Samsung Chromebook 2 (11.6-Inch, Classic White)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Finally received my Samsung Chromebook 2 (11.6" version, jet black color) and have had a day to get it set up, mess around with it, and compare it to my Acer C720 Chromebook (2GB), as well as my previous experiences with the original Samsung Chromebook that was released back in 2012. My initial up front experience is that I am overall very satisfied with the improvements that Samsung has made! There are some areas I wish they improved, but overall for the price, this is an outstanding way to experience the Chrome OS. I'll touch on a few of my in-depth thoughts below, and I'll update this all in the future as I have more experience with the device. I'm going to focus more on the hardware and less on the operating system or software, since the OS will remain fairly consistent across all Chromebook devices and plenty of information already exists about Chrome OS online:



Design/Materials/Build Quality: As mentioned above, I went with the jet black version. This new Chromebook 2 features Samsungs "stitched leather" design to the outside of the top shell, similar to what you see if you have ever used their Galaxy Note 3. It stands out a lot more when you see it spread across a much larger device like this. I'm going to be honest, I think some people are going to find this slightly tacky looking/feeling (especially the fake stitching around the edges), but personally I am a much bigger fan of it than I thought. For a computing device in this price range, you cannot really expect them to be able to throw on a full aluminum/metal case like you might find on a MacBook Pro or a higher end Ultrabook laptop. You're going to get something that is plastic or a more cost effective material, and honestly, I kind of like the way that this faux-leather design makes it stand out from other devices. And the overall build quality of the Chromebook 2 feels much improved over the original. It doesn't have as much "flex" to it, and even though it is still almost entirely plastic-based, it certainly feels like a step up. Also, compared to my Acer C720 side by side, the Samsung CB2 feels significantly higher in quality.



Display: My Chromebook 2 is the 11.6" model. This is one of the very few areas where I am finding myself wishing that Samsung would have improved this new model, even if it came at a slight cost increase. The resolution on the 11.6" model is only 1366x768, which is the same as you'll find on pretty much every other Chromebook aside from the Pixel (which is way too expensive), and the upcoming 13" version of the Chromebook 2 (which will more to a full HD 1920 screen). I'm actually OK with the resolution topping out at only 1366x768 on a screen of this size, but they are still using a TN-based panel when I think that they should have stepped it up to an IPS panel and really made it stand out. It's about on par with the screen on my Acer C720, doesn't feel like much of an improvement. I wouldn't consider myself too overly picky, but side by side with a device with an IPS panel, and the screen on the Chromebook 2 just looks kind of dull and washed out in comparison. According to the specs I've seen, even the 13" version of the Chromebook 2 is going to have a TN panel (just in higher resolution), so I wouldn't be surprised to hear more people complaining about this aspect.



Processor/RAM: The Chromebook 2 utilizes one of Samsung's own ARM-based chips, called the "Exynos 5 Octa 5420", which is rated at 1.9GHz. Most of the computing experiences in my life outside of smartphone use have been with either an Intel or an AMD processor; even my trusty Acer C720 Chromebook uses an Intel Celeron-based processor. I was a little hesitant to make the jump to a newer generation of Chromebook without an Intel processor since I know Acer is going to soon release a variant of the C720 with an Intel i3 chip. However, so far, I am quite impressed with how quick this Exynos 5 Octa chip has felt through normal use. I haven't run any actual benchmarking programs or applications (if someone has a suggestion, I'll be glad to try one, if they even exist for Chrome OS?), but directly comparing it side-by-side to the Acer C720 running on the 1.4GHz Celeron processor, this is no comparison. Apps load much more instantly on the new Chromebook 2, but the biggest difference can be seen when using anything that involves video. Doing a Google Hangout on my older Chromebook was always slightly laggy enough that it was moderately frustrating, especially when trying to multi-task during a hangout. That lag has seemingly disappeared with this new model, and in all honesty, I haven't found a task yet where I've been wishing that it was faster than it is now. This may also partially be aided by the fact that the Chromebook 2 has 4gb of RAM, versus my Acer C720 which only has 2gb, and my previous experiences with the original Chromebook 1 which also only had 2gb. Either way, the improvement in speed has been fantastic and you will certainly notice it.



