ChromeBook for the Mrs?

Well, my wife has, generally, kept one of the "old" laptops in the kitchen for music, to check mail, etc. whilst in that room. That one is about ready to give up the ghost though so I am looking for a replacement. As she already has a tablet, a regular WIndows 7 notebook, etc., I'm thinking a low cost ChromeBook will fit the bill.

Good idea or no? What unit should I look into? Would there be any trouble printing to network printers in the house?

Thanks all.

 

I am not well versed with Chromebook but from what I understand in some posts here, it is a light laptop or notebook with a Chrome for the OS hence the name. When I bought my niece a netbook, it has a smaller memory than the standard and the vendor said that the processor is not that fast because the main purpose of a netbook is for internet browsing and not for software with heavy memory usage (like video editing). I am imagining a ChromeBook would be the same - mostly for internet browsing with smaller memory capacity.

 

That is my understanding too, Corzhens. And something like 99% of the computing on this device will be web-based, so I don't see any real need for a Windows or Mac OS machine for this application. But, naturally, I'm looking for input before making the purchase.

 

If you wife already has a a tablet and WIndows 7 notebook, I don't think she needs anther device. You say your wife uses laptop to listen to music and check mails while in the kitchen, I believe a tablet or notebook will suffice. However, if you have already decided to get a new laptop for your wife, I think you have a better product in your mind. Chromebook is good, I have used it and I recommend this devic for those who are looking for a netbook.

 

After working for some time using a standard Linux or Windows Laptop...

The Change over to a Chromebook is ENORMOUS...

I spent my first week using a Chromebook - looking up - HOW TO USE IT - all the time - as the keys do NOT match the keys we are accustomed to

Fortunately I have a Niece whose Sister was using a Chromebook, so that Niece had mine - so that her sister could help her to get used to it... and I went back to a standard Laptop.

 

Right now the only niche that Chromebooks seem to fill is the the ones for cheap computers that you use while traveling so you can leave your nice laptop at home. Your scenario looks points towards media and content consumption and not content creation so I think a Tablet is sufficient for what you are asking. I would recommend you buy one of these tablet mounts (something like this: ) because if your hands are dirty while cooling you will ruin a keyboard but you can clean the surface of a tablet more easily.

Add a nice Bluetooth speaker so you can listen to music while cooking.

I can't help you about the printing part, why exactly do you need or want to print stuff from the kitchen? I think you can print from any Tablet though.

 

I personally like my Chromebook so much more then a windows computer, it is great for people that use only the internet because it is basically ran off the internet, and apps. It really doesn't have any programs on it, I like it becasue it is simpler to me and SO much faster. However I do use one of my Chromebooks for my business and I print A LOT, you have to have a chrome friendly printer to print straight from a Chromebook ( I do not have one), if you don't have one then you can network your Chromebook through a windows computer that is on to print off of it. Basically doing this you hit print on the Chromebook and it sends that print job to the windows computer which prints it. I use Samsung Chromebooks.

 

I think a Chromebook is fine for average users, who are not into design, play games, downloading music or movies, but just check emails, search the web, and do normal tasks. My daughter has one, and she likes it very much. It has lasted her longer than her normal laptop!

 

Well let me just say that I love my Chromebook. I will say that I think they are not for everyone, but if you are okay with the basics (and really if you need you can do most everything you can with any other laptop, just takes a little more effort) then these things are great. They are light, cheap and fast, which is perfect for having a little something on the go. I purchased one for that reason and it quickly turned into the machine I use the most. Hope she likes it, and thanks for sharing.