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I bought a Chromebook !

sfbloodbrother

sfbloodbrother

Extreme Android User
Google announced new HP Chromebooks the other day. Since I didn't like the feel of the Samsung Chromebook (I mentioned in another post) I was surprised to see the new HP Chromebook 11. I got this one mainly for school, because the ones in school sometimes take 20 minutes to load up, and its not something I can call mine. I finally have a laptop that's mine. Now, I'm broke, and need to save some money. :)
I'll be happy to share my experiences with it when I actually get my hands on it.
 
Now we both have Chromebooks! :) Mine arrived yesterday. It's the same Acer Nick has, but mine has a 320GB hard drive. I found a great deal on it the other day and just said to hell with all this vacillating back and forth, just buy it already. So I did. I've installed Ubuntu on it and am now installing Kubuntu.

I like the Chromebook, but good grief is it SMALL compared to my laptops. I'm sure I'll get used to its [much smaller] screen, but I can't seem to stop hitting the wrong keys. Maybe with practice...
 
MoodyBlues said:
Now we both have Chromebooks! :) Mine arrived yesterday. It's the same Acer Nick has, but mine has a 320GB hard drive. I found a great deal on it the other day and just said to hell with all this vacillating back and forth, just buy it already. So I did. I've installed Ubuntu on it and am now installing Kubuntu.

I like the Chromebook, but good grief is it SMALL compared to my laptops. I'm sure I'll get used to its [much smaller] screen, but I can't seem to stop hitting the wrong keys. Maybe with practice...
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Yes, I imagine it wont be much bigger than my Note 10.1





mikedt said:
Yeh...it doesn't have a hard drive or DVD, so it's not a laptop and therefore it must be a bomb.
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We dont need a dvd drive. Ive used my dvd drive once on my computer, and that was to install windows. Never pushed the button again. And we all need to use ssd now. Its amazing! But the cloud may replace that one day.
 
Look at the difference between my new Chromebook and my REAL laptop! :rofl:

old_new.jpg
 
My Acer is silver. never saw one in black (except for the HP model). i actually like the smaller form-factor. it's ultraportable (even lighter than the Aspire One) and almost too portable. it's digital crack. the keyboard doesn't even feel cramped. i'm actually having to relearn full-size keyboards since i got my MacBook Pro. tablets have almost replaced the need for laptops so perhaps i'm just adapted to the 10" screens on the iPad and Nexus 10? so a netbook-sized laptop doesn't feel smallsy.
 
nickdalzell said:
My Acer is silver. never saw one in black
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It's not black, it's silver. What you're seeing in the pic is an optical illusion...er, bad lighting. :laugh:

(except for the HP model). i actually like the smaller form-factor. it's ultraportable (even lighter than the Aspire One) and almost too portable. it's digital crack.
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We'll see if it has that effect on me.

the keyboard doesn't even feel cramped.
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It still does for me, but it's still brand new. Plus, I keep switching back and forth from it to my real laptop, which just makes it tougher to get used to.

i'm actually having to relearn full-size keyboards since i got my MacBook Pro. tablets have almost replaced the need for laptops so perhaps i'm just adapted to the 10" screens on the iPad and Nexus 10? so a netbook-sized laptop doesn't feel smallsy.
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I honestly can't imagine tablets ever taking the place of real computers for me. I really need large screens and real keyboards. When I'm working on designs for my shops, I have large graphics open all over the screen, lots of them, and there's no way a tablet will ever be adequate for that. For example, I'll have two similar photos open side by side so I can decide which one I like better; I need to actually be able to SEE them both! :)
 
MoodyBlues said:
It's not black, it's silver. What you're seeing in the pic is an optical illusion...er, bad lighting. :laugh:


We'll see if it has that effect on me.


It still does for me, but it's still brand new. Plus, I keep switching back and forth from it to my real laptop, which just makes it tougher to get used to.


I honestly can't imagine tablets ever taking the place of real computers for me. I really need large screens and real keyboards. When I'm working on designs for my shops, I have large graphics open all over the screen, lots of them, and there's no way a tablet will ever be adequate for that. For example, I'll have two similar photos open side by side so I can decide which one I like better; I need to actually be able to SEE them both! :)
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What if you can connect many screens to your tablet, as well as a keyboard, and mouse? I think that's where the market is going. Ubuntu has a really good understanding.
 
MoodyBlues said:
But why bother? Who wants a bunch of physical screens all over the place when one large screen suffices?


If I ever buy a tablet I'm sure a keyboard and trackball will quickly follow. :)
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Or have one screen, or a TV. That's how Ubuntu phones are. Its pretty cool, to have a full desktop in your pocket.

I wonder if android and chrome will ever merge.
 
When you live in a trailer with limited space, and spend more time on the couch, a bulky laptop with its power cord is hardly as convenient as a super light tablet. I only get out a laptop when I'm gone for the weekend. Besides, the old ritual of 'get laptop case out of closet, unpack power supply, trackball, computer, hook it up, drag the setup to the couch and deal with the hot computer on my lap, then reverse that when done,' seems far too long vs. 'pick up tablet off charger stand, browse web.'

The Chromebook helps since it gets a decent battery life, so no power cord, is tiny so no need for a case and feels a bit like a Transformer Prime with the keyboard attached. It also runs much cooler.
 
nickdalzell said:
When you live in a trailer with limited space, and spend more time on the couch, a bulky laptop with its power cord is hardly as convenient as a super light tablet. I only get out a laptop when I'm gone for the weekend. Besides, the old ritual of 'get laptop case out of closet, unpack power supply, trackball, computer, hook it up, drag the setup to the couch and deal with the hot computer on my lap, then reverse that when done,' seems far too long vs. 'pick up tablet off charger stand, browse web.'