Keyboard/Touchpad: This is one of the most important things to me on any computing device I own. Nothing is more frustrating than a keyboard with a weird design or layout that becomes a permanent hassle for the life of the device. Luckily, this might be the BEST overall feature of the Chromebook 2. Normally when I get a new device, I find myself needing a period of adjustment as I get used to the feel of a new keyboard, new keys, new layout. I found myself instantly loving the feel and use of the keyboard on the Chromebook 2. The keys feel sturdy and solid, and the spacing feels very natural between keys. The keys themselves have a very natural "curved" feel to the top of them that yields a very pleasant typing experience. Honestly the best possible comment that I think I can give an input device is that it feels so natural and correct that you immediately stop thinking about it once you start using it, and that is the case here. I didn't have many complaints about the keyboard on my Acer C720, but I can definitely say that the keyboard on this Chromebook 2 is noticeably improved and Samsung did a great job here. The touchpad itself is pleasantly wide (wider than the spacebar!) and feels accurate and smooth. Overall I can say without a doubt that this is the best keyboard and touchpad I've used on any Chromebook device to date outside of the Pixel.



Hard Drive/Storage: My 11.6" Chromebook 2 came with a 16gb solid-state hard drive, only a little over half of which is actually accessible by the user to use as storage. Everyone has different needs so opinions will vary on this, but one of the main draws of Google OS and the Chromebooks are how well they function as cloud devices. Other than space used to install apps, which for the most part are very small (20mb or less in size), almost everything else I use my Chromebooks for can be performed from the cloud or require very little onboard storage. There are many options available to store files, pictures, data on the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc), so I honestly don't think the storage space is going to be much of an issue for most people. Plus, being that it is a solid-state drive, it is VERY fast compared to traditional hard drives in terms of accessing files and data; also, since solid state drives have no moving parts inside, a lot more stable and damage proof for lugging it around on-the-go. Unless you are going to be installing literally hundreds of apps (most people probably only regularly use two dozen or less), or unless you regularly need to work where you have no internet access at all for extended periods of time, I think the size of the drive will suffice.



Battery: This is a section I will need to update further in the future. Samsung is claiming 8 hours of battery life on a full charge. I haven't noticed anything yet that would lead me to believe this claim is false, but I also haven't owned it long enough to go through a full charge from start to finish. I'll update my thoughts on this after I have run a few full cycles through the battery.



Speakers: I'll be honest, I don't personally use the built-in speakers a ton on any laptop or device I've owned. I'm typically either just using this for web browsing or productivity, but when I do listen to music with it, I've found myself using Bluetooth to connect to external Bluetooth speakers in the past (namely my Logitech Boombox or my Jawbone Jambox if I am on the go). I did test the speakers out for a while though on my Chromebook 2, and I have to say I am fairly impressed. Considering that the speakers are located on the bottom of the device, I was surprised at how well they projected sound. And considering their tiny size, they were able to get louder than I expected while remaining fairly clear. I wouldn't expect booming base from these, but they don't sound "tinny" either and have a decent balance to them. I'll still probably stick to using my Bluetooth speakers when I want to blast music around my house or when working outdoors, but I can't see the built-in speakers disappointing anyone who came in with reasonable expectations.



Other features: I'll come back to this and add to my review once I have had more time with the unit. Webcam, software, pictures, any other likes or dislikes that I find as I continue to use it further beyond the first few days.



Overall, this is a great product, especially when you factor in the value that you get for the money. If I could give it partial stars, I'd give it about a 4.6/5 (and the only deduction would really be because I wish they had upgraded the screen further). It's very very quick in everyday use; boots up almost instantly from sleep (or about 10 total seconds if you shut it off completely), gets very solid battery life, and ChromeOS allows you to easily do almost any normal computing task that you would normally do with Apple OS or Windows. It's very lightweight and portable, and the build quality is solid. If you come in expecting this to perform like a $1000+ i7 Ultrabook or a MacBook Pro, you might leave disappointed. But other than that, especially at a price point of just over $300 at launch, I feel like the Chromebook 2 is not only going to sell a lot of new customers on the Chrome OS, but offer a very noticeable speed and function upgrade to people who are using previous generation Chromebook models. If you have only used traditional laptops your whole life and this is your first experience into Chrome OS, your mind is going to be blown when you first realize that you are INSTANTLY at the desktop and ready to go when you open the laptop up from sleep mode. I will revisit my review and update it further as time passes and I notice new things to comment on. Anything you want me to review that I missed, let me know in the comments and I'll come back and add my thoughts.



