Chromebooks, are they any good?

Chromebooks are so cheap (subsidized by Google?) I feel that I will be buying a cheap Android Tablet with a Keyboard attached to it. I need a Laptop for "on the go" uses, and I am leaning towards something like the Asus Vivobook models which have a long battery life (10+ hours), but if I can save a few bucks buying a Chromebook instead why not? All I need it for, is being able to type and use Word processing software + accessing anything I do with a web browser. So are these Chromebooks real computers or just another Google stunt to lock you with their products?

 

That's basically what you're buying with one of those. A perpetually tracked Google device, subsidized by a government wanting your information and hoping you will buy and use one, which can control and restrict what you run and hold onto your data without your consent in remote locations that guarantee no freedom nor degree of privacy thereafter. They've made it to where even if/when you can use it offline, it isn't going to be worth your while to like it would be with a normal computer or laptop.

I don't consider them to be real computers, no. Not by my standards. They are digital devices that resemble and function like computers, and can be made to do things that an electrical circuit or computer is supposed to do...but in my honest opinion, they are completely compromised devices, and even for browsing on the internet, I would never use one to type on or do things with.

A lot of the less expensive laptops are now just android tablets with a keyboard being falsely labeled as a computer-equivalent laptop when they are not, and would be hard pressed to run anything that a laptop would normally. These are cheaper devices that often do not have the same processing, graphics, or hardware capabilities of a traditional laptop, and even when trying to use something like an ARM-based emulator (if you have an arm device), you're going to see a lot of issues and incompatibilities everywhere with it.

For developers, depending on what you can do, it can be a mild annoyance to outright unusable for anything you need to do, whereas users would just notice that many of them didn't function or work as well for everyday use as a laptop or desktop would.

You can install linux on them, but even that is subverted by Google. You have to use the developer switch/hotkey just to load it each time, and Google already has their hooks in (literally) with the hardware, even if you try to do that.

They're small, light, have a long battery, and are easy to type on...but that's about where the end of their convenience is, and where the deceit of them begins ultimately. I know people that use them...but honestly, I never would. I'd go for an intel or amd-based notebook, netbook, or fully-serviceable modular equivalent instead of a chromebook if given the choice.

 

Well I happen to love my Chromebook, and in terms of on the go uses it is perfect for me. I did get one of the nicer ones, a Samsung to be exact, just because you are kind of right it is just like a tablet with a keyboard, but the nicer ones make it a little more legitimate and better for other uses. I would recommend one for anyone with a couple hundred dollars to spare and needing something for on the go.

 

ChromeOS, which is the lite OS, just has some basic entertaining features like editing document, surfing the website, watching HD movies and playing some Android games. ChromeOS will be available to run over 1 million Android apps. But it can't run Windows software such as Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, etc.

 

Interesting thoughts! I have thought about getting one before too, just as you, for traveling purposes. The thing is, anyone can create multiple Google accounts, so you could very easily create a new one just for using with that computer. I would think you could even create a persona without much personal information on there.

 

I saw the commercial for chromebook and I like it a lot. I have to consider battery life as well as durability. I like to stay on computers for a while and do a lot of writing so I got to keep in mind the ease of writing with a computer. The chromebook looks very nice indeed and being a woman I like very light and durable little computers about 15" how is the chromebook on durability?

 

Some of them are made with metal parts, but those usually cost more of course. Manufacturers are reducing the quality of systems on purpose to match the prices they've conditioned the public to pay for them, just as the public has conversely conditioned the manufacturers to produce systems that are less like computers and computer systems, but are more like cheap bicycles, toaster ovens, or miscellaneous plastic houseware items that they expect to break.

That being said, you can expect the lower-priced chromebooks and the clones of them to be proportionate in price to what they are as quality, whereas other systems (even those that are still chromebooks but built with more stable materials and design options) will cost more.

It's kind of sad to see what they have done to computers as a whole with this and computer science by reducing it to the equivalent of a microwave oven in functionality and price...but I guess that's what the public wanted by majority, so now, that's what they've got.

