Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

This is my 2nd Chromebook. I'm still using the old Chromebook (Samsung S5) at my house and I leave the new S3 ARM Chromebook at my girlfriend's house. Since Chrome is cloud based and syncs so well I go between the two Chromebooks seamlessly. The Chromebook S3 is faster than my old S5, and the built in speakers are much improved over the weak ones on the S5.

While I'm not using the new S3 ARM Chromebook her 8 year old uses it (with supervision) for homework and games. We set him up a Google account, and he knows how to sign me out and sign himself in. He operates the touch pad better than I can. He uses the maximize button (shift-maximize) to go in and out of full screen for games. He plugs it into the charger when he's done. It's kid proof. No accidental erase of my data since Chrome keeps the two accounts totally separate. My girlfriend and I watch the Google Chromebook commercials that say Chromebook is "The computer for the whole Family" and we totally agree. A Chromebook is not for everyone, but it's good for a lot people young and old.

I've had 20 gig of Google Storage (Drive) for over 2 years. First time I opened Google Drive on the S3 it prompted me and took me through adding the 100gig (free for 2 years). Drive and the Doc office applications are all I use now. I've not used Word or Excel since I got the 1st Chromebook (I have Office 2007 on Windows). I print from the Chromebook using Google Cloud print.

I use Chrome for my browser of choice on Window which allows me to use Chrome Remote Desktop (by Google) to access and control my Windows PC from my Chromebook (S3 or S5) when needed. That is really handy. I use the Chromebook's SSH terminal (CTRL-ALT-T) to access Linux systems instead using Putty (on windows).

I can't do everything on a Chromebook and still need Windows a tiny bit. But the S5 Chromebook allowed me to avoid buying a new Windows laptop last year. Now that I have the S3 Chromebook and Google Remote Desktop I have no plan to EVER buy another Windows PC.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I ordered the Chromebook and a full powered Acer Windows 8 laptop at just about the same time. After two weeks I'm returning the Acer and keeping the Chromebook.

So why would I ditch the full powered laptop for the Chromebook?

As a student and a business owner, the Chromebook handles 99.5% of the things I use my laptop for, but is much more portable and less expensive. Windows 8 also drove me insane, but that's a different review.

Pros:
* Super Thin
* Light Weight
* Non-glossy Screen
* Great Keyboard
* Google Docs (if you aren't using them as a student, you are missing out)
* Great Battery Life
* Fast Boot Time
* Inexpensive

Cons
* Limited On-Board Storage (compared to a regular laptop)
* No Optical Drive

Overall I'm very happy with my purchase and would highly recommend the Chromebook to anyone looking for a affordable alternative to an ultrabook or any full laptop. It does have some limitations, but those are more than made up with the cost of this device.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I've bought this chromebook when I was last week in England and I was leaving from Luton Airport. In Dixons, one of the best shops for electronics in England, had a small offer on Chromebook only 209 £, so I decided to buy immediately. I was worried about the security control and the weight of my hand baggage, but the chromebook passed both very successful. So first on the plane after take off, I just open the box to see how it looked like and I was immediately surpriesed by the design and the quality of materials, so I closed the box and I expected to arrive at home for finally play with my new toy.
So after six hours I arrived home and turn on my chromebook, to set up was a real piece of cake. I already have two chromebox and after few minutes for updating the firmware, immediately I found my favourite programmes also on this chromebook. So I started immmediately to test it deeply:
Battery is not super but it's enough with the screenlight at 70% you can reach the 6 hours and 20 minutes always with the wifi turned on.
The keyboard is fantastic one of the best I've ever tried maybe the best, distance from the keys is fine and the keyboard is very responsive, really I like it.
The trackpad is good but not great, sometimes is not responsive immediately, but isn't a very big problem.
Chromeos is a breeze for me is one of the best operating system, always responsive any problems at all with viruses and setting up. The google docs now are really great, it's possible to work offline and change fonts, editing, in short everything.
Of course there are still some cons, example alot of people is missing skype, well this is not real true. I tried the webapp imo and work perfectly and I was able to call with webcam without any particular problem.
I think this chromebook is perfect for everyone who wants a fast machine to connect to the web, creating or editing documents without any hassles from updating, viruses and so on.
And price? well price is probably the best option of this chromebook. I replaced my tablet with my chromebook and I'm very satisfied and above all it isn't so much heavier.



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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

My goal: a light laptop computer for basic surfing from the living room. I don't need a tablet, or ereader, or full desktop computer, or even full travel laptop. This chromebook meets my expectations very well indeed.