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Toshiba Satellite C55-B5300 15.6-Inch Laptop (Intel Celeron Processor N2840, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive, Windows 8.1)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



It's a perfect "light-duty" computer.



We bought it for home office/back-up machine.

We don't need to carry it around like a tablet, and keyboard is a must for long e-mails.

Getting used to Windows 8.1 was confusing at first.

But after downloading a free word-processor from Apache (OpenOffice), we were good to go.

For WiFi, 3 walls and 1 floor away from router antennas, I get 4 bars out of 5.



For off-hours, we use it for Skype, Netflix and web browsing.

With Celeron N2840 (2.16Ghz)'s rather weak processing power and integrated graphics, I'm not even going to try games like Bioshock Infinite.

Skype is smooth.

Netflix movies are smooth...as long as you don't fiddle with other apps/programs.

Playing a Netflix movie takes about 40-55% of processing power of Celeron N2840.

Opening task manager or even other folders would make the processor usage jump to 100% and flash player will be jerky for a moment.

(Intel Core i7 would use only 5-10% for watching movies, in comparison)

On the other hand, writing a report while playing Youtube music videos in the background is perfectly doable.



And Please Toshiba, hire somebody who can name your products!

Our neighbor had told me about $250 Toshiba.

When I looked up, there were half a dozen laptops in that range with confusing array of names.

I went to Best Buy but I returned home even more confused (but I did remember "something-5300").

After more research, I still got confused and bought C55-B5300 instead of intended C55-A5300.

By dumb luck, "B5300" happened to be better than "A5300" at the same price range.



Imagine a conversation:

"I'm interested in BC55-B5202, but is it faster than S55-B5289?"

"It's comparable to L75-B7270, but not as good as C55-B5298"

"Really? you are saying it's as good as C55-B5299?"

"Yes Mam, it even beats S55-B5258."



Sadly these are all actual models of "Toshiba Satellite."

Above conversation wouldn't make sense because S55-B5258 might be one of the fastest.

But there in lies the problem.

With names like that, you'd never remember the name of the one you want, let alone compare it amongst other models.

These numbers might be convenient for engineers, but I think Toshiba should try selling computers to people outside of Toshiba R&D labs.

But I digress.



Tiny speakers sound as if I'm listening to other people's ear buds from a foot away.

I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.

(Edit: I found that I can select from 2 dozen sound profiles and adjusting it made it decent enough for Netflix)

There is only one socket for headset/microphone.

For quiet Skyping, we cannot use existing mic and a separate headset.

We'll need to get a mic-headset with just one combined jack.

(On second thought, just using a headset might work with built-in mic)

Touch pad is almost seamless with surface of the machine, and I often found my fingers wandering (bad fingers!).



Even with a naming scheme dreamed up by Mad Hatter, and resulting confusion at purchase,

Toshiba C55-B5300 is a good "light-duty" computer.



It's best strength is price.



At $250, it's cheaper than many tablets.

Even if we get a new one every 2 years, it's only $125 a year.

As far as electronics go, that's almost disposable.

It's not a Ferrari, it's a cheap scooter.

But as a scooter, it gets used.

For that, C3PO, I mean C55-B5300 gets 4 stars.



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ASUS Transformer Book 10.1" Detachable 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop, 32 GB

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I love it! I already owned a couple of iPads and Android tablets, but overall couldn't find a device that would meet my daily needs.



All I need to do is write email, check some websites, and take notes in school!

But.... the iPad doesn't offer much control over the device and files, so sending and sharing files was a nightmare, and the Android crashed too often. With that said...



Some Information

+ I find the ASUS Transformer very easy to use

+ Very open and customizable

+ Battery life on average lasts me about 10 hours

+ Easily send and receive files because of the Windows File Explorer! :)

+ Comes with a USB port

+ Transforms from a Tablet into a Notebook so you can have the best of both worlds.