You'll also see manufacturers trying to get away with even more tricks than this, though. There are some really horrible but "cheaply priced" devices that are calling themselves "laptops" or "netbooks" and are marketed as such, which are not anywhere near being a laptop or a netbook, and not even as functional as a chromebook.

The other day I saw a cheap android device paired with a keyboard and a make-shift screen that was put into an old MSI-wind netbook case and called "MSA laptop".

It was a Chinese seller who apparently thought they would be able to trick the rest of the world into buying a basic $20 android phone that was repurposed into looking like it was a netbook with the keyboard and touchpad attached. It was sneaky and really disheartening to see that, but that's what they do now, and the consumers fall for it repeatedly because they've been conditioned to not realize this or know better.

Granted, as much as I dislike chromebooks for their limitations and not being of use to anything I and a lot of other developers or users would do, they're not as bad as the things that some of these foreign sellers are trying to sell now with extremely low-end android devices that have been dressed up as these "new mini laptops". Most of the FAQ sections and manuals will tell you up-front that the chromebook can't be used for the other things, and even if you want to put a scaled down version of linux on it, you're going to be limited to using the developer mode each time to do it and still be restricted by the hardware. Anyone who buys those devices is going to be extremely disappointed or even angry at what they get down the road, and I don't blame them one bit if they are, but it becomes as much their fault for not researching it to know better as it does the manufacturers for trying to pull a fast one and sell them that way.

Although I can't recommend a chrome book with a clear conscience as a computer, what I can recommend is that if you decide to get one, that you get one with the most options, flexibility, upgradeability, and construction possible.

The lower end ones are sometimes built with cheaper or less than standard parts, but on the bright side they are not going to be running the type of programs that could overheat the system in most cases (the most action they'll see is H264 video encoding as a single thread if that), so you won't have to worry as much about them overheating like a traditional laptop...which is another good thing I suppose.

Some of the cheaper chromebooks have soldered-in SD/MMC storage as a primary drive and not a real hard drive though, and they only let you use an external SD card slot to get data on or off of it without a usb drive. I would avoid those, because it means you wouldn't be able to use a real hard drive at all on it if you wanted to unless it was an external drive, and with the limited ports and speed of the system already, it's going to slow it down rather than speed it up if you have to do that. If you need more features and options, you're going to gradually find a device of that type to be extremely limited. There's some super fast SSD drives coming out right now, but you wouldn't be able to use those if you're stuck with super slow MMC card reads and writes. Your only choices would be that, a flash drive, or running the entire system off of an external drive which is equally slow.

Another thing to consider is that you may want to get a printer or scanner, but find that your chromebook doesn't support or have drivers for it.

If you're using a laptop with Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, or even more supported versions of linux that you can configure more universally, you will have most of the drivers that you need to work with hardware for digital cameras, printers, scanners, external sound cards, external tablet input, and any other devices you want to use with it.

I'm not saying that you can't use maybe some of those on chromebooks...but just that if it's not part of the package already installed from the pre-made, pre-canned, and pre-sold systems for the masses, it's likely going to be difficult for a user to find what they need let alone implement upgrades to be able to use new things with it.

If you were using even the most low end macbook, Intel PC, or AMD PC netbook, or any other mini computer with a standard intel chipset that runs a version of any of the major operating systems, then you're never going to run into as many problems as you would (and do) with trying to get things to work. That, and you'll be able to piggyback on the support and universal drivers for the more traditional operating systems, since the factory drivers will always work, and you'll likely be able to always get them online again if you ever need to.

Google is supposed to be maintaining Chrome OS, but I somehow doubt they're going to include drivers for everything or maybe even purposely exclude drivers from manufacturers that are at odds with Google or their business partners (per the practices of Google with other things, you can pretty much count on that type of conduct).

The under-powered equipment is not going to run emulation of other operating systems well or at all, even in smaller ways, so the option of running a scaled-down version of windows 7, mac os x, or even XP to have partial driver support for a device through the emulated OS won't be possible on them, either.

