i'm from the UK and recently discovered this new Google Chromebook laptop range by Samsung. went to a PCworld store and was very impressed by it. but still left me with many questions:

1. can you install or assign a desktop wallpaper to the CB? ('cause i noticed there is no desktop or main homescreen unlike my Windows 7 laptop)

2. i noticed there is no bluetooth. would you know why? do you think a lack of bluetooth makes the laptop "incomplete"? (like when connecting a bt-enabled speaker/headphones/etc.)

3. can you save a photo taken from a microSD card on the laptop to any part of the hard drive? and can you partition the hard drive?

4. is there a function of "face to unlock" like Android 4.0?

5. can i still install 3rd-party softwares like those equivalent to MS office, anti-viruses, etc. (like Open Office, AVG, Media Monkey, Skype, yahoo messenger, etc.)

6. reading the specs the CB doesn't seem to have DLNA. its not a deal breaker but sometimes being DLNA-enabled would be very helpful especially when streaming files to a compatible device (e.g. internet tv or PS3)


and why do i need a Chromebook than a typical notebook?



Thanks.

[peterb]

<snip


and why do i need a Chromebook than a typical notebook?



Thanks.

Welcome to HEXUS!

I can't answer you other questions about facilities as I don't have a chrome book, lack of Bluetooth maybe just to keep the cost down.

As to your other question above, only you can determine that based on your expected use of the machine and whether the features you want (but might not be available) are deal breakers or not.

[DanceswithUnix]

My wife's Chromebook does have bluetooth, she often borrows my bluetooth speaker for playing music on YouTube.

You can't partition the storage, you get very little storage in a Chromebook and part of the idea is that you don't have to bother with those sorts of tasks, you just use it. By not storing anything on it, if the machine misbehaves you can just wipe it with no loss.

Think of the machine as a web browser, if you need to install traditional software then you need a traditional laptop.

[jimborae]

So yes you can assign a desktop wallpaper or choose from default ones and there is a homescreen of sorts.

Surprised it doesn't have Bluetooth, mine certainly does (it's Dell Chromebook 13), saving photos from SD to hard drive I've not tried but should be possible using a file manager app. I put 128Gb hard drive in mine and keep many docs locally when I need to.

No face unlock on mine as it runs Chromebook OS not android, although can run some android apps but this is a beta function.

No need for AV on a chomebook and I use Google Docs but any web based office like tools will work.

Not sure about DNLA functionality but I use BS Player to connect to my homeserver and stream movies & tv, others successfully use VLC Player.

Chromebook is becoming very popular in the education space in the US apparently due to the low cost so can be used in place of laptop for basic use but as said above if you need to traditional software then you need a traditional laptop.

Me I use it mainly as a web browser & streaming device and it excels at this. Lightning fast, enormous battery life, great build quality and I love my Dell Chromebook.

[EndlessWaves]

4. is there a function of "face to unlock" like Android 4.0?

Windows does that as well, it's called Windows Hello. Although I don't know how many budget laptops are compatible.

[peterb]

Windows does that as well, it's called Windows Hello. Although I don't know how many budget laptops are compatible.

But as we are discussing a Chromebook that doesn't run Windows software....

[Spud1]

So I have a chromebook and I quite like it. It's barely gets used at home, but its a cheap device with a very long battery that I can chuck in my bag when going on holiday or travelling where weight matters. They are really just web browsers - but then most people only really use a web browser on their PC, so it's not really a problem if you are not paying a lot of money for it. Most of them can do more than just web browsing too - an increasing number can run android apps, and even those that can't can use a whole host of chrome apps, so you can play games, use RDP to connect to a "real" computer, get a terminal going, a development environment (of sorts). All that with 12+ hours of battery on a single charge.

Most can also be modded to run Linux too which makes the infinitely more useful!

They are great devices however do not get tempted into spending a fortune on one - they are not worth spending that much money. I would set a limit of £300 and for that you can get a very nice chromebook with reasonable screen and a decent quality frame, which is all you need. Don't get spending £500+ on one its a total waste of money as when you get to that level, you can get a decent fully fledged PC.

If you do decide to buy one, a couple of tips:

1) Buy one from this list - they are all compatible with Android apps and it makes a huge difference

https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/co..._android_apps/

2) Check the screen resolution. DON'T buy one with a 1366/768 screen unless you have seen it in person and like it - they are generally the poor quality chromebooks

3) DON'T BUY IT FROM PCWORLD/CURRYS. They will overcharge you by 10-50%. Much better to find the one you want in there and then buy it from Amazon - next day delivery (or same day for some..) and much better warranty/support service, plus you'll save enough to buy any accessories you might want.

4) Buy one with an intel CPU if you can. They are generally more compatible with any mods you may want to do and they run android apps a lot better than the rockchip/arm based devices.

5) Try and get one with 4GB of ram or more - makes a difference with a lot of chrome tabs open!

Good luck with the purchase

[DanceswithUnix]

4) Buy one with an intel CPU if you can. They are generally more compatible with any mods you may want to do and they run android apps a lot better than the rockchip/arm based devices.

My wife's cheap HP Chromebook has an Nvidia APU in it that uses ARM cores, and very nice it is too. Reviews considered it an upgrade from the previous Intel based model. For her use cases the 1366x768 screen is fine, but then we were aiming firmly at cheap as a secondary utilitarian machine.

[mikerr]

I found chromebooks restrictive with storage until I discovered you can add both dropbox and network / samba shares into the file manager.....

https://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/heres...-a-chromebook/

That and the ability of my chromebook flip to use android apps (touchscreen helps!) - make it a great machine.