Things I like: It's quiet, boots fast, light weight, and holds a good charge. Chrome remote desktop works very well, so I can even do things on my desktop from my comfy livingroom chair. HDMI output works well, so it can be used as a video player for my TV. Copied my favorite chrome settings from my main computer as soon as I started it.

Things I don't like: No right click on the trackpad (two-finger click alternative is very awkward). SD card sticks out when installed. Can't disable the fullscreen reminder when you get too close to the top of the screen. A few of the chrome tools don't work on the ARM processor, yet. Downward facing speakers don't work well in my lap.

Things I don't worry about: Doesn't run windows, mac, or linux programs. Webcam is so-so. Screen viewing angle is not very wide. Not much of a system for organizing files.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

This arrived yesterday, came well packaged and secure (though only paper was used by amazon to secure the chromebook box within the main package). After unboxing and turning on (for some reason it would only turn on the first time when it was connected to the mains power supply despite it then being at 98%, it's been on and off since then, I think it could have been a user problem?) the setup couldn't be simpler, just log in using your google account...and that's it.

The build quality for the price is excelled, nothing felt 'hollow' or unsupported, the keyboard is very satisfying to use, as is the trackpad and multi touch. I thought that the screen wouldn't be very bright having read some of the other reviews but at max brightness it was definitely bright enough for me! I happened to find 1/2 to 2/3 brightness better to work at. The keys looks nice and the dedicated browsing buttons are great and take the place of F1-F12 etc.(as you no longer need F keys). my only turn off is that after typing for a few hours there was already a patina of grease on the space bar from my thumb (I was my hands, honestly!) that I'm going to keep on top of with chlorox wipes (I guess it's good for hygiene) but that surprised me as it took a 'long' time for my last laptop to show this shine on its keys (mostly because I was wearing the plastic away from use).

All the 'apps' work as you would expect and look basically like their online counterparts (most of the apps are just links to the online versions) though you can use documents offline and they will be uploaded next time you connect to the internet, you can also choose to sync your google documents and download your files for use offline (not sure how this will work if I go over the storage limit of the chromebook...or where they're kept when they can be used offline as they're not in the "files" folder.

Connectability seems good, USB ports, AV out, SD card slots etc. all present, the power supply seems a weak spot in the back if you knock it off a table or drop it, looks like it's waiting to snap off due to it being very thin. I heard that the bottom scratches easily so assumed that it had no support pads but it does...so I can only assume people are resting it on their laps on ... zips or something, it seems fine to me.

Battery length...is awesome. I sat and types for 3 hours + online last night on 2/3 brightness and the adaptive battery monitor but me at around 55-60% with 4 hours left at that useage level so it definitely does what I need it to in that aspect.

As we all know, Netflix is not working at the moment on this due to the ARM processor but it looks like it's in the works, hulu works as does pandora etc. and crunchyroll for those who like anime so that's nice.

You can easily customize the background etc. and the in built camera/mic is nice for vid chatting though you're currently limited to google vid etc. having the guest option is a nice touch, I can just hold the power button once, log off and someone else is on instantly to browse around (basically puts it into incognito mode so nothing is saved). Startup time is around 9-10 seconds to the desktop depending on how fast you can type your password but it's about 7-8 seconds to the main login screen as promised.

Google drive is easily upgraded and adds onto whatever google drive is associated with the first account you log in with. I'm still not sure how to get my internet passes but I'll worry about that when I actually a) need them b) go on an airline where I can use them. I don't think I could ever use my 5gb so 105gb is a massive amount. I haven't tried streaming video from google drive (not sure if that's even possible) but if it is that could be a nice compromise from movies on a flash drive/SD card.

Google remote looks promising if you don't mind keeping your main pc on at home as you could theoretically load programs on that and remote control it to display on the chromebook (correct me if I'm wrong).

Once I've used it more regularly I'll update this with any problems I've found but so far Samsung appear to have hit it out of the park and I have zero actual complaints (no start errors requiring reloads that other users seem to have). Would definitely recommend.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

My Toshiba notebook crashed beyond repair prior to my buying the Chromebook. I mainly chose it for the price, couldn't beat it. All I really used my Toshiba for was browsing, researching and the occasional need to create a document.
I have had the chromebook now for about a month, and it is BY FAR, my most favorite device to use amongst a Lenovo laptop, HP laptop, and my Android phone. I will NEVER use Microsoft Office again unless I am forced to. Google Docs is so much easier and more fun to use, and I have played around and done spreadsheets and a power point with Googles programs---so much easier and functional than Microsoft. My friend and I were just talking last night, why aren't more people making these Google programs their go to for this stuff???
Love that is saves everything in the cloud and that I will not have to worry about losing things anymore if I don't get a chance to back up. Love that I have zero trouble printing anything from my Wi fi printer. LOVE the web store! Battery life is incredible. First day I played on it for about an hour to get familiar and 2 days later went back to 3/4 battery life without the machine being completely shut down. Doesn't get hot at ALL, and the keyboard is awesome..identical to the mac keyboard and soooo comfortable to type on.
My new favorite device, can't imagine going back to any other notebook after this. If you are still trying to decide, just buy it. Can't beat the price and I PROMISE you will love it!