Here's the gist of it from HP on their own Chromebooks. They just come right out and let you know that if you want to use external usb devices that work fine on a normal PC or laptop, you're probably not going to be able to: HP Chromebook FAQs

So if you just need a glorified digital type writer that surfs the web, plays music, and lets you watch movies while being locked into Google's app store and hope they have what you need, then you could get a chromebook for that for around $100 to $200.

If you just wanted a type writer that barely connects to the web and is basically a low-powered cell phone/tablet with a keyboard attached, then you could get or use one of those for around 60 or 70 bucks.

If you need a real computer or laptop, then just get a real computer or laptop for the same price as a chromebook +/- $30.

Half the time you can get a laptop that meets all your current needs and is as light as a chromebook and more durable, but won't limit you or prevent you from doing other things with it.

Between a chromebook that is $119 and an intel or amd netbook that is $139, there's just no way that I'd ever choose a chromebook knowing its limitations and all that it locks people out of while locking them into google only. For someone looking to save $20 and get a netbook that ways half a pound less and sees it like a toaster or tupperware then it might mean something to them to save that 20 bucks...but to me and others who can't settle for that, it becomes a dealbreaker very quickly.

If you buy one, just be sure you can budget to buy a real laptop later on if it doesn't meet your needs.

Although laptops and desktops tend to depreciate rapidly now more than ever with the speed at which hardware increases are moving, most chromebooks have little or no resale value and can't be upgraded or supplemented to make it possible for the owner of one to negotiate a decent price or trade for a real laptop once they're ready to get one.

Privacy and security are not to be expected with them either, since everything is sent, tracked, monitored, or remotely stored through Google or other manufacturers that work for them.

There's no way to verify who has your data beyond Google, and no way to protect yourself from the quirks of a proprietary system that can't be surveyed in hardware or software.

So for $20 difference, I'd never buy a chromebook when I could get anything else that is universal.

And for $60, unless my typing is offline and I intend to upload through a USB OTG cable to a hub to overcome android limitations in hardware, the even cheaper "MSA laptops" and clones of it are just not worth it, either.

Sorry for the longer explanation here, but those are some additional details as to why I wouldn't (or more over, flat out refuse to) use chromebooks and the knock-off android devices that showboat as computer systems but aren't.

 

Thanks I learned a lot. I do a lot of writing, so I need a regular laptop or a desktop.

 

IF YOU ARE USING A CHROMEBOOK

Take a look at your google activity just how much does Google know about you?

Thanks go to betanews.com for the link

This will help you to find out:


https://myactivity.google.com/

 

I recently bought a Chromebox which is the same basic thing, accept it is a desktop model. I have not had time to use it much yet but I soon will. I can say that it set up easily. and looks good. The box itself is tiny. I do like it in principal. I like keeping everything on G-Drive. And I can even print from it, wirelessly. I looks like it is going to really work out great for me. I have it in my work room and I am still busy tying up loosed ends before I can get in there and really start putting it use.

 

Glad to com across this thread about Chromebooks, as I was thinking about getting one for everyday uses since I am not techy by any mean. I am learning across from this. My daughter has a Chromebook and so is my nephew who is 11 and has to use Chromebook for school. This is where my thought of getting one comes in, but now I will look for something else.

 

I used my new Chromebox a little bit over the weekend. It works good. In this particular location, I have no need for a bunch of programs. I do need a photo editor and I found one in the Google web store, for free. The overall look of the Chrome Browser takes a little getting used to. It is a bit off-color. But it was not hard to set up my new printer to work with the Chromebox. It does everything I need it to do and I am very pleased.

 

I was thinking of buying a Chromebook, too, but when I read that it has limited features, I decided to keep my money and save some more to buy a faster and more powerful laptop in the future. I'm doing a lot of writing to make a living and I am also studying programming and soon, graphics and design so I need something more powerful than a Chromebook. Laptops are getting cheaper too, so there's even more incentive to buy one rather than a Chromebook.