Buy Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch)
I am director of a small publishing house. I've been using a $1,000 MacBook Pro 11.6 (Lion) laptop for over a year, with the Chrome browser, Gmail, and GoogleDrive as my online backup for laptop-based files of importance. I got accustomed to the trackpad (I switched the scrolling direction) and haven't used a mouse since I got my Mac. I do book production and cover design on it, sitting in the living room recliner (too far from an electrical outlet to use the adapter) but the battery runs down pretty quickly.
I wanted this Chromebook as a second machine for starting and ending my day: browsing and doing the cloud-based work I have to do, like accounting in Wave, managing social network-based marketing, ordering books, searching for cover art, reading manuscripts in Submittable, handling email, etc. My Mac with Adobe CS5 is essential for the actual book design and production, so I basically reserve its battery now for that.
What is amazing to me is how similar this Chromebook keyboard is to my MacBook Pro. The only time I realize I'm not on my Mac is when I hit what, on the Mac, is the caps lock key but on the Chromebook pops up apps. (There is no caps lock key on the Chromebook; supposedly you can press both shift keys at the same time to effect caps lock, but I guess I don't have the right touch because I can't get it to work.) Another slight difference is in how click and drag works; on the Chromebook, you hit the trackpad with your thumb, then drag.
Those who have already gotten accustomed to using Google-related commands for email, clearing the cache, and the like will be good to go without any learning curve. Chrome extensions and apps, of course, work as expected. (I am SO glad I had the prescience to realize a year ago that I definitely wanted to shift to a cloud-based approach!)
Now, a word about the quality of the monitor. I find the type on the screen to be MORE readable than on my Mac. It is much crisper and high-definition. The colors don't match between the two computers, but I'm not sure it's the Chromebook's fault. The Chromebook does seem to be able to sense how to adjust brightness based on the conditions of the room, which is helpful. Sometimes, however, my eyes start smarting, something that happens when I'm working on the Chromebook, but not on the MacBook Pro. I don't know what accounts for this. The sound is better on the Chromebook than on my Mac, especially if I use good headphones. When watching a movie, the color is a bit washed out compared to the really garishly brightly colored sets, but I prefer that.
I'm probably more of a power user when it comes to the user end of a computer, but I don't try to get in and hack things like some people do. Developer mode, need for static IP address, etc., I'm clueless about. But this is a well-built, fast, mostly no-fuss, low-cost and very light-weight piece of work with a long-lasting battery, which is exactly what I wanted. That I also got a seamless experience shifting from one machine to the other for a quarter of what my MacBook Pro cost? That's priceless!
Chromebooks are a new concept in personal computers and it's important that you're aware this isn't a "normal" computer. However, if what you need to do is limited to working in a web browser and you want a high-value computer (inexpensive), these are superb for a number of reasons:
- On a windows/mac laptop if you lose it you're almost certainly losing some data/customization. With a chromebook you can buy a new one, login and you're back to normal. You could easily mix up your and your kid's chromebook and not notice with the exception of stickers.
- You need not manage software. I'm a software engineer and it drives me nuts having to apply updates and patches and troubleshoot why I can't delete files in windows, etc. These problems are just not there on a chromebook.
- Guest computer. Not something I thought I'd care about, but it's really nice to be able to hand this to someone visiting. It's on your network and they can login with their own account or use the guest mode. A friend of mine was really amazed when his various chrome plugins and bookmarks appeared.
On the downside:
- Chromebooks are not extremely fast. However, the battery life is excellent and it's quite inexpensive which make up for it. Perhaps if they are popular enough faster versions will emerge. I have no problem playing YouTube in full screen, but compared to my primary computer (a high eng macbook pro; over 10x the price) it feels somewhat sluggish.
- There are specific things you expect a computer to do which won't work, or which will need some special hardware or effort. For example:
- Printing. You _can_ print, but will need a "cloud-ready" printer which you probably don't have OR will need to print via another computer which has cloud-print software setup.
- Legacy software. You can't use any software that you'd install from media. Basically anything that this computer will do needs to be in the operating system (chromeos, which will improve over time), or software which is implemented as a web application. The capabilities of this kind of software is improving as well but you're not going to be able to run things like quicken, word, photoshop, etc. You can likely find web-variants of this kind of software but it will be different and likely more limited than what you're used to -- at least for awhile.
I've also owned an earlier Chromebook, the cr-48 and while the "matte black" finish of that unit had it's charm, the Samsung is superior in every way that matters.