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I've had the Samsung Chromebook for about a week now, and it continues to impress me every day. I have always been a Windows user, and never thought that I would switch, but I'm glad I did, For starters, this laptop is extremely light weight and very portable.The battery life lasts me over 6 hours, with the screen brightness all the way up. It powers on faster than a Windows machine turns off when you pull the plug from the wall, and when you wake it from sleep mode, it is ready to use in about 2 seconds. The screen is very clear and the keyboard is comfortable and easily usable. The track-pad is also pretty cool because it offers a variety of features and is very responsive. I was a little confused before I bout the Chromebook because of the idea of saving everything "in the cloud." This is actually very easy, and is no different than saving to a hard drive; except now, all of your files are password protected, can never be lost, and are accessible from any computer or smartphone. With the Chromebook, you also have the ability to work offline; meaning creating and saving files and documents offline. Even if you do not have an internet connection available, you are still able to create a full document, and save it locally on the hard drive of the computer. The Samsung also easily connected to and detected my 500 Gigabyte external hard drive, an SD card, a flash drive, and my wireless mouse and keyboard (for when I use my laptop like a desktop when working on large projects.) The transition from windows to Chrome was surprisingly easy. The Chrome system is incredibly simple to use, and doesn't have all the clutter that windows has. Another great benefit is that Google Doc's, Sheets, and Slides (the equivalent of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) all come pre-installed and are completely free, for life. The Samsung Chromebook is also extremely fast, and I mean in every aspect possible: Starting, waking from sleep, powering off, opening web pages, multi-tasking, opening app's, and anything else you want to do. With the purchase you also get 100 Gigabytes of free online storage for 2 years, and you always get 5 Gigabytes free.This Laptop has become the only computer I use, totally eliminating the need for a tablet, and almost eliminating the need for a desktop. The only downfall is that there is no disk drive, and I am not sure if an external disk drive will work or not (I intend to order one and try it out.) There are also many (probably thousands) of App's available to download to expand the power of the CHromebook to endless possibilities.


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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

Received the unit yesterday afternoon (11/21). Packaged properly and no transit damage. The start up process was exactly what the prior reviews have said: open the top, self activates and recognizes my home network within 10 seconds. It did an approx 5 minute download for updates, and I was good to go. Screen is great, keyboard layout great as well. I also like the lower case font keyboard, just a personal thing. Build quality appears above average for a unit the price as this one. No creaky screen or flexing as of yet, as I have come to hear in other reviews.The websites come up fast and flawless. As an enterprise PC user due to work purposes (corporate pc's with Dell laptops), it is somewhat refreshing to use the Google documents section. I understand there is 100gb for 2 years on Google drive as well as "coupons" for 12 free wi-fi events for flying. I have not seen that information in the packaging, so I am "assuming" at this point it is electronically recorded. I will investigate that and report back accordingly. Again, a happy customer so far. I will write back after a few days with additional impressions, but so far, this fills a void between a "full size" lap top, and a tablet (of which I have 2). And by the way, you can't beat the price. Stay tuned...

Update 11/26:
Activated the 100g Google Drive storage. The gogo airline wifi is activated when you log on whilst onboard the flight, the Chromebook so far is exceeding expectations. Well worth the price, considering all the "extras" that are included (cloud storage and in flight wifi). If used as a second computing device, you absolutely cannot go wrong!

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I am absolutely in LOVE with this item. When I had a laptop I felt like I did not use most of the features as most of what I tend to do I do on websites with a few documents here or there. I had a netbook but it was slower than slow. I got rid of my laptop and netbook for a Kindle Fire HD with Blue Tooth keyboard but the keyboard was always too glitchy and trying to do any typing of substance even with that keyboard was too tedious for me. This Chromebook is the perfect thing for someone looking for a smallish laptop to do emails, facebook, blogs, documents, you tube, web browsing and that sort of thing on. It is light weight, the keyboard is awesome with each key spaced out nicely, and the best part is that it has no fan so it is quiet and does not get your lap warm. I can type just as fast on this as any regular keyboard, which is fast! It is super simple to set up and get started. I love that for each of my gmail accounts I can have a separate user on this device so everything is customized differently. I could not be happier with this and I am so glad I bought it.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

It's small, light, and starts up fast. We are already embedded in using Google products. So, this is great for all those Google products. The key thing is the keyboard. Unlike a tablet, you can use this keyboard like a completely normal one. It is completely productive.

