Posted: 1/29/2015 11:15:24 PM EDT
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I need a "laptop" format computer for surfing around on the couch. I have a pretty good desktop that is set up in my basement, and I'd like to remote desktop to it to be able to do the occasional "heavy lifting."
Anyone out there running the current chromebook offerings and have any reviews or suggestions? I'm thinking that since they're so limited... i.e. it's mostly just a browsing machine... that it should last quite a while without becoming functionally obsolete. I'm leaning towards a 13" screen model with 4GB of RAM. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 HD caught my eye, but it's also one of the most expensive. Any other ones I should consider? |
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I almost got a chromebook but ended up getting a windows 8.1 Asus T100 due to the flexibility.
Chromebooks are just to locked down for my use however if all you are doing is basic web browsing and have no need for a usable device when not connected to wifi with minimal space for pictures, music, documents. Then the chrome book is for you! |
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I do like the Windows Surface 3, with the keyboard etc.
But Windows means endless updates, and planned obsolescence with a much higher price tag. I know that chromebooks are limited, but I can't help but think that they will still surf the web just fine more than 5 years from now. I believe you don't need to be connected to Wi-Fi to use the Google drive apps, etc ... They sync up whenever you go back online. |
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I have an 11" that I use when we go on vacation. I wanted something light and portable and didn't want to spring for a Macbook Air.
It lets me watch movies on the plane (8hrs of battery life), check email, taunt friends and family with vacation photos on Facebook, and do a little light work using Google Docs. You CAN do a lot of stuff off line, you just need to plan ahead and make sure you pull down what you need before you wind up disconnected. I use Dropbox to move files around and I have stuffed a 64GB SD card into it to give it more storage for large items like movies (can cram lots of 720p quality videos on that size card). It's great for what it is, but it doesn't replace my real laptop. I haven't tried remote access to a desktop with mine, it's mainly an entertainment device for me. |
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Quoted:
So don't keep the log of your bank robbery exploits in the cloud.   Quoted:
Quoted: FBI claims that the 4th Amendment does not apply to online data stored and not accessed by the owner for 6 months.  So don't keep the log of your bank robbery exploits in the cloud.  
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| I use a Chromebook upstairs in my office. I have the company desktop PC that I work on and use the Chromebook nearby to listen to music (i heart radio), check AR, email etc on occasions. I also take it on the road when I travel for work rather than my laptop as all I am using it for then is to surf. Mine is about a year old and love it. Have had no problems....paid apps $250 for it new.. |
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I bought refurbished HP Chromebooks for all of my employees for Christmas. We all love them for what they are. Couch sitting internet surfing inexpensive traveling laptops. I have zero complaints.
If you are just watching stuff a tablet is fine. I'd you actually want to type stuff the laptop format is a huge improvement. Battery life is great. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Oddly enough, over at woot.com they have refurb 11.6" Chromebooks today for $150.
Just in case anyone needs one. |
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Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Quoted:
Quoted:
But Windows means endless updates, and planned obsolescence with a much higher price tag. .
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile 
I don't own a Mac. Everything I have is Windows or Android. Example: my work laptop. WIndows 7. After waking up in the morning to find that my computer has been rebooted to install updates and finding that I lost some notes I had jotted down in Notepad, I turned off automatic updates. I haven't updated it in a bit... and now I have 87 "important" updates to install. It installed 65 of them before it said that I had to reboot to continue. The continual updates add to the bloat of the system. Like I said, I like the Surface 3, but unless I'm gonna use it for work, it doesn't make sense for a $900+ item to mostly surf the web at night. I don't see how a computer that simply needs to browse the web will be obsolete in 5 years. A windows laptop, however... |
| Don't do it. It's locked down. After the fjrst time you shut it down without a net connection, when your movies fail to play, when standard formats can't be opened, when you try to log in without a net connection...you won't be able to fix it. Spend 100 more for a computer that isn't crippled by design. |
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Quoted:
Example: my work laptop. WIndows 7. After waking up in the morning to find that my computer has been rebooted to install updates and finding that I lost some notes I had jotted down in Notepad, I turned off automatic updates. I haven't updated it in a bit... and now I have 87 "important" updates to install. It installed 65 of them before it said that I had to reboot to continue. The continual updates add to the bloat of the system. Quoted:
Example: my work laptop. WIndows 7. After waking up in the morning to find that my computer has been rebooted to install updates and finding that I lost some notes I had jotted down in Notepad, I turned off automatic updates. I haven't updated it in a bit... and now I have 87 "important" updates to install. It installed 65 of them before it said that I had to reboot to continue. The continual updates add to the bloat of the system. I never have this problem. I set mine to download and notify of updates and then let me choose when and if to install them. Seems to work fine. I reboot once every few weeks. I like updates, in means they're trying to keep things working smoothly and closing known security problems. Like I said, I like the Surface 3, but unless I'm gonna use it for work, it doesn't make sense for a $900+ item to mostly surf the web at night. If you're just going to browse the web, buy a netbook, not a surface. I don't see how a computer that simply needs to browse the web will be obsolete in 5 years. A windows laptop, however... I don't know what you're talking about. There are plenty of 5yr old windows machines still going strong, and amazingly, MS still provides updates to their software to keep them working. How long did they support windows XP? If all your doing is browsing the web any computer you buy today will still work fine five years from now. If you're talking about streaming and playing more challenging video, say 4K streams become common but take some processor oomph to play, well, you'll have the same problems if not worse with a chromebook of today. |
| I use a chromebook for surfing arf and general internet asshattery every night. For $300 OTD, it's been the most useful "tablet with a keyboard" I've ever used. I've come across some issues with the browser that its PC version doesn't have, mostly on automobile manufacturer's sites, but other than that, they're GTG. Buy refurbished, and get one with 4 gig of RAM. |