Chromebook?

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 08/28/2017 at 18:25 • Filed to: None

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I’m thinking of getting my HS freshman son a Chromebook for his birthday. Since the school does everything Google, it seems to make sense, rather than sinking a lot of money into a full-blown laptop. Does anybody have any experience, good or bad, to share?

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 18:28

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I think it’s great for a high school freshmen, but not for working stiffs. Sometimes you need to run an .exe.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 18:28

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Yeah, I had a chromebook for a while. It’s good!

I think it would be adequate for him.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 18:30

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Has he expressed a desire for a specific type of machine or capability?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 18:32

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I’d like to know what you end up with, as I’m in the same boat.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 18:33

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We have a stash of them at school for kids to check out, since we use google apps for education it does everything within reason a kid would need in class. I’m not sure on the price point though, you might find a low end laptop that is actually cheaper.

promoted by the color red > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 18:41

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As a good alternative, I’d look at an ex-lease ThinkPad X220/X230/X240 with IPS. Rugged & easy to service plus he could learn how to fix laptops, a useful skill to have in college.

You also get full-fat Windows OS.

ttyymmnn > promoted by the color red 08/28/2017 at 19:04

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IPS?

ttyymmnn > promoted by the color red 08/28/2017 at 19:04

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IPS?

ttyymmnn > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 08/28/2017 at 19:04

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A very quick search shows them going for $200-$400 depending on manufacturer.

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 08/28/2017 at 19:05

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Keep an eye on this thread, and I’ll try to remember to let you know what I decide.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 08/28/2017 at 19:06

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No. Right now, he’s just borrowing my Macbook. I considered going the same route as my trumpet, getting myself a new one and giving him my old one. That kills two birds with one stone, but I just dumped a ton of money on trumpets.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:06

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I had a refurbed base model one that was crap.

ttyymmnn > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 08/28/2017 at 19:06

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Cool. Thanks!

promoted by the color red > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:06

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In Plane Switching - it’s the “better” of the screen options. Laptop screens go to shit once you look at them past a certain angle, but IPS screens avoid this.

ttyymmnn > For Sweden 08/28/2017 at 19:06

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If he’s doing everything through Google and the Web, would he need to run a .exe?

ttyymmnn > CaptDale - is secretly British 08/28/2017 at 19:07

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“Crap” how?

ttyymmnn > CaptDale - is secretly British 08/28/2017 at 19:07

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“Crap” how?

ttyymmnn > promoted by the color red 08/28/2017 at 19:07

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Got it. Thanks.

Roundbadge > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:13

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You don’t really have to sink a lot of money into a laptop to still get a useful machine. I’m with For Sweden and Color Red. A pre-owned Windows machine will be cheap, useful with Windows as well as Google apps, and give him the chance to learn laptop maintenance/repair. Heck, he could double down on useful skills and load some flavor of Linux and learn to work on that as well.

ttyymmnn > Roundbadge 08/28/2017 at 19:19

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He’s nowhere near that adventurous. At least not yet. There’s a solid used computer store nearby. I’ll go poke around there tomorrow.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:21

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Heh. Right now, ours gets our hand me downs also. The only thing with doing that with a MacBook is you have to make sure it is not so old that it can’t handle what it needs to do. That shouldn’t be a problem unless your MB is 10 years old.

Or maybe sell that old C horn to pay for a new one? JK! Please don’t hurt me.

Kids are really good at adapting to tech, so if I may suggest, involve him in the selection of whatever you get him. If he likes the CB, there’s no risk in buying it, but if he’s really more comfortable with the MB, maybe an affordable refurbished model would make him more productive.

The other thing is that I know Macs. When my wife had to start using Windows for part of her work, I had to learn that much more to do the tech support in our house. Don’t know what the learning curve in on a CB or what you’d have to do to support it in your house.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 08/28/2017 at 19:27

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I am definitely a Mac guy, have been all my computing life. I don’t think my son really cares, though. I’ve got a three-PC station in the house where the boys play all their games, and he goes back and forth with ease. His brain is still much more plastic than mine. If I need PC support, I call my brother. One of the things about getting him a CB or a cheap Windoze book is that if he takes it to school and loses it/breaks it/gets it stolen etc. I won’t be out all that much money to replace it. Just about any Mac would be a much different story. My Macbook is 9 years old. It’s starting to show its age, but for Internet stuff it’s just fine, and that’s all he’ll be using it for. The other thing about the Mac is that I can easily lock it down. He’s 14 after all.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:27

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Right now my only mobile machine is a Toshiba Chromebook 2, and I like it quite a lot. The one thing that ups functionality significantly is that many of the newer machines have Android support, and that app environment fills in pretty much all of the software gaps Chrome OS has. I’m probably going to upgrade to another Chromebook, likely an Asus Chromebook Flip that has the nifty 360 degree hinges and a touchscreen.