We have had no problem with speed. It has kept up on everything we've tried. Well, when I've played music from Google Play it plays very well. However, it really hurt the multitasking. The speakers are pretty good for a computer this small, but they certainly aren't great for listening to good music. So, the playing from Google Play really isn't an issue.

This is almost a fully functional small computer. However, you have to be able to work in a completely Web based world. If that world is Google oriented, so much the better. Still, if you can get to it and run it in Chrome, you can run it. It isn't limited to just Google products.

We love it!

Highly recommended.


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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I was almost going to pull the trigger and get an Apple MacBook Air 11.6 but my wife mentioned to me that a friend of her's told her about the "Google laptop for $249". Well, I had to check it out. Since I use many of the Google Services - Mail, docs, voice, etc, and I also have an unlimited dataplan on my 4G LTE phone which I can tether the device to, I decided to give it a try. It works great for what I use it for. It is not the speediest of machines but then again at $249 it is nearly a disposable computing device after 2 years of use, btw, I think I will get much more than 2 year. Add in 12 passes for GoGo inflight internet coupons ($9 a piece) this thing was a bargain. Simply turn it on when in flight and it verifies you are on a Chromebook and you are logged in with your Google account (email) and you are surfing at 30k feet.

The battery does really seem to go the distance of 5hours and having no fan it is absolutely silent. It doesn't get hot but just warm to the touch near the back of the notebook where I think the processor is located. The keyboard is nice and very similar to the Macbook keyboards. It's a bummer there isn't a backlight but at the price point it is understandable why there isn't one.

One thing I am waiting for is a more mature upgrade/hack to run ubuntu ringtail. Someone at Google already posted a version that is supposed to work. It would make the device into a full blown laptop running the ARM Exynos Samsung processor. It will be killer to have this as a really lightweight (literally) but powerful Linux laptop for $249.

The only downside for this machine is that the surface scratches very easily. Other than that, at $249, this thing has really exceeded my expectations.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I received my Chrome book today and have spent the last few hours playing around with this. All I can say, as my review title mentioned, what am I missing here? So much of the what so many reviewers have said previously is absolutely true. If you know what you're getting into purchasing this device you will be very very satisfied with it, as am I. The screen is absolutely adequate for what you need. From the moment I fired it up I haven't once thought to myself that I wish it were brighter or clearer. The philosophical approach to this laptop is fantastic. I have loaded all my itunes music into google play, copied all my dropbox files to my google drive (which by the way is in fact 100 gb now!), and my gmail is of course already stored online. This device enables me to be self contained and able to work from this device for the majority of reasons I ever needed a desktop computer. Sure there may be occasions when I need to use the new MS office suite (2013) I just purchased but for 95% of my document needs googe docs/drive will work just fine. The entire cloud approach is very nicely represented by this chrome book and it does EXACTLY what it was designed to do. I am very satisfied and will likely log on again in a few weeks/months and provide a follow-up review. For now, I am sitting here playing my music on google play, just finished editing a MS word document I had stored and edited on google drive, and have also checked, and responsed to some email. All for $249. Seriously, cool stuff.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I got this for an early Christmas present (thanks Honey!)...I wanted to use it mainly to do web browsing and also to take it out to cafes, etc., and do writing on it. It is really an awesome little machine esp. for the price. It's got a great keyboard that's very easy to type on, it's very light and easy to carry around. I'm not very computer oriented and so, although I loved the Macbook Air when I saw it around, it is waaaaaaay out of my price range, especially for the (low level) tasks I'm using it for (surfing and writing). It is really fast, great to watch videos on....and it probably does a bunch of stuff I don't know about yet since I haven't really investigated its capabilities...I'll update my review if anything else comes up....but right now I'm very happy with it!



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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I LOVE it! I bought it primarily for travel because I wanted something small and light. I'm now also using it as a second laptop when my kids are using the other one. I got my unit about a month after I ordered it.

The unit starts up immediately upon opening, and shuts off in three seconds. The body isn't quite as pretty as Macbook Air due to the awkward hinge. The wireless connection is strong and it never drops a signal. HDMI seems to function well. I was able to stream ESPN3 onto my TV without problem. I'll focus my review on the 3G feature since I haven't seen too many reviews on it.

