"Why Chromebook Pundits Are Out of Touch"

[Graham]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

I recently bought a USB 3 Docking station, like a big pack of smokes with some USB3 ports, Video (DVI), audio and Giga LAN. Would I be able to use something like that with a Chromebook? How does peripherals work in Chrome? Can you get drivers for them, or does everything USB work out of the box?

USB printers don't work, because ChromeOS prints via Google Cloud Print, but most things that I've plugged in to my Chrome boxes have worked fine.

These have been webcam, microphone headset, flash drives, a keyboard/mouse splitter, and a portable hard drive.

I think I also had success with my phone and my Sony PRS-650, but I'll have to try those out again to confirm.

The only thing that didn't work was a USB Ethernet adapter, but that may have been the particular brand I bought and the fact that I was trying it in an ARM Chromebook rather than an Intel one. Other brands have been reported as working OK on Amazon.

I must also say that some things work better than on Windows. Every time I plug my monitor (webcam) or headset into my Windows box it goes off and tries to reinstall the software. When I plug them into my Chromebox they just work instantly.

Graham

[tubemonkey]

LG Chromebase Brings Chrome OS to the Desktop

Google's Chrome OS platform powers a bevy of lightweight laptops, and now the operating system is headed to the desktop. LG Electronics has revealed that its Chromebase, a $349 Chrome OS all-in-one, will hit retailers on May 26.

Showcased at the May 6 Google-Intel event, the LG Chromebase packs a 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display within its sleek and simple all-white build. The desktop sports a 1.3-MP webcam and 5-watt speakers, and doubles as an external monitor via its HDMI port. Each Chromebase includes two free years of 100GB cloud storage on Google Drive.

[tubemonkey]

HP Chromebox coming in June

HP’s first desktop designed to run Google Chrome OS should hit the streets in June. Google and Intel made the announcement during a Chrome event today, providing an update on the HP Chromebox which was first unveiled in February.

The HP Chromebox has HDMI and DisplayPort, supports WiFi and Bluetooth, and features 4 USB 3.0 ports. It has an Intel Haswell processor.

Intel says HP Chromebox devices will be available to consumers, but they’re also expected to be used as video conferencing and digital signage devices, among other things.

HP isn’t the first company to offer a Chrome desktop. The company joins Samsung, LG, and Asus in offering Chromebox or Chromebase systems.

[Dopedangel]

Any recommendation on which chromebook to get. The wife is looking to give as an anniversary gift . And I cant make up my mind. I know I would like a chromebook pixel but thats out of her budget.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

Any recommendation on which chromebook to get. The wife is looking to give as an anniversary gift . And I cant make up my mind. I know I would like a chromebook pixel but thats out of her budget.

I'm quite pleased with my Acer C720. I paid $249 for 4GB. The 2GB version is only $199. For me, the only drawback to this model is its lack of IPS display. It's a pain, but I can live with it considering the price I paid.

There are quite a few newer models already out or soon to be released that you should also consider, but I know nothing about them.

[petrucci]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

Any recommendation on which chromebook to get. The wife is looking to give as an anniversary gift . And I cant make up my mind. I know I would like a chromebook pixel but thats out of her budget.

Most of the Chromebooks have similar performance specs. The big differences are the screen size, touch screen, ports, hard drive type, etc.

You stated that you liked the Pixel, which has a touch screen. The Acer C720P also has one. The HP Chromebook 14 has a large screen. The new Samsung Chromebook 2 has a higher resolution screen.

I have the original Samsung Chromebook. It is a fine little machine. Its screen is too small to make it my everyday computer. However, it is small and portable which is nice.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I'm quite pleased with my Acer C720. I paid $249 for 4GB. The 2GB version is only $199. For me, the only drawback to this model is its lack of IPS display. It's a pain, but I can live with it considering the price I paid.

There are quite a few newer models already out or soon to be released that you should also consider, but I know nothing about them.

You might want to look at the new Samsung Chromebook 2. Especially if you would like a bigger screen. I think the 13" inch is going to retail for $400. The regular sized Chromebook screen (11.6") is going to retail for $320. (At least according to the below review). In a couple months they'll probably start dropping in price ...

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/30/s...book-2-review/

[frahse]

Many new chromebooks are to become available this summer and fall.

It is the pc segment that is growing the most.

[tubemonkey]

Acer launches C720 Chromebook with Core i3 for $350 and up

Acer’s first Chromebook with an Intel Core i3 Haswell processor is priced at $350 and up. The new Acer C720 Chromebook models feature 11.6 inch screens, up to 8.5 hours of battery life, and up to 4GB of RAM — just like the cheaper models with Celeron chips.

>>> snip <<<

The Acer C720-3871 Chromebook features 2GB of RAM and a $350 price tag while the Acer C720-3404 Chromebook has 4GB of RAM and a $380 list price.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Acer launches C720 Chromebook with Core i3 for $350 and up

Having used an Acer 720P for a while, I personally do not see the need for an i3, though maybe there will be some apps coming further down the road that will make use of the extra horsepower.

Asus also released a couple of Chromebooks recently, but those use the BayTrail CPUs, they are less powerful than the Haswell ones we've been seeing on Chromebooks, but get better battery life, about 12 hours or so.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by afv011

Having used an Acer 720P for a while, I personally do not see the need for an i3, though maybe there will be some apps coming further down the road that will make use of the extra horsepower.

Asus also released a couple of Chromebooks recently, but those use the BayTrail CPUs, they are less powerful than the Haswell ones we've been seeing on Chromebooks, but get better battery life, about 12 hours or so.

I'm quite pleased with the 720 I have. It's a great second machine for media playback and the net.

[Graham]

I'm still perfectly happy with the speed of the ARM Samsung, now one of the slowest Chromebooks. My desktop Chromebox is a lot faster, so I appreciate the extra power when I'm sitting at my desk, but out and about, and around the house, the Samsung is fine. So the longer battery life and fanless nature of the Bay Trail devices are quite attractive to me, even if they are slower than the Haswell ones.

Graham

[QuantumIguana]

Chromebooks seem to be here to stay. We're not seeing many articles declaring the Chromebook to be a failure, and the tone of article comments have changed. Anti-Chromebook commenters used to laugh at the Chromebook, but the tone seems to have changed to complaining about the Chromebook, as if they acknowledge that it isn't going to go away, but they aren't happy about it. The Chromebook may not take over the world, but they don't need to take over the world to be a successful platform.

[Kumabjorn]

Well if you look at how hard Microsoft seems to target the Chromebook, they must be worried about something.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Well if you look at how hard Microsoft seems to target the Chromebook, they must be worried about something.

Yup ...we're about to see some $99 and $199 Windows notebooks.

Windows is rising to the Chromebook price war

HP is readying a $199 Windows notebook for the holidays, as Microsoft pushes Windows 8.1 against Google Chromebooks, one of a number of more affordable PC options. The HP Stream laptop, confirmed during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, will be one of at least three models, though versions from Acer and Toshiba will be slightly more expensive, at $249 apiece.

Specifications for the HP Stream have not been confirmed yet, though according to Microsoft CEE Kevin Turner there'll be 7- and 8-inch versions too, priced from $99, running "versions" of Windows.