My Review Of A Google Chromebook

Last year I acquired an Acer Google Chromebook that was purchased at the local Wal-Mart. Before that, I was using an older model Dell laptop that operated on Windows 7-which, of course, Microsoft no longers offer “support” for-that I ordered from Amazon for about 65 bucks (with shipping).

I admit I was a bit hesitant about using a Google Chromebook due to the “limitations” I read about with these laptop (which, of course, I’ll get more into in a bit). However, in spite of its “limitations”,, there are some features on the CB that I really do like (which, again, I will discuss in a bit).

Google Chromebooks have become pretty popular with some-or many-computer users, especially those that are budget-conscious. However, Google Chromebooks aren’t for everybody. In this article, I’m going to list both the pros and the cons I’ve encountered while using a Chromebook.

First, the pros:

They’re fast.

The Google Chromebook I’m using is by far the fastest computer I have ever use. It takes mere moments for it to boot up whereas it took a few minutes (and sometimes longer) for my other computers to boot up. The webpages also load up equally fast.

They have built-in virus protection.

When I was doing research on what type of “free” anti-virus program I could download on a Chromebook, I discovered that I didn’t need one and how Chromebooks already came with built-in virus protection. (Though I still downloaded the Avast virus app from the Chrome Web Store that shows when I do an online search which sites are “safe” with a eheckmark net to each listing just to be on the safe side.)

They don’t heat up like other computers.

I noticed when I sat the Chromebook down on a bed it doesnt heat up like the other laptops I’ve used. In fact, I’ve set the Chromebook I’m using on a bed for sometimes hours on end without it heating up, which, of course, I was unable to do with my other laptop without running the risk of it overheating.

They’re pretty easy to use.

Granted, there is somewhat of a learning curve when you first start using a Chromebook since they operate differently than, say, a Windows computer. In fact, when I first started trying to use a Chromebook, I got so frustrated with it I felt like throwing it out the window! But, once I figured out how and where everything was located, I must say it’s actually pretty user-friendly and fairly easy to use.

You can use multiple accounts on a Chromebook.

Not only can others sign in in “guest” mode if they wish to use your computer but if they have a Google account they can log into any Chromebook and use it without them having to log onto your account. And, after they get done using your computer, you can just delete their account altogether.

The battery has a longer life than other laptops.

I know in the TV ads it claims how Chromebooks can get up to 12 hours of battery life. I don’t get that myself on the Chromebook I’m currently using. Instead, I can get on average 8 and sometimes up to 9 hours of battery life, which is still about half of what I got on my previous laptop.

They’re cheaper.

This is the main reason why I’ve heard some people say they ended up buying Chromebooks because they were cheaper than the other laptops. While some of the more higher-end models can run up to over $1000, you can get cheaper models in the $150-$200 price range, which, of course, can make them a more attractive option for the more budget-conscious computer buyer.

Now the cons:

There’s no “recycle bin”.

We’re all familiar with the “recycle bin” on other computers such as Windows where things go when you delete them on a computer. Then you open the folder and, if you decide you don’t want that item anymore, you can delete it off your computer forever (or so they say!). However, there is NO “recyle bin” or anything similar on a Chromebook. (There’s also NOT any icons on the home screen either.) Whenever you delete something on a CB, it automatically gets deleted. So, before you hit that delete button on a CB and that message pops up asking if you’re sure you want to delete it, you better make certain that you want to delete that item or, if you have second thoughts after you delete it, you know where to download it again

You can probably only use the Goolge Chrome browser.

Actually, I read on-where else!-Google that you can download and use other browsers on a Chromebook. I looked up if and how I could download the Opera web browser since that’s what I primarily used on my previous laptop but, after it told me I had to download like two or three things to use the browser, I decided it was just eaiser to keep using Chrome, especially since I’m not what you ‘d call the most computer literate guy to begin with.

You have to have a Google account to use a Chromebook.

Like I pointed out earlier, you MUST have a Google account if you want to operate a Chromebook. I know there are some people out there who have issues with Google for whatever reason, but there’s NO getting around this one. So, if you’re boycotting Google and its products, you might want to go about getting a different computer.

There’s not much storage or disk space.

I notice with a lot of newer computers, at least the ones I’ve looked at, there doesn’t seem to be all that much disk space on them. And with Chromebooks there appears to be even less. Chromebooks have on average 32 or 64 GB of disk space, which, of course, is the size of your average flash drive. And some models have as low as 16 GB of disk space. Now some of the higher-end models do have over 100 GB of disk space. So, if you’re looking at getting a Crhomebook and you want one with more disk space, this will likely be your best option.

There’s not much you can do offline on a Chromebook.

This would have to be by far my BIGGEST complaint about using a Chromebook in that most everything on a CB is done online. This especially poses a problem if you do a lot of writing as I do. There is a primary word processing program on Chromebooks called Google Docs which works similar to Microsoft Word and/or Word’s “free” alternatives like OpenOffice (which is what I used on my previous laptop). But, again, it works primarily online, though you can set it to “offline” in case you don’t have access to the Internet. Though the problem with that is you can only work with docs you set to “offline” and you can’t create any new docs. (When this happens, i use my Dell laptop and transfer everything I’ve written over to a flash drive.) And the word processing apps I’ve downloaded from the Chrome Web Store don’t seem to work all that well either. Now you can do things like download and watch videos offline (but, again, there’s the lack of disk space). There’s also a “video player” I downloaded off the Chrome Web Store that’s like a stripped-down version of Windows Media Player. Now some might say how you can store things in the “cloud” but, if you prefer to do things offline on a computer, then a Google Chromebook might not be right for you.

So there are just some of the pros-and the cons-of using a Google Chromebook. As you can tell, Chromebooks aren’t for every computer user. But, if you’re looking for a fairly simple computer that’s fairly inexpensive and not too technical, then a Chromebook might just be the best choice for you. Now, for those who do like to get “technical” with their computers, there is a “developer” mode on a CB but even Google says you have to be REALLY computer savvy if you wish to use the “developer” mode.

Here’s a YouTube video on how to set up and use a Chromebook I wish I would have seen before I started using mine:

And here’s another YouTube video I found on some things you can do with a Chromebook in “developer” mode for anyone who may wish to try it: