I’m a big fan of Chromebooks. I purchased my first Chomebook, a Toshiba 1st Generation, a few years back. Even though I am comfortable with technology, I love the simplicity, affordability, and how Chromebooks just work allowing me to focus on what matters; my work.
More times than I can share, Windows would “get in the way” of focusing on what matters. I’d be buzzing along and then an error, update, or some odd behavior, would sidetrack me for hours. Sometimes I only wanted to do something simple, like check information on a webpage, but the operating system would get in the way. I have not had this happen with my Chromebooks.
On the rare occasion that my Chromebook crashes, I’m back working in about 30 seconds! If something gets messed up, I can reset the computer to factory settings (called a Powerwash) in about 5 or 6 minutes. Resetting Windows would be a two to three day ordeal. Even a simple reboot could take up to five minutes to get back working!
Chromebooks just work. Updates take about 30 seconds. Staring from an off state to browsing the internet takes about 30 seconds. When I open my chromebook’s cover it “wakes up” from sleep mode almost instantaneously. Sometimes my Windows laptops never “wake up” and I have to turn them off and back on and waiting four or five minutes for them to boot. My chromebook acts like a tablet, but has a full keyboard. Actually, my Acer R-11 is a 2-in-1 so I can flip the screen 180 degrees and use it in tablet mode. Along with the usability, most Chromebooks are under $300 and some under $200. If the above wasn’t reason enough, the Chromebooks I’ve used last pretty much all day on a charge!
Chromebooks are not “power” machines and are not designed to run high end software packages. Since most people don’t run high end software, a Chromebook is all they really need. Anything else is overkill. Is an i7 computer really need to check email, or read Facebook? Sure, it is nice, but not needed. A Chromebook easily allows someone to check email, do online banking and shopping, work on Google Docs, connect with others through Facebook, Hangouts, etc. Plus, Chromebooks don’t suffer from the virus and security issues that other operating systems do, making them systems that “just work.”
I turn on my Chromebook and it works. Over the past three or four years I’ve spent much less time dealing with technical problems and more time writing, reading, and working. I like that! While Chromebooks might not be for everyone, if you are looking for a new computing solution and mostly compute “in the cloud,” check one out. Use it as you travel, or as a second computer. You might find how great it is to have a computer that just works.
It is possible to use Chromebooks beyond tasks on the web. In my next post I will outline how I use my Chromebook to access multiple Windows machines, use Linux, Scrivener, and have an environment for web development.
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