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Thread: Chromebooks - Any Users on the Forum?

  1. #1

    Chromebooks - Any Users on the Forum?

    Looking to invest in a Chromebook and throwing My lot in with Google OS would love to hear from any users as to pros and cons.

  2. #2
    Master Lampoc's Avatar
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    I've got one which I always take abroad with me. The big advantage is it's cheap and I'm not overly bothered if it breaks or I lose it. I think that's about it really for me and I still use Windows at home.

  3. #3
    Craftsman
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    Good topic as I have thought about getting one several times for travel and holidays.
    I had an android based tablet with keyboard thing, the hardware was fine but android is a @@@@@@ nightmare for laptop type things e.g. simple cut and paste was performance. I spent most of the time shouting at it in frustration.

    Some of the better Chrome Books do seem very expensive for what they are.

  4. #4
    PITA if you don't have WiFi all the time, but excellent battery life & very light.
    Andy

    Wanted - Damasko DC57

  5. #5
    I like them, used for web browsing & email they work well, even a little light word processing and spreadsheet is practical. Great battery life, instant-on, virus resistance and very very few system updates are the main selling points. I've bought several 14" screen Chromebooks in the sub £200 category and they've all been good. I'd say 2GB ram, 32GB drive is a minimum, processor speed doesn't make much difference.
    Last edited by docd; 5th June 2019 at 15:34. Reason: sp

  6. #6
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    I have a 2015 Chromebook Pixel (16Gb RAM, i7 processor) and it's an amazing piece of kit.
    As said above - you really need a permanent wifi connection to make the most of a Chromebook, but you can edit documents / spreadsheets etc offline if needed.

    All new Chromebooks will run Android apps, so pretty much anything you can run on an Android phone will work (to varying degrees) on a Chromebook.

    The ONLY reason that I still have a Window machine is because my company VPN solution doesn't have a Chrome O/S client that works.

    You can even get run steam on a Chromebook and play games (depending on spec), and most modern devices will run Linux natively inside Chrome O/S, which is cool.


    I'd get a model with at least a 1080p screen and 4Gb RAM.

  7. #7
    Craftsman
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    I would never recommend one. Except maybe for my mum. Its just a browser really. Can you even do anything with one without an internet connection?

  8. #8
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Tosh.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  9. #9
    Master
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    With my Windows laptop about to be pensioned off, I bought one with the intention of being my own computer - I don't do much beyond web browsing, email and edit documents and spreadsheets.

    I haven't invested the time to get the best out of it eg managing files in the cloud - nor invested in a mouse, which would help manage files etc.

    The pros and cons have already been outlined. For browsing it is brilliant and the fast start up and long battery life is invaluable.

    If I get a mouse I think it will do everything I need.

    ATB

    Jon

    Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    I use one occasionally
    Really I just use it for browsing
    I’m not a spreadsheet user etc
    Nor am I a gmail person
    It’s just a cheap way of using a big screen for browsing
    The instant on and off a huge bonus as no OS

  11. #11
    Thank you gents I love the ease of use and how awkward Windows OS can still be.

  12. #12
    Master pacifichrono's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sweepinghand View Post
    I use one occasionally
    Really I just use it for browsing
    I’m not a spreadsheet user etc
    Nor am I a gmail person
    It’s just a cheap way of using a big screen for browsing
    The instant on and off a huge bonus as no OS
    Me too! As a simple, laptop-style browser with occasional WP and spreadsheet tools, it's a very low cost option.

  13. #13
    PCWorld are currently running a 90 day trial, don’t like it hand it back for a full refund.

    Give one a go.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by justin44 View Post
    PCWorld are currently running a 90 day trial, don’t like it hand it back for a full refund.

    Give one a go.
    Cheers Justin appreciate the heads up I have a store about 10 minutes drive will have a look.

  15. #15
    How well do Chromebooks work with network printers? Currently we have a pretty old HP Envy printer that works well under Windows. Is this likely to work for a Chromebook?

    cheers

    David

  16. #16
    Master petethegeek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davidww View Post
    Currently we have a pretty old HP Envy printer that works well under Windows. Is this likely to work for a Chromebook?
    Does it appear on this list?

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by petethegeek View Post
    Does it appear on this list?
    It does indeed...