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:28

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No. .exe emergencies occur when there’s a 10-year-old piece of engineering software you need to run RIGHT NOW.

wafflesnfalafel > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:31

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I have a “higher end” Dell Chrome book that I use for personal travel. I really like it for what I do with it - but I don’t think it would be a very good student machine. Dell offers some nice 15" models for less than $400 that your kid would be happier with - http://deals.dell.com/work/productdetail/iry

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 19:31

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I like it.

I’ve been seriously considering making my next Mac an iPad Pro. With iOS11 coming out, it’ll be a great adjunct to my iMac, and extra versatile. Bonus is you don’t have to pull it out at the TSA checkpoint. On the Windows side, I hear the newest Surface Pro is also sweet, but also expensive.

ttyymmnn > wafflesnfalafel 08/28/2017 at 19:44

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When everything he does, right down to his school-issued gmail @, is in the Googlesphere, what would he be missing? Why would it not be a good school computer?

CaptDale - is secretly British > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:00

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It had issues setting up when I first got it and then I gave it to a friend cause his broke (I had bought it for my ex and we broke up before I gave it to him, so I was happy to be rid of it) and he used it for 5-6 months and had to do a factory reset multiple times and then it finally wouldn’t turn on again or something.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:00

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That seems reasonable, its probably a function of onboard storage.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:02

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I have a nice Lenovo Chromebook at home that I do all my schoolwork and most of my interneting on. I love it.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 08/28/2017 at 20:04

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I have a friend who is a Mac guy but just picked up a CB for teaching. He teaches private trumpet lessons, and it allows him to do all his record keeping and Internetting without carrying around a pricey laptop. It seemed like a great idea for a HS freshman. If he breaks it or loses it I’m not out very much money to replace it.

ttyymmnn > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 08/28/2017 at 20:05

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Storage, RAM, manufacturer. I don’t know PC manufacturers, so I don’t know if there are any to avoid.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:07

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I think it’s a solid idea. I hardly ever fire up my desktop at home. I love how quick the Chromebook boots up.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:11

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Most of the ones we have at school are Samsung, Asus, or Google branded. I am not 100% sure but I think the Google ones are Asus manufactured.

wafflesnfalafel > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:25

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You are limited to Android based chrome book apps. Sure you can get by without Office, all the open source windows software available (including other browsers) and muddle through the google based document storage but it isn’t always easy. Plus you can’t use windows accessories in many cases, (mice, external hard drives, external CD drives, gaming devices, etc.) And you are tethered to a wifi source to do anything - which may or may not be an issue.

Is the school recommending a Chrome Book, (I’m wondering if the school may have an agreement with Google to provide all systems through their “google for education” program.) If the school is lucky enough to have that - I might change my tune. You would still loose some flexibility, but it likely would dovetail better with the google for education stuff.

C62030 > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:33

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Used a CB for 4 years of school. Absolutely perfect. Cheap, chuckable, and makes collaboration with other people an complete breeze. I only switched because I needed a MacBook for work, and I wanted to play games occasionally.

ttyymmnn > wafflesnfalafel 08/28/2017 at 20:43

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School is not recommending. I’m just considering options. Thanks for the info.

Monkey B > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 20:54

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I haven’t touched a Windows machine in years. Go Dell...god reliable no frills machine.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 08/28/2017 at 23:23

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Both of my kids have school-issued laptops. One has a Fujitsu which pops apart into a tablet. The other is a convertible which acts as a tablet, but the screen doesn’t separate from the base.

The common factor is both are using tablets with win10. They use one note for taking notes and both write directly on the screen. My daughter also has several drawing programs which she uses frequently. Since they are more powerful than a Chrome book, my daughter has used hers for a game jam and at cyber-camp.

There’s value in having something that is more powerful. It will be more versatile.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 09/06/2017 at 20:32

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I’ve got this one in my cart right now, have you purchased a CB yet?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5P6TJW/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/06/2017 at 20:47

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I have. I can’t write much now. I’ll write later.

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/07/2017 at 00:20

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I got my son this Acer Chromebook . We haven’t done a whole lot with it yet, but my initial reactions are positive. I think it will do everything he needs it to do for school, plus he can surf the Innertubes, play Android games, do his email, etc. It supports multiple users so he can have one login for school and one for personal. The screen folds around backwards so it works like a tablet. Build is pretty good, but nothing fancy. The OS is responsive and pretty snappy. We’ll see what happens in a couple of years!