The Chromebook helps since it gets a decent battery life, so no power cord, is tiny so no need for a case and feels a bit like a Transformer Prime with the keyboard attached. It also runs much cooler.
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I agree, when I want to sit on the couch, I do not like to use my laptop. I prefer a Tablet.
 
nickdalzell said:
When you live in a trailer with limited space, and spend more time on the couch, a bulky laptop with its power cord is hardly as convenient as a super light tablet.
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Yeah, I can definitely see that.

Besides, the old ritual of 'get laptop case out of closet, unpack power supply, trackball, computer, hook it up, drag the setup to the couch and deal with the hot computer on my lap
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When I was sitting on the couch with a laptop, I didn't have that problem! I used my old 'lap desk' thingy my husband bought me when I was in college. Its base is fabric filled with little Styrofoam balls (so it adjusts to your lap), and the top is a hard surface. On that, I taped four soda bottle caps so the laptop was raised off the surface, to allow air to circulate under the laptop. Problem solved! :D
 
sfbloodbrother said:
I agree, when I want to sit on the couch, I do not like to use my laptop. I prefer a Tablet.
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I have to agree. Using a tablet in this fashion is much better then a laptop. Why you can even lay down while using it, bring it closer to the eyes also. This is provided you're not doing anything serious.
 
my daily use consists of mainly browsing the web, checking email, Facebook and that's pretty much it. the rest of that time is spent watching TV or using Netflix.

games are usually a weekend affair, and i have a MacBook Pro and a Windows 8 gaming laptop for those things. i am hoping that most of those games will also run on the Mac since then i could ditch Windows for keeps in ways that Linux can't even do (some of those games have Mac ports, but alas, no Linux ports.)

That isn't to say that tablets don't do well for games either. i have some GTA games, a very neat pinball sim, and some game show games i enjoy wasting time on (Price is Right Decades, Wheel of Fortune)

I never print, so i have no printer, i never write documents or do spreadsheets, so no need for office software. i don't do taxes, i don't do PowerPoint, so none of those more 'serious' uses apply to me.
 
nickdalzell said:
When you live in a trailer with limited space, and spend more time on the couch, a bulky laptop with its power cord is hardly as convenient as a super light tablet. I only get out a laptop when I'm gone for the weekend. Besides, the old ritual of 'get laptop case out of closet, unpack power supply, trackball, computer, hook it up, drag the setup to the couch and deal with the hot computer on my lap, then reverse that when done,' seems far too long vs. 'pick up tablet off charger stand, browse web.'
Click to expand...

Couple of weeks ago, I was staying in a large youth hostel in Beijing, for a break and to see friends. And in the communal area, where the WiFi is, just about everyone was using tablets and smart-phones. Whereas only a couple of years ago, one would have seen a load of bulky laptops, with a huge tangle of trailing sockets, power-packs and travel adapters. Mind you it was mostly American tourists complaining and despairing that they couldn't get Facebook.... :rolleyes:
 
MoodyBlues said:
How do you manage that? I'm always having to print something, whether it's shipping labels or legal documents or whatever. :confused:
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I do quite a bit of office productivity type stuff, but I rarely print things. Most of my documents and materials remain in an electronic format. I don't have a printer, and on the rare occasions that I actually do need to print something(hard copy), there's a printing shop just around the corner. :)
 
i just never had a need to use a printer these days. i used to when i was in college and used to write in Office a lot to do my studies, but afterwards, most things being online, online bill pay, online email, etc, i just never saw the point. i have no need to write things up in a spreadsheet or word processor. if i need something on paper, i use a pen or pencil and notepad. an actual notepad. not a tablet. so far the only things on paper currently are my insurance ID cards which are sent in the mail, making it unnecessary to print them from an email. shopping lists? the ol'e brain has those. other bills are electronic pay or are paid for automatically. bank is all direct deposit. a printer is just redundant in my life.

The only other use i had for printers was to print photos of things, mainly my deer friends, on photo paper after taking them with my digital camera, back then a Sony Mavica. these days, my photos are on my computers, tablets, smartphones as wallpaper images or stored in the 'photos' apps. as for photo frames, that's digital as well. if i feel the need or inclination to print any more, rare as it would be, there are many kiosks in town to use.

all my lists are electronic as well. on my Android phone, i have sticky note widgets to keep track of things like my meter readings each month, and a couple of apps i use while shopping to make sure the ingredients in my food are vegan. everything is just digital in my life :) ebooks, email, ingredient lists, cookbooks, i have more than enough gadgets to replace all of them.
 
I went years and years before ever buying a printer. At the time I would do all my printing from the job. After all, they would have some great laser printers and plenty of toner & paper.

I finally broke down and bought me an ethernet AIO printer about 5 years ago and it's still running pretty good. Oh yeah, it's linux compatible (Brother)!
 
I do all the same stuff, Nick, but somehow there's always something I actually need to print. Oh well, no biggie. My all-in-one comes in handy for other things, too, like scanning and making copies. Plus, I've been SAYING (for years) that someday I'm going to scan all our old photographs...blah blah blah... :laugh:

and a couple of apps i use while shopping to make sure the ingredients in my food are vegan.
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Wait...you're vegan? :D
 
nickdalzell said:
yup. and i adore deer. that's good, right?
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Yes. :) Like the way I love fur. I wear it all the time. All over my clothes...and furniture...and everything else. Six cats, you know. :D

BTW, August marked my 25th anniversary since I stopped participating in the cruelty of the meat industry. And I'm never going back.
 
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