Electronics

[gardenman]

I've been intrigued by Chromebooks for quite a while and finally broke down and got one. It's the Acer Spin 15 (currently on sale at a major retailer for $329.) It's a pretty neat looking little gadget. It's a 2 in 1 design so you can use it as a laptop or a really big and heavy (almost five pounds) tablet. It's got a backlit keyboard and generally very good reviews. It's got a 15.4-inch screen and seems to be about what I'm looking for. The end life date is June 2024 which is a bit sooner than I'd like, but four years of use isn't bad. It's supposed to be here by Monday, so we'll see if that happens or not. Deliveries all seem a bit screwy these days. It's a touchscreen also which could be useful. I've got to look around to see what kind of stylus I can find to play around with on it.

So, a new toy is on the way to me. I like the bigger screen so I opted for the 15.4" size. There are similar 2 in 1 Chromebooks in the 11" size range, but I already have a 10" tablet so that seemed kind of redundant. It's nice having a new toy coming. I'll have to see how it lives up to expectations.

[Mz iMac]

@gardenman"The end life date is June 2024 which is a bit sooner than I'd like, but four years of use isn't bad."

Does that mean no updates afterwards?

Enjoy your new toy!

[gardenman]

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@Mz iMac wrote:

@gardenman"The end life date is June 2024 which is a bit sooner than I'd like, but four years of use isn't bad."

Does that mean no updates afterwards?

Enjoy your new toy!

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Yeah, no more updates after that. It's Google's way to try and make sure hardware stays up to speed with their newer software. I suspect it would still be usable in existing form, you just can't update it for new features after that time, should Google offer new features in an updated OS. I'll worry about that in June 2024. They have a six-year life cycle for their Chromebooks and this is a nearly two-year-old model, so it's end of life cycle is June 2024. 

Software creators have a real challenge in making software compatible with hardware. Chromebooks don't tend to rely on the latest and greatest in hardware, so they can ignore things like the new Ryzen Threadrippers when they're creating software for Chromebooks but they still want moderately recent hardware.

[millieshops]

@gardenmanI know you'll report back to us -  and I'll be waiting to see your experience.

Almost bought a Chromebook 15 months ago and bought a traditional instead.  Already know that the first time something really goes wrong with it, I'm junking it!

Have a friend who has loved for Chrome for a few years now, but she has a major in-family techie. That always helps.

[Deree]

I was also contemplating a chromebook for the longest time but opted again recently for a Win10 laptop ONLY because of the end life of a c-book.  That really deterred me because my first (and previous) laptop lasted almost 12 years which I know is unusual but I'm hoping for at least 8-10 with this one.  But if this laptop gives me trouble I will go to a chromebook. I wouldn't go less than a 15" and I'm glad Acer makes them. Enjoy yours.  Please let us know how it goes.

[Alison Wonderland]

I have an Acer Chromebook and love it. Mine is small (smaller than an 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper) and also flips to be a tablet. It's so easy and convenient. It doesn't work for everything. When I was laid off and needed to submit resumes and job applications, I found that my online version of Word often formatted things in a way that didn't look as good as the complete version. I wound up visiting local libraries to use their computers to format and send my resume out.

Aside from that, it's done everything I've wanted it to do and it's so small and light that I can travel with it easily, as well.

[Nuttmeg]

@gardenman

LOL, tech folks always enjoy their new toys.

The EOL  user date of 2024 is great. Your new Chromebook should run apps from the Google Play Store, . 

I am not sure which version of Android this book will run. 

I have a new smartphone running Android 10, and this new OS has some nice features, like displaying text in dark mode. 

You maybe able to run your Microsoft Word on your Chromebook. 

My favorite app is SwiftKey. 

[FlowerBear]

I got one of these in the summer. i liked it so much, but it had a few issues that couldnt be fixed after calling the customer service and talking with them. they even did some things remotely and still didnt work. had to return it!

On cybermonday i ordered a lenova thinkpad on a good sale and like it SOOO Much. it is totally awesome.

DO hope that your new chromebook will work great!

[MorningLover]

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@gardenman wrote:

I've been intrigued by Chromebooks for quite a while and finally broke down and got one. It's the Acer Spin 15 (currently on sale at a major retailer for $329.) It's a pretty neat looking little gadget. It's a 2 in 1 design so you can use it as a laptop or a really big and heavy (almost five pounds) tablet. It's got a backlit keyboard and generally very good reviews. It's got a 15.4-inch screen and seems to be about what I'm looking for. The end life date is June 2024 which is a bit sooner than I'd like, but four years of use isn't bad. It's supposed to be here by Monday, so we'll see if that happens or not. Deliveries all seem a bit screwy these days. It's a touchscreen also which could be useful. I've got to look around to see what kind of stylus I can find to play around with on it.

So, a new toy is on the way to me. I like the bigger screen so I opted for the 15.4" size. There are similar 2 in 1 Chromebooks in the 11" size range, but I already have a 10" tablet so that seemed kind of redundant. It's nice having a new toy coming. I'll have to see how it lives up to expectations.

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First let me say, I'm not a 'techie person' but my husband is. 

That is the exact Chromebook I have been using. In fact we have 3 of them right now.  My husband is the "computer guy", (has used many different computers and can build one from scratch.) I just asked him what he likes about Chromebooks and he rattled off a few things 

1. They stay up to date

2.  They are not susceptible to viruses

3. You can browse on them

4. Down load apps

5. Meets our needs and are inexpensive

You can still continue using a Chromebook, or really any device with any operating system, even after the support window has passed; you just won’t get any further features or other updates.

[gardenman]

@MorningLover 

Yeah, this Chromebook has lots of very good reviews, so I'm giving it a shot. It has a lot of premium features in the touchscreen, backlit keyboard, 2 in 1 folding hinge, gorilla glass touchpad, and more. A few of the professional reviews said the image quality wasn't great, but customer reviews raved about the images, so I'll have to see for myself. I took a peek at the Acer Chromebooks in my local Walmart, which get worse reviews and they had a decent display and keyboard, so that was reassuring. Only Bestbuy sells this Chromebook and they've largely shuttered their stores, so I couldn't see it in person. The combination of features and price was too good to pass up. Now I just have to wait for it to get here.