+ Unlike the iPad it has a SD slot to easily upgrade memory + It actually comes with only about 8GB of memory, which might not be enough for most people so I'd recommend the 128 GB SanDisk SD card ( http://amzn.to/11uCCj3 )

+ Runs Flash videos and games

+ Webcam (front facing camera)

+ HDMI port to hook up to a TV

+ Fully compatible with Microsoft Office and comes with Windows 8.1



The specs are great and the features are amazing, it's definitely a grande experience. One thing I might also recommend is buying a $4 protective screen cover at to keep the fingerprints and dust under control. Because the screen gets a little smudgy from all the touching.



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Microsoft Surface 2 (32 GB)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I heard a lot of lackluster reviews about the original Surface tablet but I heard that Microsoft fixed a lot of issues in the Surface 2 so I checked it out. I liked what I saw in the store demo so I bought it. After using it for 2 days solid, I can say that this is an excellent tablet and entirely underrated. I give it 4 1/2 stars overall.



The good:

1) Excellent look and feel. The frame is made of a beautiful alloy and it feels both strong and light. Unlike all the other tablets I've seen, this one is widescreen. This is great for media viewing, and provides a substantial and useful difference in viewing between portrait and landscape mode. The screen is full 1080p and everything looks super clear. Comparing it with the ipad, the ipad is sharper but not quite as clear. It kind of feels like with the ipad you are looking through thicker glass so it seems "cloudier" than the Surface 2, even though the iPad has higher resolution.



2) Microsoft Office comes bundled FOR FREE. This is awesome. No other tablet has anything comparable. Fully functional versions of Excel, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, and Onenote.



3) A micro SD slot for expansion of primary storage. Up to 64gb additional storage. Ipads don't have this, and with androids some do and some don't. Very useful and welcome.



4) A mini HD port, so you can output the display directly to a tv or monitor. You might need a mini HD to HDMI adapter, depending what you have on your bigger screen. This is awesome because you can play movies, show photos, etc directly to your tv from the tablet. Apple has airplay, which only works over wireless IF you have a $100 apple tv box, but the direct cable is better in my opinion because you never have network lag or loading issues, which I sometimes get on my apple tv. I think this also can do wireless streaming to a tv via an xbox but I don't have an xbox.



This is also great because you can attach a type cover or keyboard and mouse, and connect this to a monitor, and use it like a full pc dual monitor system.



5) Bluetooth support for keyboards and mice and other devices.



6) The Surface has a built-in kickstand with 2 angles that makes viewing and using very convenient, especially when used with the touch or type covers or a usb keyboard.



7) A fully functional USB 3.0 port. This is another HUGE advantage. If you need more storage you can connect a full hard drive and have all the storage you want (I connected a 1.5 Terabayte media drive to mine and transferred files using windows explorer). Also this makes it easy to transfer files to and from the device. I was always emailing or texting stuff to myself on my ipad because the ipad doesn't have a better way to do this.



8) You can have 2 apps open on the screen at the same time, split with a vertical bar between them. You can change the size of the split to anywhere you want by dragging the divider left and right for 50/50, 80/20, 29/71, whatever breakdown you want.



9) There are front and rear cameras. I think the front is 3.5 megapixels and the rear is 5.0. You can record video as well.



10) Live tiles. This means that tiles are large enough to show useful information without opening the app. The weather app shows the current weather, the email app shows the latest email subject, the NFL app shows recent scores. These update in the background automatically.



11) Gestures. Open by tapping, close by swiping down, go back to the main page by swiping in from the right, switch between open apps by swiping in from the left, and open split screen by swiping down and then to either side. I find them second nature after a couple hours.



12) Battery life is fine. Over two days I used it about 10 hours before charging it at 12%, including about 4 hours of video streamed to the device. The charger is a cool magnetic clip.



13) Handwriting recognition. This works with a stylus or your finger, and reads both block and cursive. I love this because I like to write out my onenote notes. Some people may not care about this but this is one of the Galaxy Note's key points and the Surface 2 can also do it.



14) There is a desktop app that looks like the windows 7 desktop with a few basic things like control panel, windows explorer, ms office, etc.



15) The type and touch covers are awesome, they are like 3mm thick and provide both a protective cover and a full keyboard and mousepad. The connector is a cool magnetic thing that can be pulled right off.