3G Feature
The 3G feature was easy to set up. Once you click on the setup box on the bottom right of your screen, it takes you to a VerizonWireless site where you register online with various plan options. It also assigns what looks to be a phone number for the account. I selected the free option which gives you 100MB of data/mos. for two years. The couple of other options I recall seeing are one that's based on the amount of data you select that expires after 30-days, and an unlimited data for a day for about $10. Nice to have when you've exhausted your free allowance and you're in need of connection. Having the flexibility to buy only the amount of data for as long as you want is a great option to have because it doesn't force you to commit to a long-term deal. And since its Verizon, the coverage should be excellent. I've been using the 3G for almost a month now, primarily to check my personal email at work, and so far I haven't run out of my monthly allowance yet. For a paltry premium of $80 over the wifi unit, what you get from the 3G unit is not only 100MB of data, but more importantly, access to 3G Verizon network. Most of the time, I'm on wifi, so the plan works for me. When you're in an area without wifi, it automatically connects to 3G.

The unit also comes with 12 free sessions of Gogo inflight internet access on a plane. Each session, if purchased separately, costs $14 so its quite a deal! When you start your Chrome on a flight with wifi and select Gogo, it'll recognize your unit and also recognize how many sessions are remaining. You punch in a security code on the screen and you're on line. It's that easy. I had a chance to use it twice on couple of American flights and it worked great. The only down side is that the signal on the plane is not sufficient to stream video. I tried to watch a movie on Amazon Prime and it took so long to load the video that I gave up. I also tried to do a video chat with my daughter using Google+. I was able to talk with her and send IM, but the video portion didn't come through, although toward the end of our short session, my daughter did tell me that she was able to see the old man. I did watch a movie via hotel wifi off of Amazon Prime without much problem, so I'm sure it was the signal on the plane that was lacking.

The only drawback for me was the quality of the screen. I would've gladly paid another $50 to have a better screen than the one they put in. I suspect it'll be fine for most folks, but for someone getting on in years and one that needs a new eyeglass prescription, it may be a small issue. For that, I'm knocking off 0.5 star.

I also ordered the Case Logic 12.1" Laptop Sleeve. At first I wasn't sure if I would like the handle because it looks a bit dorky. But it's working out good because with the power cord in the front pocket, it's not easy to store it in a brief case.

With every iteration, technology seem to be getting better. This is one very impressive unit - especially for the cost.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I absolutely love this thing, but this is information that I think is valuable when considering which Chromebook you want. There is software/online functionality available to the other Chromebooks (any of them that use an x86 Intel processor) that isn't available on the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook (ARM based processor), as of this writing (February 12, 2013). For example Netflix and Native Client, which is made by Google and allows Chromebooks to play some third-party games and programs, don't work yet on the Series 3 Chromebook. They promise they're working on it, so hopefully they'll be up soon and make this review irrelevant (please!).

Also I had a temporary issue where the Chromebook would not wake up from sleep mode. I don't know what caused it, and I don't know what fixed it, but it works flawlessly now.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

An inexpensive, yet well made, laptop that works for 90% of what I do on a computer these days. I can't see the point of waiting for my Windows laptop to spin up, wake up and tease me for a few minutes, just to check email. If you realize that the bloated Windows operating system is a business system that Microsoft is always trying to shove into smaller devices, it will forever be a losing proposition. Mac OS suffers the same signs of old age.

The fact that Chromebooks are basically running an OS that is still young and small and built on what has always been considered a superior OS (Linux and Unix), means that they are lean and light.

The hardware in this Chromebook is also minimal, with no hard drive, no removable battery and limited ports. But this tends to keep the user focused on what they're using this device for. And for surfing and running web apps, this thing rocks.

If you want to hack around the registry, overclock your CMOS or clean your dirty cache buffers (or whatever you kids do), build your own Windows PC and rock on.

This is not that. This Chromebook is great!

Note that Netflix doesn't stream on Chrome OS, but Amazon Prime videos do. Go figure.


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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

This chromebook is absolutely great for the purpose I bought it for. At my workplace, we use Google Apps for Business for email, calendar, docs very heavily. We do use MS Office for the normal things and I go to my Windows machine for that, but so much of my work is web-based, including my task management system that this Chromebook works well for a majority of my work. I have used the Chrome browser since it was released, and it is a robust browser that is obviously well integrated with Google Apps.

I take this small, lightweight, long battery life computer with me to meetings, on the train, wherever. The battery lasts me all day. It is not hot on my lap. It does what I need it to do very well.

Keep in mind you can't do on this what you could do on a full laptop- running full programs. This is web-based, and for the wi-fi version, you need an Internet connection to do much of anything. But I seem to have wi-fi wherever I'm at.

