![]() ![]() I’ve also downloaded an epub reader, as well as a pdf reader that has annotation functions. I use Tweetdeck for Twitter, Dropbox, Netflix, and the Kindle Cloud Reader. These apps are basically shortcuts to the webpages. You cannot install any apps on the machine except those available in the Chrome Store. Right now I’m typing this post in a Google Docs tab and will cut and paste it into DA’s backend when I’m ready to upload it. My standard open tabs are Gmail, my RSS feed reader, and Dear Author to start, and then I add whatever other tabs I need for what I’m working on. Whatever you do through a browser you can do on the Chromebook, using Chrome, and despite the fact that the processor isn’t that fast, everything feels quick and easy. If you already use Chrome, your bookmarks, saved passwords, and other personal information will be immediately available. When you first use the machine you’ll be prompted to log in using your Google account. When you open the cover the computer turns itself on and within 5 seconds you have the login page. If you’re already enmeshed in the Google Borg, the Chromebook is incredibly easy to adjust to. But it all depends on what you use your laptop for. If you can manage with the limitations, as I do, it can carry out most of your day-to-day tasks. Here the Chromebook is both wonderful and limited. The screen is bright and sharp:īut what about the software? A comfortable machine is still only as good as the operating system it runs. The Verge, which likes it much less than either I and other users do or Engadget does, has a review and a summary of the specs. Engadget has a thorough review and a roundup of tech and user reviews. ![]() The battery life is adequate but not spectacular at 5:30 hours (that’s consistently what I get, not the 6 hours HP claims on its site). It’s a little rough at first but I became used to it and I don’t bother to keep a mouse handy. And the trackpad, which is the worst feature of low-cost laptops in my experience, is far better than I expected. The keys are a little closer together than on the Air, but my accuracy is equivalent. I find the chiclet-style keyboard easy and comfortable to type on. Carrying it in a tote or backpack feels the same. 2.38lbs for the Air) and it fits into the sleeve I use for my Air. The Chromebook feels bigger and bulkier because it doesn’t have the Air’s wedge shape, but it weighs less (2.26lbs v. When viewed from another angle, you can see that the Air might even be a little bit longer than the Chromebook. Here are the two machines stacked on top of each other. The 11.6” screen size is harder to find these days, but I really like it as a travel computer. I picked the HP over the Samsung and the Asus primarily because it had the brightest screen, the keyboard and trackpad received good marks, and it was almost exactly the same size as the MacBook Air. I then read a bunch of reviews, both positive and negative, and settled on the HP Chromebook 11. I asked my Twitter stream what they thought and a number of people told me they were finding their Chromebooks surprisingly useful. At $250-$280, I thought maybe the platform was worth a try. But then last year Google came out with the beautiful, ridiculously expensive, Chromebook Pixel, and then a handful of inexpensive but attractive models were released by Samsung, Acer, and finally HP (and new models are rolling out this year, including an updated pair from Samsung). My beloved Air was smaller, faster, and more versatile. I ignored Chromebooks when they first came out because I didn’t see the point. Still, my niggling dissatisfaction has meant that as my Air grows older and slower I’m not jumping to replace it with the new model. Unlike a lot of people I don’t hate Windows 8 and I really like Windows 7, but the MacBook Air’s size, weight, and feel has yet to be matched in a Windows machine. I miss the simpler, more open architecture of the pre-App Store OSX, and some weeks I feel as if the updates are as numerous as on my Windows machine. I never liked iOS, and as OSX becomes increasingly similar to it my affection decreases. Over the last year, though, I’ve been falling out of love with the Mac operating system. But for my everyday writing it’s been a Mac. Before the Air came out in the 11” size, I even turned a netbook into a “hackintosh.” Throughout these 13 years I’ve also maintained access to a Windows machine because I have research-related data and programs that are not compatible with OSX. Since 2001 my main laptop has been a Mac: first the iBook, then the Powerbook, then back to the iBook, then the MacBook Air. I’ve needed the portable form factor since I was in graduate school and through the years I’ve tried them all. I like to try out different types of computers, especially laptops. Sunita Essays Calibre / Chromebook / HP Chromebook / Multifunction-Device 30 Comments ![]()
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