    HP ENVY 110 e-All-in-One Printer Series (D411)
    HP Smart app (print and scan only)
    HP ePrint app (Android only)
    Apple AirPrint
    HP Print Service Plugin (Android)
    Google Cloud Print
    HP Print for Chrome

    Been doing a little bit of homework. Sounds like HP Print for Chrome is pretty good. Might be tempted to have a try with a Chromebox then turn it into a dedicated Plex client when I'm done with it.

    Cheers

    David

  18. #18
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    i don't have a Chromebook but did install it's brother, https://www.neverware.com/freedownload, on an old netbook. If you are happy to do everything in the browser and use Google Drive, etc., it's fine. I played with it for a day and decided I would rather use a light Linux distro as I wanted something that was akin to a Windows desktop, without the hassle of it being Windows. I went with Kubuntu based on what this guy said, https://www.dedoimedo.com/linux.html. For something old I would choose MX-18 (think XPish).

  19. #19
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    Chromebooks are excellent devices, and many, many schools and colleges have switched over to using them. My wife is a Director of Education Technology working with many of the big players across the sector, here in the UK and internationally.

    Simply put - for 99% of general use, a decent Chromebook is all you'll ever need.

    The advantages are many - they are more reliable than laptops, last far longer on a single charge, lighter, and there are no software costs or requirements to install upgrades, and you never have to save anything as it happens continually in real-time, and thus you cannot lose your work or data (you can still use a Chromebook off-line, and as soon as it reconnects it will save your changes, and/or of course you can tether it to your phone). The other huge benefit is the ease with which you can share documents and work collaboratively.
    Switching to using a Chromebook requires people of our generation, brought up on MS products to make a mental switch to working with a/ The Google Suite - excellent, free, and continually being improved, and b/ thinking a little differently about your drive and storage structures.

    Chromebooks are generally not suited to tasks like video editing or professional level graphic design type work due to file sizes and the need for higher-end software.

    Hope that helps.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  20. #20
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Thanks TFB, we have multiple devices around our homes which other than phones all run some version of Windows, which as time goes by invariably seems to be pants, I've looked a few times at chrome and going by our experience with Google on android will give it a go given our fairly standard requirements.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  21. #21
    Master MarkO's Avatar
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    I have 5 chrome books all ASUS.
    2 are at school with my sons - there they do class work and homework on the school WiFi ( they are boarders)
    One of the best things for me in relation to the use of those two is they cannot play games ( the dreaded Fortnite) on them .
    The third is used by my dyslexic 9 yr old , at home and at school . This has made a big difference to her. Apart from school work we have it set up for her to listen to audiobooks. I loaded a memory stick with audiobooks and some ebooks so she can listen offline.
    The 4 th is a spare browser / Netflix viewer I have at work .
    The 5 th was thrown in the bin - I have a long boring story about ASUS customer service and the massive months long argument I had with them .

    Would I buy another chrome book - yes .
    Would I buy another ASUS anything- no.

    #1 son hates his chrome book because of the lack of gaming.
    Setting parental controls seems difficult at the moment.
    The school by boys are at has now stopped listing chrome books on the BYOD list so when the girls join them at school they will have to have something else - I’m not entirely clear why .

    So slightly mixed response here .

  22. #22
    Journeyman
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    I personally don't use one...but we have three in the house (one each for the wife and kids). They are light and robust, with good battery life and best of all for me...I don't have to deal with having to "fix" problems with them.

    We got rid of the kids tablets for these a few years back and it's been great. They can't play most games, so are mostly used for actual school work (google docs, and all those sites they use nowadays like lexia/rockstar maths)/youtube/netflix (when we allow them). My eldest now only uses his windows laptop when he has to do his programming homework - everything else is done on the chromebook

    Want a bigger screen, chromecast to the TV. Use an external keyboard/mouse? connect with bluetooth or usb. Want to factory reset...simple and fast to do.

    Our Toshiba chromebooks must be about 4 years old now, but still work perfectly - no slowdown at all (unlike a windows pc).

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    Chromebooks are excellent devices, and many, many schools and colleges have switched over to using them. My wife is a Director of Education Technology working with many of the big players across the sector, here in the UK and internationally.

    Simply put - for 99% of general use, a decent Chromebook is all you'll ever need.