In summary: If you understand the limitations and benefits of this model you'll be extremely pleased with ChromeOS and the Samsung chromebook.
As I am typing this review with this product I can say that I absolutely love it! It is absolutely perfect for my needs. I'm not a "tech geek" or anything but I definitely appreciate being able to have a laptop which is extremely lightweight and so easy to bring with me just about everywhere. As a college student, this compact device is better than having a tablet as it is compatible with certain programs which the tablet I have is not. It is just as convenient, but more useful to me.
I love how simple and quick everything is. Start up is within seconds, no loading screens, no nonsense. Log in and go. Also, shutting down is only seconds as well. My previous laptop had issues with shutdown and I couldn't close the screen until it was completely shut down or else it would interrupt the process. That usually took a few minutes. With the Chromebook, it's click, shut, and go. And shutting down rather than just closing saves battery life, even though that really is not an issue. While being used, it's currently calculating I have 90% battery left which adds up to 7 hours and 12 minutes. This is just great!
With the exception of getting used to the placement of the keys on the keyboard (slightly different from a standard keyboard) I really enjoy how quiet typing is. I can sit and work on emails or papers in the library or at night without disturbing anyone because the keys aren't making a loud ticking noise as I am typing.
Another feature, which was a huge selling point as I have had issues in the past, is the lack of fan and moving parts. It is very frustrating to have a laptop which can't be placed in your lap because it gets too hot. This laptop is always cool, which the exception of one spot which is barely lukewarm.
Getting use to the smaller screen and type was an adjustment at first, but there is a setting feature which allows you to enlarge the type on a page without having to zoom into the screen which I like.
Essentially, the Chromebook is great! It takes a little bit of getting used to but the adjustment only takes a short time. I'm sure there are some other things I haven't discovered and I haven't had a chance to get a good look through all of the apps available. The only small complaint that I have is the inability to stream on Netflix. I guess it's not compatible with the OS yet but they're working on it. But it's only a small complaint because I can use my tablet to watch Netflix and in that case I'm able to work on the laptop while watching movies and shows considering both of them are small and don't take up too much space.
Overall, I am very happy with my new "toy." I've been bringing it with me everywhere I go!
For $250 I got a thin, light weight laptop with a real keyboard with a full featured browser. This Chromebook is quicker and has smoother video playback than the original Samsung Chromebook, which I bought a year and a half ago. Granted if you are a gamer thus requiring high performance graphics this is not a laptop for you. But if all you do is surf the web (email, news, Facebook) and stream video the Chromebook is perfect. Plus, with Google docs you can do most of the common Microsoft Office tasks. For about two years now I have used Google docs exclusivity for all my office needs. Also, if you need to share what you are working on with someone using Office, you can export and import from Office to Google docs. The best part is Google docs is free... with Microsoft you have to play for Office, Windows, plus the cost of a more expensive computer, which will be outdated in 3 years. Again for $250 you can not beat this. Finally, you get 100GB of Google drive storage for free for two years (a value of $5 / month).
So, the chromebook pixel came out today, and honestly I don't get it. Unless Google has something crazy planned for I/O in May, the Samsung series 3 is what you want. This value proposition is unbeatable. You're getting a shockingly high quality laptop for 250 dollars.
Build
It looks absolutely excellent. Many reviews rave about it's lightness, and I was somewhat worried it would feel too light, to the extent of feeling cheap. It's almost perfect.
Keyboard
Some will love this keyboard, I think it doesn't have quite enough resistance, but it's nice enough and gets the job done. I'm a little spoiled coming from a mechanical keyboard.
Trackpad
Big enough, quality enough, responsive and has good two finger scrolling. A little loud on clicks, but if that's an issue, you may just become a tapper and not a clicker.
Display
From reading the reviews I thought the display would be horrible. In reality I think it's quite excellent. I prefer a matte display, and this one is a perfectly fine matte display with enough brightness and enough viewing angles.
Battery life
One of the prime selling points of this device, and for me almost any other. The battery life on this computer is superb. Much better than my nexus 7, much more capable too. Even with decent brightness, it seems like this thing lasts forever compared to my windows 8 upgraded pc.
What it boils down to is, what are you looking for? Honestly, when was the last time you were on a PC and not connected to the internet? What applications do you use that aren't available online? Have you tried experimenting with chrome webapps to see if there is an adequate alternative out there to your favorite offline application? I've found that everything I need and more is available as a webapp and have been impressed with the level of capability available online for free. It's truly amazing. I highly recommend this product as well as the chrome OS. Very impressed.
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