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[FaintDeftone]

I played around with the Chromebook in question today at Best Buy. Seemed okay but that trackpad was bleh. I honestly shouldn't expect more from a $150 laptop, though. I ended up not buying it.

I think I'm going to wait for a sale on a better Chromebook before I jump in.

 

[gcubed]

You guys have convinced me to purchase a Chromebook tomorrow.

I've been itching for a portable machine to carry around to coffee shops to surf the web and write while also keeping my gaming desktop at home, and a Chromebook seems like the PERFECT solution.

What is the best Chromebook on the market right now?

Best or best while being cheap? Best is the pixel but it's kinda overboard. I think the Dells are probably the best.

 

[DrSlek]

My wife's workplace uses them. I can certainly see the advantages of them. However at home her Samsung chromebook frequently shits itself on our wireless network. Everything else works fine, and the machine works fine when at work. I reckon its some kind of conflict with the wireless ship and my router.

 

[Polari]

It's pretty great apart from no VLC (apparently the Android version is imminent).

Pro-tip: buy a model with 4GB of RAM if you can.

 

[thenexus6]

I have a C720, based on the fact it seems to perform the best from most of the chromebooks available. I don't really like the keyboard or trackpad much though - I guess I can't complain for such a cheap computer.

One thing that drives me insane is, I have a retina macbook pro and its completely silent no matter what i'm doing. My C720 has this really whiney swirling noise almost constantly. Its apparently quite common with the acer. Its not super loud but it drives me bananas !

 

[la_briola]

[...]
I'm currently moving, and the LS is already in my new home. However, I do keep the old Pixel in my studio, and this is what it looks like next to the MBP.
[...]

HHKB <3

 

[amekare]

Definitely, the Pixel it's the best.. except for the price. I spent 3 days searching the best option to buy one chromebook and found the Asus C300 as a very nice option.
Plus, right now it's on sale in Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Chromebook-13-Inch-Gigabit-Storage-Black/dp/B00KD5SEPK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430853455&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+c300

 

[Frank Serpico]

Yes, I'm a big supporter of Chromebooks. I probably have close to 8-9 of them, and my favorite is a toss up between the new Chromebook Pixel LS and the Thinkpad 11e (god tier keyboards)

I can do pretty much everything I need to on a Chromebook, which is mostly writing and novel covers. Developers have really stepped up their game on the Play Store, and I have the option of converting android apps to run on Chrome OS (iA Writer works awesome btw)

I also own a top of the line 15 inch MBP, and the new MB, but I always come back to the Chromebooks. I just love their simplicity, and the Thinkpad feels like it would survive a missile. Love carrying that thing around Asia.

Why do you have 8 or 9 of them?

 

[sirap]

Why do you have 8 or 9 of them?

I like laptops.

 

[MercuryLS]

I might get a Chromebook as my next laptop, they run Android apps now right? Most of my stuff is in the cloud nowadays.

 

[kooplar]

I've been using an asus c300 for about 5 months now. I got it for around $200 and its easily the best $200 I've spent on a laptop. Just install some flavor of linux and there is 100% no way you'l regret getting a chotomebook.

Also, I have the 2gb of ram version and unless you have a bunch of tabs open on chrome you'l be fine. I mainly use it with linux and some lightweight stuff like vi for programming and I've had no problems

 

[snacknuts]

I replaced a 2008 Macbook with a Chromebook several months ago. It's a wonderful machine that does 98% of what I used the Macbook for. I can't recommend them highly enough.

 

[MercuryLS]

I replaced a 3008 Macbook with a Chromebook several months ago. It's a wonderful machine that does 98% of what I used the Macbook for. I can't recommend them highly enough.

I've been spoiled by the wonderful build of the MacBooks, it would be hard to go backwards here. The only chromebook that's comparable is the pixel and that's $1000 which is crazy.

 

[1871]

I just can't get enough of the 2015 chromebook pixel. Such a wonderful machine. It's fast beyond any expectation, and it's the best screen around. Best internet experience you can have, and most comfortable for writing. It is limited, sure, but for what it does, nothing does it better. I find great pleasure in using a machine that has fewer distractions (namely steam, popcorn time, lightroom), for when I need to work.

 

[sirap]

I've been spoiled by the wonderful build of the MacBooks, it would be hard to go backwards here. The only chromebook that's comparable is the pixel and that's $1000 which is crazy.

The cheaper chromebooks might not have the same build quality as Macbooks, but they sure are built to last. A lot of them are made for school students, so you can bang them around without worrying too much.

The Thinkpad 11e for example feels like a tank.

 

[Tidesofblood]

Are you able to wipe the ChromeOS and just put linux on it?

 

[Futureman]

Wait there's a way to do Android apps? But I guess you need an Android device to download certain things?

 

[reKon]

You're not going to spend $1,000 on a Chromebook Pixel because you're smarter than that (I'm not suggesting the Pixel is bad or anything)

If you want the best chromebook with proper pricing you'll probably want to buy the Toshiba Chromebook 2

 

[jwk94]

I love my Toshiba chromebook 2.its my main laptop. The only thing I don't like is no Skype and 4 gb of ram isn't close to enough.

 

[Fireblend]

I love my Toshiba chromebook 2.its my main laptop. The only thing I don't like is no Skype and 4 gb of ram isn't close to enough.

Use crouton to install Linux and install Skype on it. Works like a charm.

 

[jwk94]

Use crouton to install Linux and install Skype on it. Works like a charm.

I have no interest in installing Linux though.

 

[radioactivez0r]

I got a refurb Acer C720 last year and I love it. I don't do anything really intensive but its portability and convenience is amazing. I have stopped using tablets entirely as a result.

 

[belvedere]

Isn't there a way to install the Skype Android version on the Chromebook without requiring linux?

 

[thenexus6]

My ideal chromebook would be as follows

11.6" HD display
4GB ram
16GB SSD
Backlit keyboard
USB 3, SD, HDMI

I wonder if anyone like this will be announced this year.

 

[Frank Serpico]

I like laptops.

So do I, doesn't mean I have more then 1. I'm only asking out of curiosity, do you collect them or actually switch between them?

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I don't own one myself but I work with them at my job (school IT). I find them to be great little devices that are reasonably priced. I see their use growing as more things transition to being web-based.

 

[sirap]

So do I, doesn't mean I have more then 1. I'm only asking out of curiosity, do you collect them or actually switch between them?

I like to tell myself that I'll use all of them equally, but the truth is I have a LOT of disposable income. Right now I usually switch between the Pixel, Pixel LS, Thinkpad 11e and Dell 11. Having everything stored on my GDrive makes switching easy.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Didn't want to clog the OT with a shopping topic but I'm in the market for one and was wondering if any of the aficionados could give me advice on which of these to buy. The planned use is just for word processing, web browsing and Netflix. All of my docs are either in cloud drives or external drives. And I'm not really interested in stepping past 11 inch screen sizes either. I like portability the most.

Acer Chromebook 11
Dell Chromebook 11
Samsung Chromebook 2