For $250, it's a screaming deal. It has replaced my iPad and bluetooth keyboard for mobile email and note taking in meetings.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

The laptop is wonderful. It's lightweight, good internet connection (although there are times when my 700$ laptop will get internet but the Chromebook will not - but I think that's just because of my school's mediocre service at times, 95% of the time, it's fine), and good speakers. The speakers are not the best (if you have a keen ear, or just listen side-by-side with something else) but most of the time I don't bother using better speakers. If you don't like the Chrome OS, you can always install another one, too (like Ubuntu). I was one of the first ones to get a Chromebook and people were concerned about the processing speed, but I frequently have 10 or more tabs open it doesn't seem to slow down.
The light weight is definitely a plus, since you can easily hold it in one hand.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I was looking for a device that was portable, yet, useful. I looked into tablets, but the biggest drawbacks on all of the tablets are that they are not "productive," at least in my opinion. Sure, you can get a detachable keyboard, however, they are ridiculously overpriced, bringing the total price around $600.. I am no not willing to pay that much for a secondary device.

I had been eyeing Chromebooks for while, but I was hoping that Google would release one at a cheaper price. This Chromebook made that wish come true.

Anyway, into the review, this Chromebook delivers as expected. I've had this for several days and I am very pleased with it. I recommend it to anyone who is willing to venture into something new. Yes, you will have to be invested in the Google applications, however, many of them are of top quality and there are plenty for you to do just about anything. I would like to point out that I absolutely love holding this Chromebook and carrying it around. The form factor is well balanced and elegant, doesn't feel its cheap (don't expect it to be like the top quality ultrabooks though).

Below are what I think truly makes this device a must have:

- Price
- Portability
- Instant boot, whether from sleep or from fresh start
- Battery life ( 6 to 7 hours) on a single charge, includes watching videos and playing music
- Keyboard and Trackpad (don't expect MacBook quality, but it is sufficient)
- Amount of apps on Chrome Web Store
- 100 GB of free space on Google Drive
- Sleek design
- Adequate screen

I honestly cannot think of any negatives, however, below are some of the areas that need improvements:

- Better optimization between Chrome Operating System and the hardware (at times, the performance can lag)
- Ability to watch movies via Netflix (I know they are working on it)

I know that as the time goes on, Google will be releasing updates to make the experience even smoother, so I am really looking forward to that and unlike traditional PC's (mainly Windows based), you won't have to wait long for updates.. I truly appreciate that from Google.

I'd like to point out that many people are saying that Skype is not supported (the hardware, mainly the CPU, ARM processor, is fairly new, so I am sure an update will come), however, in the meantime, you can download an app from the Chrome Web Store called "IMO." You can use your Skype credentials to sign via IMO.

Finally, it should be made clear that this device does not work like your typical PC's, where you can download any programs and such.. Many people gave this product a bad rating because it did not meet their "expectations." Therefore, the Chromebook is not for everyone, however, if you understand what it does and can work with it, honestly, you will not even think about using traditional PC's as much.




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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I have both the Samsung Series 5 550 and this new ARM based Samsung Series 3, and I love both. The ARM one is obviously cheaper, lighter and better looking, but also has slightly lower performance. The difference is hardly noticeable, but it's there in two places. First, when switching tabs (when having 10 tabs open); second, when viewing video generated by the Chromebook on a Google Hangout on another computer (i.e. the outgoing video quality is not as good as with the Series 5).

Other than those small differences, the two perform very similar and both are amazing devices. The Google suite of products covers most usage of Word and Excel users, and even most basic use of Powerpoint users. If you're into gaming or into video editing then you'll want something heavier, but for most people this $249 computer will be the one you go to most of the time. I have it on the kitchen counter, and the whole family uses it on and off for email, homework, YouTube etc. It's also a great computer for less computer-savvy folks (read: my sister). I sent her one, and she loves it, and I love it because it saves me tech support phone calls!

Considering this machine costs less than 1/4 of my MacBook Air, and gets most of the same things done, I think this is amazing value.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I've been looking for a light little notebook or laptop to travel with so I can check email and Facebook - check my bank account and credit card purchases while I'm away from home - and this is the most perfect little thing! It wasn't too expensive, it's small and very light, and it does what I want it to do with no muss, no fuss. I did a lot of research before I bought this product because I wasn't sure I wanted to go with a non-Windows product, but this is so easy to use I don't miss Windows at all. I'm glad I made this purchase.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I been using this Chromebook for days and I am truly impressed by its modern and contemporary design. I have to say that this product built quality is comparable to a Mac Book air due to the small and elegant size.

Chrome OS is truly remarkable! Google products are always top of the line. The 100Gb cloud free storage is an excellent way to close the deal.

