topic Re: Chrome book in Electronics

Chrome book

Angel_Girl — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 20:35:23 GMT

Can anyone recommend a Chrome Book for a 14 year old. He does use Google classroom in some classes at school. TIA

Re: Chrome book

maestra — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 20:59:01 GMT

My middle school students for the past several years have used Chromebooks in school to replace text books.

I cant recommend a certain type but can say from my school experience that ASIC are rubbish.

I just retired.

Re: Chrome book

shoptheQ — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 23:50:01 GMT

I love my Toshiba chromebook. Highly recommend.

Re: Chrome book

Toppers — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 02:51:29 GMT

@Angel_Girl wrote:
Can anyone recommend a Chrome Book for a 14 year old. He does use Google classroom in some classes at school. TIA

Hi @Angel_Girl,

If the school is using them, I would find out what kind they are using. Chromebooks come in different sizes, with different amounts of memory to them.

That being said, both my husband and I have 11.6" Chromebooks.

Mine is a newer HP, that I got back in November of last year, and his is an Acer Chromebook that he got in November of 2014.

The differences between ours are the colors and the keyboards. My keyboard is white, and the keys seem to be easier to type on. His are black, and I think that his keyboard is a little bit more difficult to type on. He agrees with me.

Also, my hard drive is a flash drive, and his is a solid state drive.

Re: Chrome book

Jordan2 — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 19:38:39 GMT

I want to purchase a new computer. I was thinking of buying a Chromebook since they're not that expensive I figure if I don't like it I can still buy a new laptop. I'm not tech savvy and was wondering if this is easy to set up right out of the box? Also I know there is not much storage on the Chromebook itself, you get cloud storage free for 2 years. What do you do after the 2 years? Also I was reading that Chromebooks have an end of life and only get updates for a certain number of years, is that true? I was looking at an Acer Chromebook 14" or Toshiba Chromebook 2.

Re: Chrome book

151949 — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 16:48:33 GMT

I love my Dell chromebook. Bought it from the dell website - price was great and it has a rubber type case around it to help absorb shocks if it is dropped - important for me because of arthritis in my hands and the keyboard is also water resistant. Not water PROOF but at least resistant. They are made for kids.

Re: Chrome book

Toppers — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 18:03:21 GMT

@Jordan2 wrote:
I want to purchase a new computer. I was thinking of buying a Chromebook since they're not that expensive I figure if I don't like it I can still buy a new laptop. I'm not tech savvy and was wondering if this is easy to set up right out of the box? Also I know there is not much storage on the Chromebook itself, you get cloud storage free for 2 years. What do you do after the 2 years? Also I was reading that Chromebooks have an end of life and only get updates for a certain number of years, is that true? I was looking at an Acer Chromebook 14" or Toshiba Chromebook 2.

Hi @Jordan2,

You can always buy more Cloud storage, if you want to.

Here is a link to End of Life info. for different Chromebook models, from Google Support:

https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en

I think that they are easy to set up, out of the box.

You plug it in, and then just follow what comes up on the screen regarding the fields to fill in, in order to get connected to the internet.

Re: Chrome book

Jordan2 — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 18:41:04 GMT

@Toppers wrote:
@Jordan2 wrote:
I want to purchase a new computer. I was thinking of buying a Chromebook since they're not that expensive I figure if I don't like it I can still buy a new laptop. I'm not tech savvy and was wondering if this is easy to set up right out of the box? Also I know there is not much storage on the Chromebook itself, you get cloud storage free for 2 years. What do you do after the 2 years? Also I was reading that Chromebooks have an end of life and only get updates for a certain number of years, is that true? I was looking at an Acer Chromebook 14" or Toshiba Chromebook 2.
Hi @Jordan2,

You can always buy more Cloud storage, if you want to.

Here is a link to End of Life info. for different Chromebook models, from Google Support:

https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en

I think that they are easy to set up, out of the box.

You plug it in, and then just follow what comes up on the screen regarding the fields to fill in, in order to get connected to the internet.

@Toppers thank you for your reply and the link! I will definitely read it. I just read the link, if I understand correctly you need to get a new Chromebook every 3-5 years depending on the model?

Re: Chrome book

151949 — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 19:12:55 GMT

You don't have to get a new one every 3 years but they won't get automatically updated after the end of life date. Honestly, what can you expect from a device that only costs a couple hundred dollars in the first place? Anyway -my chromebooks EOL date isn't till 2020.

Re: Chrome book

Toppers — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 19:42:14 GMT

Hi @Jordan2,

It looks as though the average age of the End of Life for most of the Chromebooks is somewhere around 5 years of life, depending on when it was manufactured, from what I can tell.

For some, it looks like 4 years, and for some, it looks like around 6 years.

According to the article, Google is just saying that the software will become obsolete by that time, and that "updates are not guaranteed."

This is just my own opinion that I'm going to add here, but if you want a point of reference, just think about Windows too, and think about the support that's offered for their operating systems. Think of it in the same way, where it also has expiration dates for it.

Software changes all of the time. By the time that you buy a new computer, another one is ready to be launched, and others are being developed. That's how it is with technology.

Re: Chrome book

Nuttmeg — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 20:05:11 GMT

@Toppers wrote:
Hi @Jordan2,

It looks as though the average age of the End of Life for most of the Chromebooks is somewhere around 5 years of life, depending on when it was manufactured, from what I can tell.

For some, it looks like 4 years, and for some, it looks like around 6 years.