Now for the not so good:



1) This is not a full version of windows 8, so you can't install standard windows software on it. To do that, you need a Surface Pro. A lot of reviewers in the media made a big deal out of this, but it's not like you can install Photoshop on an ipad, or any other mac os software on the ipad. Android doesn't even have a desktop OS that I know of. So this to me isn't a big deal but be warned that you need to have Surface Pro to install standard windows software, and the pro costs about twice as much.



2) The app selection is fairly limited. It's much better than it was 6 months ago when I first looked at the older surface but it still is noticeably behind Android and IOS. The difference is enough that it may be a dealbreaker for some people. I found most of the major apps I cared about but I don't use a whole lot of apps in general. Check out the app store online to see if you will be missing anything you use a lot, because that is super important. This alone may outweigh everything else if your favorite apps are missing.



3) The type covers ($120), micro SD cards (up to $50 for 64gb), hdmi adapter ($10), stylus, and other add-ons are not free.



4) If you hold the surface in portrait mode, it is possible to have your thumb bump the start button, which returns you to the tiles screen. After this happened twice, I got around the issue by rotating it 180degrees so the button was on the opposite side of my hand.



5) The version with LTE connectivity (i.e. cell phone data) is slated to be available in Spring 2014. This doesn't bother me because that's not how I use this, but if you need a data connection everywhere, you might want to wait for the LTE version.



EDIT:

6) The operating system takes up more space than I originally realized, so you don't get the full 32 GB of built in storage. It's more like 20 GB. I looked up the iPad and IOS uses about 2.5 GB of space. I take off half a star, but a) you still get more than 16 on the base model and B) the micro SD slot mitigates this somewhat. Still, it feels a little deceptive since the OS is big.



Check if the apps you want are available or coming soon, and if you need cell data wait for the LTE version, but in every other way this is an excellent tablet with a lot of advantages.



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Samsung Chromebook 2 XE500C12-K01US 11.6-Inch Laptop (Metallic Silver)

Product Description

Product Description

For Everyone. The Samsung Chromebook 2 is a new computer that helps you get everyday things done faster and easier. It starts in seconds, has virus protection built-in, and runs your favorite Google apps plus thousands more. The Chromebook comes with leading Google products, like Search, Gmail, YouTube and Hangouts, so you can work, play, and do whatever you want, right out of the box. Chromebooks are a unique class of mobile computing devices designed for Web-based tasks. They run the Google Chrome OS, perfect browsing the Web, sending and receiving e-mail, and video chatting with friends and family. You can easily share it with multiple people- switching accounts takes seconds, and everyone gets their own files, apps and settings. And it's simple to use. There's no setup, and your files are automatically backed up in the cloud. At just 2.65 pounds, 0.66 inches thin, and with up to 8.0 hours of battery life, the Samsung Chromebook 2 can go anywhere you go. It's built to stay cool, so it doesn't need a fan and runs silently. And being productive is easy with the latest Intel Celeron processor. It also includes 100GB of free Google Drive storage (for 2 years), a built-in webcam, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi to make it easy to connect to wireless networks.






CUSTOMER REVIEW



A decent Chomebook for sure, but there are better options out there. First, let me review this and then I'll tell you about a couple others to look into. First of all, this is Samsung's newest released Chromebook and it packs some decent power, RAM, and hard drive space, but nothing extraordinary that you can't find on other newly released Chromebooks.



PROCESSOR:



Like many Chromebooks being released, this one is still using the Intel Celeron 2.16 GHz dual-core processor. It's a decent processor and there's no doubt it will handle everything you need it to, however, it is starting to become outdated, especially when you compare it to Acer's new Chromebook which offers the NVIDIA Tegra K1 Quad Core 2.1 GHz Processor. HUGE difference in processing power. That said, even though Acer is currently leading the way for other Chromebook manufacturers, you can't go wrong with the Celeron processors as this is a Chromebook, not a full Windows running laptop.



SCREEN:



The screen, again, leaves much to be desired. It is still only 1366x768 pixels which is to be expected for a Chromebook running an 11.6" screen. Again, there are other Chromebooks out there running full 1920x1080p screen resolutions with more processing power, longer battery life, and a slightly larger 13.3" screen, FOR THE SAME PRICE as this Samsung Chromebook.



The screen on this Samsung is decent and I don't think you'll really have too many complaints about it. It's easy to see, doesn't look too muddy, and reproduces colors accurately.