    The advantages are many - they are more reliable than laptops, last far longer on a single charge, lighter, and there are no software costs or requirements to install upgrades, and you never have to save anything as it happens continually in real-time, and thus you cannot lose your work or data (you can still use a Chromebook off-line, and as soon as it reconnects it will save your changes, and/or of course you can tether it to your phone). The other huge benefit is the ease with which you can share documents and work collaboratively.
    Switching to using a Chromebook requires people of our generation, brought up on MS products to make a mental switch to working with a/ The Google Suite - excellent, free, and continually being improved, and b/ thinking a little differently about your drive and storage structures.

    Chromebooks are generally not suited to tasks like video editing or professional level graphic design type work due to file sizes and the need for higher-end software.

    Hope that helps.
    Mr Banana that is extremely appreciated will head down to PC World and take advantage of the deals on offer.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    Chromebooks are excellent devices, and many, many schools and colleges have switched over to using them. My wife is a Director of Education Technology working with many of the big players across the sector, here in the UK and internationally..
    How easy is it to connect to a NAS? I couldn't figure it out with Cloudready and gave up. Other than that I would happily buy one for the wife.

  25. #25
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wadebridge59 View Post
    How easy is it to connect to a NAS? I couldn't figure it out with Cloudready and gave up. Other than that I would happily buy one for the wife.
    I haven’t done it, but a quick google suggests it’s pretty straightforward:

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.g...hromebook/amp/

  26. #26
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    What is the best value Chromebook available at the moment ?

    With say 4Gb RAM and 64Gb minimum of onboard storage preferably with a 1920 x 1080 screen. Blu-tooth and a back-lit keyboard would also be good.

  27. #27
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    I haven’t done it, but a quick google suggests it’s pretty straightforward:
    Yes, that's the same as Cloudready, and I couldn't get it to work. I may change the Linux distro and tell her it's a new pc.

  28. #28
    Master petethegeek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wadebridge59 View Post
    How easy is it to connect to a NAS? I couldn't figure it out with Cloudready and gave up. Other than that I would happily buy one for the wife.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    I haven’t done it, but a quick google suggests it’s pretty straightforward:

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.g...hromebook/amp/
    Should now work straight out of the box without needing to load the additional app. (Chrome OS currently at 74.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Network File Share for Chrome OS
    Access your network file shares directly from the Chrome OS files app.
    Since Chrome 71, SMB is now natively supported by Chrome OS and this Chrome extension/app is deprecated. The new implementation is an order magnitude or two faster and much more reliable.

    On Chrome 71 or higher you can:

    Open the files app
    Click the "three dot menu" in the top right
    Choose "Add New Service"
    Choose "SMB file share"

    A dialog in settings will open (in 72 and later it's a standalone dialog). Enter your share information as before.

    You can uninstall the chrome app as it will be deprecated in the near future.
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...fhopkajk?hl=en

  29. #29
    Master robcuk's Avatar
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    Be aware they do go EOL eventually!
    I just updated our old HP 11” Chromebook and received s message saying’ your device will no longer receive updates’

    Not bad, at 5 years old, but I’ll likely replace it with one of those new 2 in 1 jobs, as we only use it as a ‘spare’ device for houseguests and for holiday use (reduced since we upgraded to 2 x 12” iPad Pros.

  30. #30
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by robcuk View Post
    I just updated our old HP 11” Chromebook and received s message saying’ your device will no longer receive updates’
    Slap https://mxlinux.org/ on it if you enjoy learning. https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/eeepc-mx-linux.html. MX is very XP, nicer experience with Kubuntu, https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/kubuntu-cosmic.html, which is what I use. 5yo should run Kubuntu OK.

  31. #31
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BadgerUK View Post
    What is the best value Chromebook available at the moment ?

    With say 4Gb RAM and 64Gb minimum of onboard storage preferably with a 1920 x 1080 screen. Blu-tooth and a back-lit keyboard would also be good.

    Difficult to answer, as I don't keep tabs on the market, but the latest generations obviously have the touch screen, but also twist and fold into a tablet if you need the convenience.

    Google's own products seem to be well regarded, and Samsung also make Chromebooks - and Samsung stuff is usually pretty decent.

    I hope that helps, but the best way to really get on board with these is to buy a simple cheap one, get the hang of it (very simple), make the mental transition, and then buy a higher spec one. You can buy something perfectly decent second hand from ebay for very little money to try one out.
    So clever my foot fell off.

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