Pros:
Battery life last all day.
It is very light.
The screen is good quality.
Touch pad is outstanding.
Keypad is great.
Speakers sounds decent.
100Gb cloud space is well beyond great.
Design is like apple quality but cost 75% less.

Cons:
Webcam is not HD (But is not a deal breaker)

This product is a MUST buy for those who understand that Chrome can do wonders and don't mind to have a different PC experience.


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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

The features are exactly as described by Google. It resumes from standby in 1 sec and battery life is amazing so I never really power down completely. Sign off and back on is quick for multiple users. VERY light, portable, and thin. I'm not sure why people think the build quality is cheap just because it's light. I just started using Google Drive and has been great to have access to my files from all my devices (Chromebook, Windows 7 laptop, cell phone, etc.)

The majority of my time on a computer is spent on the internet or typing emails. This is perfect for that. When I need to quickly check something online when in a hurry, I flip open the chromebook and can search much faster than my windows laptop (which even has an Intel SSD and weighs 7 lbs). Webpages load well, sometimes I can tell its not as fast as the Chrome browser on my Windows laptop, but the SSD alone for that cost me $230. Compared to my friend's laptop WITHOUT an SSD, the Chromebook kills the competition.

The track pad is larger than normal and easy to use. I like the double finger moves for right-click and scrolling, which are difficult to do on other track pads. Keyboard spacing is normal size.

The camera seems just OK. I havent tried it with Google Hangouts yet, but you can open the camera to take pics. Seemed to have a lag (compared to my samsung galaxy S3), but that phone is a $600-$700 device...

Demoed this to my mom, not the most computer oriented person, and she likes it too. Very easy to use. She just uses the internet and some word processing occasionally, and now doesnt have to worry and windows updates, virus protection, installing programs to clean up windows, and is very reasonably priced.

I love the direction this type of computing is going. Seems like it is focusing on just doing what you need well, instead of being overly bloated like windows.

Overall, a great product and definitely worth purchasing.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

This little gadget is alot nicer then I expected for the $. Very nice keypad and touchpad quick to startup and last about seven hours on a charge. So far I've used it for surfing, email, and youtube and playing some of the google app games. I really like the idea of all the google apps, docs and cloud drive so you can find all you stuff anywhere you log in. The screen resolution and sound are also very nice for a small laptop I will be taking this everywhere I go...
Rob D

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

Got the 3g version about a week ago, and love it so far. Lightweight, good battery life, good screen, ample/appropriate number of ports. The included data plan (100MB) works fine for me because, even though I have a 5GB hotspot as well, for email, web, and the like, 100MB is more than adequate for ordinary content consumption.

Pros:
Virtually no setup required beyond account info and network connectivity.
Lightweight OS performs very well from a performance perspective.
Activating the verizon service was painless and quick (quick phone call, setup the account, provide device number, done).
If system is on Wifi, all traffic routes through it even if 3g is turned on (no wasted 3G)
3G service shuts off at 100MB included cap, which prevents overages.
Fair number of plugins and apps for the OS and browser.
Quality display.
Good keyboard and touchpad.
3G service is great for what this device is intended.
Deep integration with Google services.
Browser support for Office365 is good; run MS Office on the Web if you don't like Google Apps, no need to install MS Office locally.
SD Card slot for expansion.
Near instant power on.
Multiple account/user support.
Can function as a hotspot.
Fast recharge.
Very lightweight.

Cons:
No audio support in bluetooth (huge shortcoming, requires a dongle)
Single, combined 3.5mm jack for headphone & microphone (have to buy a dongle/adapter or new headset).
SIM card slot, but apparently deactivated for US devices
Inconsistent support for large flash apps (example, Harley's bike builder app), but still looking into this.
Power brick is larger than expected.
No netflix support yet (surprising)
Tablet sized storage a (16GB; however, this is a cloud oriented device, so this isn't a big deal)

All in all, a very good device if you're not interested in running MS Office locally (you can do that at Office365) and don't have a need for a bunch of specialized third party apps. Between the generally good hardware design and performance, the available web apps, hosted productivity solutions such as apps Google Apps and Office 365, and the growing third party apps & extensions, this is a fairly complete offering at a ridiculously low price.

I'd much rather carry this than an underpowered e2-1800 AMD based netbook or i3/Pentium laptop weighing twice as much simply because they offer a big hard drive and more local app installation capability. This is a much better proposition for me, and it goes everywhere with me.


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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

I did my research about this laptop before i bought it. i was excited since day one. I bought this computer because i believe this is going to be the future of all technology and is a step towards what we as a people should be working towards creating. Everything has small beginnings, but what is only a small laptop capable of storing all my files on a cloud server now, is a universal hive-mind of infinite intelligence in the future.

