So, I needed a throw-away laptop. I am traveling abroad this winter (back to Israel), and federal export control regulations do not allow me to bring my normal laptop, since it has state data (nothing of any consequence, but university stuff). So I started thinking about ways around it. And I also liked the idea of not having my primary macbook with me on such a trip.
So, I looked at CHromebooks and the sub-compact Win 10 machines. THere were machines to be had for $150. I looked first at a Lenovo WIn 10 ideapad for $159, but could not pull the trigger on Microsoft. Been out of that world too long. So I started exploring the chromebooks. Debated between an Acer 11.6" machine for $159, a Samsung 11.6" for $199, and a Toshiba Chromebook 2 13" for $269. the Toshiba had the advantage of a 13" screen, 4GB of ram, instead of 2GB, a full SD card reader rather than a micro-SD reader, and a full 1080p resolution. THe keyboard feels a lot like my mac. The trackpad is mac-like. Chrome is easy to use. It feels just like I am using chrome on a mac.
Yesterday I bought it. And so far, I am impressed. This thing is fast. Boots in 8 seconds. Has 80211AC wireless, Bluetooth 4, a USB3 port, a HDMI output. SKullcandy sound. And decent onboard speakers. Fanless intel celeron machine.
I turned it on, it asked me to login with my google account. I did, and all of my chrome on OSX extensions and setup transferred. The first ten minutes or so was a little sluggish, but it was downloading stuff to do my setup. Now, it is lightning fast.
Is it limited? Sure. But dang, it is a nice little machine, that I think will get much more use than just when I am travelling. Sure, its not a mac. But for $269 (and really I had some rewards, so it cost me $50 less), it is a steal. Highly recommend it. And the screen on this bad boy is stunning.
So, I looked at CHromebooks and the sub-compact Win 10 machines. THere were machines to be had for $150. I looked first at a Lenovo WIn 10 ideapad for $159, but could not pull the trigger on Microsoft. Been out of that world too long. So I started exploring the chromebooks. Debated between an Acer 11.6" machine for $159, a Samsung 11.6" for $199, and a Toshiba Chromebook 2 13" for $269. the Toshiba had the advantage of a 13" screen, 4GB of ram, instead of 2GB, a full SD card reader rather than a micro-SD reader, and a full 1080p resolution. THe keyboard feels a lot like my mac. The trackpad is mac-like. Chrome is easy to use. It feels just like I am using chrome on a mac.
Yesterday I bought it. And so far, I am impressed. This thing is fast. Boots in 8 seconds. Has 80211AC wireless, Bluetooth 4, a USB3 port, a HDMI output. SKullcandy sound. And decent onboard speakers. Fanless intel celeron machine.
I turned it on, it asked me to login with my google account. I did, and all of my chrome on OSX extensions and setup transferred. The first ten minutes or so was a little sluggish, but it was downloading stuff to do my setup. Now, it is lightning fast.
Is it limited? Sure. But dang, it is a nice little machine, that I think will get much more use than just when I am travelling. Sure, its not a mac. But for $269 (and really I had some rewards, so it cost me $50 less), it is a steal. Highly recommend it. And the screen on this bad boy is stunning.