Ken
7/28/2014 8:39 pm
Dr Andus wrote:
I think that Dr. Andrus gave a pretty good overview of where a Chromebook will or will not serve a person's needs. In my case, I decided on one because much of what I cannot seem to get done these days is web-based, and I have good wifi at home and at work. On the go, I have my phone, and it doubles as a hot spot. So, my Chromebook will function as a step up from my iPad in that it will be an almost instant on device, but with a reasonably sized keyboard. This is useful for me, as I frequently need to respond to email, and I sometimes cannot get to my desk and boot up my main laptop (which is hooked up to two monitors among other things). If I wanted to spend more money, I would have either bought a small laptop like the MBA 11" or a Lenovo Yoga. These have similar form factors, an important criteria for me, but as I really do not need their additional processing power and software, I decided to spare my wallet any more damage. The price differential is significant in comparison to this Acer, as I walked out the door, after taxes, with change from $200, and fully capable laptop of that size is no less than $500, and probably closer to $800. I am willing to live with these trade-offs, at least until my primary laptop needs replacing, and then I will reconsider.
--Ken
Stephen Zeoli wrote:
Thanks, Doc. I live in a rural area, where wifi accessibility is still
>hit or miss in a lot of towns, so I am always concerned about being
able
>to save files locally.
You're welcome. That's a valid concern. It really depends on what
exactly you'd want to use it for when you're offline. The main strength
of the Chromebook is the ease and speed of web browsing and using web
services, and the long battery life (7-10 hrs).
If we're talking about Google Docs and other files on Google Drive, it
is possible to sync Google Drive with a Chromebook and have it as
offline access. However, most Chromebooks come with small hard drives,
and so there will come a point when not all of the data will fit on the
local machine or where syncing may become too slow.
But otherwise offline Chromebooks can function perfectly well as
typewriters, notakers, outliners etc. (depending on the offline
availability of the given app), saving locally, and syncing later (with
your choice of cloud service, normally Google Drive, Dropbox, Box).
I think that Dr. Andrus gave a pretty good overview of where a Chromebook will or will not serve a person's needs. In my case, I decided on one because much of what I cannot seem to get done these days is web-based, and I have good wifi at home and at work. On the go, I have my phone, and it doubles as a hot spot. So, my Chromebook will function as a step up from my iPad in that it will be an almost instant on device, but with a reasonably sized keyboard. This is useful for me, as I frequently need to respond to email, and I sometimes cannot get to my desk and boot up my main laptop (which is hooked up to two monitors among other things). If I wanted to spend more money, I would have either bought a small laptop like the MBA 11" or a Lenovo Yoga. These have similar form factors, an important criteria for me, but as I really do not need their additional processing power and software, I decided to spare my wallet any more damage. The price differential is significant in comparison to this Acer, as I walked out the door, after taxes, with change from $200, and fully capable laptop of that size is no less than $500, and probably closer to $800. I am willing to live with these trade-offs, at least until my primary laptop needs replacing, and then I will reconsider.
--Ken