WI-FI:



The Wi-Fi is great and uses the latest 802.11ac protocol which is up to 3x faster than the older Wi-Fi being used on older laptops and Chromebooks. This makes a huge difference as I've noticed this Samsung Chromebook connects quickly and easily to available networks and gets a really good signal where even my phone or Windows based laptop will not. Very impressed by the Wi-Fi.



BATTERY:



The battery life is slightly above average when compared to most new Chromebooks. At 9 hours, you're able to use the Chromebook all day without having to lug around your AC adapter. That said, there are other Chromebooks (specifically the Acer Chromebook 13) that are offering 13-hour battery life. They have the same specs as this Samsung Chromebook with a faster processor but the cost is the same. So, if you're a power-user who needs to stream lots of video, chat on Skype, download and upload large files, etc., you may want to look into the Acer Chromebook 13 as it's at the top of the list of Chromebooks at the moment. (On a side-note, Acer also offers a Full-HD version of the Chromebook 13, this time sporting an amazing 1920x1080p display, a much faster processor, and 11-hours of battery life... FOR THE SAME PRICE. If battery power is not super important (ie: you're just going to be surfing the web or taking notes in Google Doc, etc., 9-hours of battery life is plenty!)



USB PORTS:



Okay, it's 2014... NO laptop, desktop, or even these Chromebooks should be running anything besides USB 3.0 ports. This Samsung Chromebook does give you a single USB 3.0 port and another USB 2.0 port. I don't get it. Why not just make both of them USB 3.0? And while I'm comparing this Samsung Chromebook to others that just hit the market, I'm going to have to mention the Acer Chromebook 13 again as it wins in the USB department with 2 USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI output port as well.



SIZE AND WEIGHT:



At only 2.6 lbs and 11.4" inches wide with nice 0.66" thickness, this is a very light and comfortable to carry Chromebook. If you're going to throw this in a bookbag or messenger bag, it's going to slide in just like a small book or folder, not some clunky laptop. Samsung did a nice job here with keeping this Chromebook light and compact, yet still providing it with a solid feel and a well laid out keyboard that resists flexing when typing.



OVERALL DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY:



As I mentioned above, the build quality is very nice. I love the stitched look on the cover... it gives it an elegant and sophisticated look without going too over the top. The keyboard is well laid out, I didn't notice much flexing of the keyboard while typing, as you'll sometimes find on other Chromebooks, and overall, the whole thing felt nice and solid while carrying it.



BOOT TIMES AND WAKE TIMES:



The Samsung Chromebook is right on par with the competition when it comes to boot times and wake times. Booting in 10 seconds is only a couple seconds longer than Acer's Chromebook 13, and the wake from sleep time is identical. It will be out of sleep mode and ready to go before you even get the screen opened!



SECURITY:



The Chrome operating system is very stable and secure at the moment and Samsung emphasizes that with this newest Chromebook claiming it keeps the operating system files and app files separate to avoid "cross-contaminating" the files if a virus happens to pop up. Since the OS is still new, hackers are still trying to find ways to exploit the system but for the most part, they're still having fun hacking Windows and Apple machines. For now, Chrome is pretty safe and safety and encryption is something Google takes seriously. (I can't believe I just said that as Google Drive was down today for hours, but seriously, overall Google operates its services flawlessly while protecting your important files.)



BUILT IN WEBCAM:



Surprisingly, the picture quality is pretty decent using the on-board camera. It's certainly not going to be as good as some of your high-end smartphones that can literally double as a camera, but it's right on par with the rest of the competition including the iPad, Acer's lineup, and so forth. I haven't tested the Google Pixel Chromebook yet but I'd imagine it's pretty similar in quality to that overpriced laptop, too.



SUMMARY:



You really can't go wrong with this Samsung Chromebook. I LOVE Samsung products as they have a history of being reliable and high quality. As you could probably tell from my review, I honestly believe there are better choices out there right now that are a few steps ahead of the Samsung Chromebook in terms of processing power, battery life, and screen resolution, for the SAME PRICE. I don't want to steer you towards one over the other but I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't compare this Chromebook to at least one of the competitor's in a similar price range. I'd really suggest reading this review and the review on the Chromebook 13 before you make any decisions. They are both great machines and I think you'll be satisfied no matter which one you choose. This Chromebook is still too new to give you a 1-10 rating but I'm guessing it's going to fall in the 8/10 range. The Chromebook 13 Acer 13 CB5-311-T9B0 Chromebook (13.3-inch Full HD, NVIDIA Tegra K1, 2GB) will probably fall in the 9/10 range, so both are pretty comparable.