I'm currently attending college and got this as my graduation from highschool, and so far its been amazing. I charge it every other day or so, i just use Google drive for all my school files, and they're accessible from everywhere. I have a desktop i use for heavier things like, non browser gaming, video and audio editing and watching movies (just cause of the bigger screen), but my chromebook takes care of everything else. Did i mention it has 3G for two years? that's like infinity dollars if you buy it any other way.

listen, bottom line, i love the lap, its tip top. everyone should just throw money at google and try and get them to replace our government, because one google party is better than any two party.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

If you are looking for a device to browse the web and use google services, this cannot be beat for the price. Nothing else comes close.

This is our second chromebook. The first was the original Samsung chromebook of about a year ago. I wasn't much interested in this device, but my daughter loved it - just loved it, and it became her primary computer, so I took a flyer on this one since it is smaller, lighter, faster and has better battery life. She loves it even more.

As a web browser, this device works very, very well. This is the full desktop version of chrome, and it works just as well and is quite acceptably fast. Access to gmail, google drive, google docs, etc is flawless. Every website I tried worked perfectly as expected.

The device itself is high quality with excellent battery life. This is no macbook air, but it's about a quarter the price.

Highly recommended.

I'll be getting another. I want this for traveling, but I'll never get our current one away from my daughter.

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

So after doing a lot of research, I felt very confident in my purchase of the chromebook. Originally I was going to purchase a tablet (Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD) but I really wanted something I could do work on. The Chromebook had everything I wanted including a keyboard, word processor, and it was easily portable. Here is what I think:

Pros:
- The quality of the laptop was incredible. I was at first wary of the all plastic build, but its very solid and smooth. I wasn't wild about the hinge on the outside, but I understand that is to make it more thin. The whole laptop feels great!

- The mobility is awesome...this thing is as light and thin as a Macbook Air. It can easily slip into a backpack or purse without being a nuisance.

- Zero moving parts, this actually really makes a difference. There are no vents blowing out hot air, it makes no noise, and it doesn't heat up at all!
-------------------
Cons:
- Not really a knock on the product itself, but it took me a long time to get my hands on one. Google hasn't done the greatest job meeting the demand for this item. Every store I went to was sold out of these laptops and didn't know when they would get any more.
-------------------

So, overall this is a great product! I suppose that, price included, this is one the greatest netbooks to ever hit the shelves. Just please know what this product is before you buy it, because it isn't a workhorse laptop to run programs. What it can do though is all your internet tasks plus word processing with ease.




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Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) Reviews

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

My 2007 MacBook Pro was having problems, and I didn't want to take the chance of being without the ability to get online and manage my business website. I went out to get a cheap PC, and ended up at first getting the Acer C7 Chromebook. After 2 weeks of trial, I couldn't stand it. I liked the Google system, but the screen was just awful. I went back to the same store to return it and get that cheap PC. I decided instead to try the Samsung Chromebook.

It is well made, easy to navigate, the screen excellent, and I'm thoroughly enjoying learning how to use Google Docs, and all the amazingly simple yet wonderfully utilitarian apps that are provided free of charge. I've started using gmail and little by little am loving it over Apple Mail. The keyboard is very comfortable, and I feel as though I've found the business tool I've always wanted.

I can program my WordPress business web page with ease.

I'll probably write more once I've gotten more familiar with the tools and options, but suffice to say, after 2 days, I am duly impressed. And this from someone who uses an Apple iPad and MacBook Pro!

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

My husband and I both have expensive, larger, heavier laptops. They were very heavy to carry when we traveled and also put off heat when in use. Because of the low price and size, we bought one Chromebook strictly for travel. Within 5 minutes of arrival, it was up and going. After fussing over it for two days, we ordered a second. We have not picked our laptops up since the Chromebooks arrived. The screen does not have the clarity and color of the more expensive models, but is more than sufficient. The battery life is as advertised, if not better. It was very easy to start printing and our printer is several years old. We also love the quick start up. We use the Chromebook mainly for surfing, managing emails, and watching instructional videos. The "His and Her" Chromebooks work perfectly!

This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)

A lot of people say the chromebook can be used as a paperweight when offline, but you can still use many applications and google docs. It really is great and fast, and pretty durable too. It boots up in less than 10 seconds right out of the box and stays that way forever. The best thing to do is to have a USB wi-fi hotspot to have internet wherever you go, and if you have a flash drive, this can be one of the best laptops you have ever owned. Google docs allows you to create word documents, presentations, and much more absolutely free. The low price is what made me a little worried to buy it, but when I did I was amazed. It also doesn't heat up and make any noise. In general it is a great computer, so everyone should try it out.


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