Chromebooks

[DonRocks]

After "one spill too many" (each spill was costing me $1,000), I said "to hell with Apple," and switched over to a $199 Samsung Chromebook. Something like this:

Other than not having a hard drive (hence, me having to store any saved files in the cloud), I liked it just as much. Until one day, about a month later, when it stopped working.

Shipped back to Samsung, it was cheerfully fixed or replaced (I haven't opened the box yet, so I don't know which). While it was gone, I simply bought a second one - with prices like these, you can afford to own two.

This time, I went for a $329 Toshiba, with a larger, high-definition screen and *fantastic* speakers - this has better speakers than any computer I've ever owned, regardless of size. It's *great* for movies because of both the speakers (which I don't think I've ever had up to 11) and the slightly larger, HD screen. It's well-worth the upcharge over the $199 model - it's this one:

For me, the era of the $1,000+ laptop is over. To heck with you and your spill-sensitive Macbooks, Apple - it was absolutely *not* a privilege waiting around in your "Genius Bar," either to get my frayed power cord replaced, or to be told "there's been a liquid spill." I'm a happy, satisfied Chromebook user now, and I even keep better track of my files, and *never* need to back them up anymore. Why did I wait so long?

There are, however, two bugs I've found, the first being minor; the second being a genuine nuisance.

1) Sometimes when I single-click the search bar, it won't highlight the text. As a result, I have to drag my cursor over the entirety of what's in there, then push the "backspace" key, to get rid of it. This happens about 1 out of every 5 times.

2) The "backspace" key, when I'm posting on dr.com, sometimes acts as a "back-screen" key, which is a post destroyer if you're typing in a brand new topic (if you're adding onto an existing one, the auto-save feature saves you). Beware typing a brand new thread on a Chromebook: Quite often, you'll position the cursor to the right of a single character you wish to delete, push the backspace key, and ... Whoosh! You're backed out to the previous screen, and what you were typing is gone. And it's not recoverable.

Aside from these two things, I couldn't be happier I made the switch. Ironically, I recently upgraded to an iPhone 5+.

[DanielK]

While I still need a Windows-based laptop for work, I switched my kids over to the Toshiba Chromebooks (got them for $250) last year, and have never looked back.

FWIW, while they don't have a "hard drive", they do have onboard storage, much like a phone or tablet. The 16GB on the ones that we have is more than you need, unless you plan on storing tons of HD movies on your machine at all times.

It boots in seconds, very stable, audio/video is stunning. Great purchase.

[goodeats]

While I still need a Windows-based laptop for work, I switched my kids over to the Toshiba Chromebooks (got them for $250) last year, and have never looked back.

I just purchased a small Windows-based laptop for $199 that isn't a Chromebook. I couldn't justify a glorified web-based shell, even for $199 (no offense to those who purchased one), since I wanted a hard drive. So far, my ASUS EeeBook X205TA-DS01 11.6-inch Laptop has been a good purchase, small and portable, and has Office essentials plus MS apps, if I need them.

I had a Toshiba laptop once before, and it's nice they are reliable. I think my laptop lasted about 4 years, which is pretty good for PC laptops....

[DonRocks]

I just purchased a small Windows-based laptop for $199 that isn't a Chromebook. I couldn't justify a glorified web-based shell, even for $199 (no offense to those who purchased one), since I wanted a hard drive. So far, my ASUS EeeBook X205TA-DS01 11.6-inch Laptop has been a good purchase, small and portable, and has Office essentials plus MS apps, if I need them.

I had a Toshiba laptop once before, and it's nice they are reliable. I think my laptop lasted about 4 years, which is pretty good for PC laptops....

No offense taken - different people have different needs, and I still use a Windows desktop since I use Quicken (although honestly, I've gone from using it once a day to perhaps once a month).

If a Chromebook user needs a hard drive, they could consider a thumb drive, too. I'm confident enough in this Toshiba where I bought a two-year warranty that includes drops and spills.

My key point wasn't so much "Chromebook" as "goodbye Apple" and their little penlights, peering into the MacBook's holes to check for $1,000 liquid spills.