According to the article, Google is just saying that the software will become obsolete by that time, and that "updates are not guaranteed."

This is just my own opinion that I'm going to add here, but if you want a point of reference, just think about Windows too, and think about the support that's offered for their operating systems. Think of it in the same way, where it also has expiration dates for it.

Software changes all of the time. By the time that you buy a new computer, another one is ready to be launched, and others are being developed. That's how it is with technology.

I have a Nexus 7 2013 tablet. It came with Android 4.3, and now has Android 6.01. It gets security updates each month, and OS updates when the are available until 2017. A quality chromebook like a Dell costs $649. There are many reviews online to help with finding the right chromebook.

Re: Chrome book

Laura14 — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 20:11:33 GMT

I have an Acer that I got as a Black Friday special last year for $99. I love it and use that over my laptop most days.

Storage is online in the cloud (I honestly rarely store anything) but you can always use a usb jump drive too if you think you'll outgrow the cloud anytime soon. Just make sure the one you get has a USB port. Mine does.

If you are looking to store a ton of stuff on the machine itself, a laptop may be a better choice.

Re: Chrome book

Toppers — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 23:05:01 GMT

Hi @Nuttmeg,

Yes, there are some really nice Chromebooks out there.

My little HP Chromebook is pretty basic. I'm quite happy with it, as I was looking for something where I could basically watch videos, listen to music, go online, and use it for Word Processing. It suited my needs and my budget.

Re: Chrome book

151949 — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 23:28:37 GMT

WOW $649 -- what on earth does it do that my $219 one doesn't?

Re: Chrome book

Nuttmeg — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 00:02:53 GMT

@151949 wrote:
WOW $649 -- what on earth does it do that my $219 one doesn't?

It is just has different specs.

Re: Chrome book

bonnie f — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 02:03:03 GMT

i got an hp chromebook, not from here, from a well known store, got the extended warranty glad i did, already had to send it back they said it was the mouse pad not working right... idk its ok so far..... love my computer, its all i need only use it for surfing the web emails etc.... if it breaks down again, i'm demanding a new one! but i would definetely get another notebook im thinking of getting a tablet also, for times when my computer does break down, i was without one for about 2 weeks

Re: Chrome book

Bigbear52 — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 02:52:52 GMT

@shoptheQ wrote:
I love my Toshiba chromebook. Highly recommend.

Me too! I have the the Toshiba chromenbook 2, with the HD 1080p and the 4GG of ram. I absolutely love it! there was 100GB of Google Drive storage for 2 yeaars included, that gave me 115 all total. I've only used 424MB to date, so I'm not worried as to whether at the end of the 2 years if I will purchase additional drive storage. I'll be in to my last year of the drive storage in September. I can't say enough how much I love the computer, practically no learning curve, and there was no way I was going back to a windows computer.

Re: Chrome book

151949 — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 03:41:57 GMT

@Bigbear52 ITA no way I want to go back to a windows computer.We have a dell windows laptop and a dell large desktop with windows 10.I get so impatient when I have to use one of them for something. Plus - when I got a new chromebook in January - all I had to do was enter my e mail & password and VIOLA - everything from my previous computer came over in a few seconds - it was just like using my old computer - no learning curve.

Re: Chrome book

Bigbear52 — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:26:06 GMT

@151949 wrote:
@Bigbear52 ITA no way I want to go back to a windows computer.We have a dell windows laptop and a dell large desktop with windows 10.I get so impatient when I have to use one of them for something. Plus - when I got a new chromebook in January - all I had to do was enter my e mail & password and VIOLA - everything from my previous computer came over in a few seconds - it was just like using my old computer - no learning curve.

I hear ya, I was using an HP laptop I bought in early 2007, in 2013 the monitor burnt out, among other things the fan had long sinc e seized, the computer still fired up, I was using my TV as a monitor, the TV just happened to have the VGA connection, the laptop didn't have an HDMI output, don't think it existed when the HP was made.It served me well that way for about a year or so, finally I had enough. I was using windows vista. I had bought a cecent 10 inch RCA tablet with a keyboard case, great little tablet, still use it. Last year I decided to just go for my Toshiba chrome book 2. You're right, no learning curve at all! I was kinda familiar already with chrome browser, I was using it on the HP, and the tablet. I lobve the fact you don't need to run anti virus, it updates aotomatically, no fan in the model I have. The 2015 Toshiba chromebook 2 does have a fan it, it also has a backlit keybopard. I've contemplated trading up. I haven't used a fraction of my 100 GB of drive storage. I already had a free 15 GB. I'm not running a business or anything, mostly just browsing the internet, shopping, Facebook, watch an occasional video. I just love the look and feel of the whole thing. Good luck with yours! Thanks for reading and replying.

Re: Chrome book

Nuttmeg — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 10:17:07 GMT

@Jordan2 wrote:
I want to purchase a new computer. I was thinking of buying a Chromebook since they're not that expensive I figure if I don't like it I can still buy a new laptop. I'm not tech savvy and was wondering if this is easy to set up right out of the box? Also I know there is not much storage on the Chromebook itself, you get cloud storage free for 2 years. What do you do after the 2 years? Also I was reading that Chromebooks have an end of life and only get updates for a certain number of years, is that true? I was looking at an Acer Chromebook 14" or Toshiba Chromebook 2.

Have you considered using your iPad as a laptop? There are many app. You could get a keyboard case.