*** DISCLAIMER: (and some fun now that we're finished!) I do not work for Amazon or any manufacturer so my reviews are based on my own research and experience. I only review products I have either purchased here on Amazon, which account for over 95% of my reviews, and a few other products I either purchased elsewhere or have had the time to evaluate, so my reviews are based solely on my own research and/or using the product itself. Some people out there who, in my opinion, seem paranoid and stalker like, may find it odd that I review so many products and may also think that, since I do review so many, I must work for the hundreds of different manufacturers I've purchased products from... that's a lot of people I must work for! They may spend substantial amounts of time becoming infatuated with the reviewer and their product reviews, so much so that they read every review the reviewer has posted, calculating how much they spend, how many reviews per day they've written on various days, and so forth. Thankfully, when these types of people mouth off, Amazon is quick to delete their comments if they violate Amazon's Terms of Service. Thank you Amazon! That said, enjoy the review and if you have any questions not addressed in the review, please feel free to ask me! ***



*** I hope this review has helped you at least a little with your research into what Chromebook to buy... If it has helped you, let me know! You can also leave a comment or post a question in the comments section and I'll try to answer it for you. I don't work for any computer manufacturers and so my reviews are based solely on my own personal experience in using the product. For every product I review, I either own the product, or have extensively tested it. I do my best to be as objective as possible and give you as much info as possible so you can feel good about your purchase. ***



I will update you if any information in this review changes or to make you aware of any upcoming changes. Thanks!

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HP Pavilion X2 10.1-inch Detachable 2 in 1 Laptop (32GB) (Includes Office 365 Personal for 1-year)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This tablet is decent for the price. the tablets only has 2GB of ram, I see this as a drawback as my laptop has 8GB ram inside. You can not open this tablet up and add more ram or a bigger hard drive. the keyboard is ok to type on it is a little mushy, but so is the keyboard on my laptop. I typed this review on the tablet keyboard.



When I received the tablet it only had about 8GB free on the internal storage if you enable disk compression in settings you will save 2-5GB of space. I feel if you do not get the 64GB version you must purchase a micro sd card that is rated UHS 1 30mbs or better and 32GB in size of bigger. it includes one year of office 365 a $100 value on a card at least in my version so you could redeem it on a laptop or desktop if you want office on that device.



I was running iTunes and chrome at the same time with about 10 tabs open in chrome and a HD movie playing in iTunes it was using about 1.2GB of ram. I installed the propresenter demo and it runs fine. If you want to connect to a TV screen you have to set the TV to stretch the image so it fills the whole screen if you do not it just fills a square in the middle of the screen. When you really stress the tablet it get warm but you can still hold it without burning yourself. Do no get a sleeve made for a 10.1 inch tablet as it will not fit instead get a 11.6 netbook sleeve to fit it. the battery last about 8-10 hours of



Over all I like the tablet. There are a few things I would like to be more open to repair or replacement by the end user.

As a tablet it is great as a laptop there is more i would expect from a laptop than what this delivers. I would like 64bit windows and a full SDXC card slot but can understand why these were not included. The pen is synaptics as far as I can tell if I find out later that it is different I will update this to reflect that.



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Acer Aspire E 15 ES1-512-C88M 15.6-Inch Laptop (Diamond Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have done thorough research and compared this with other similarly-priced products from Toshiba, Dell, Asus (2 of them), and HP. This Acer is definitely the BEST one of the five 15.6" in the $200-$250 price range. All five have the same basic specs (Celeron / 500GHz / 4GB / 500GB) but the below specs give this an edge over the others.



PROS:



USB 3.0

- Dell doesn't have it, the rest do.

- Acer has one port.



Bluetooth

- Only Toshiba has it, the rest don't.

- Acer has Bluetooth 4.0.



Battery Life

- One Asus has 3.75 hr life, the rest range between 4-5.5.

- ACER HAS SEVEN FREAKING HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE!



Speaker

- The Toshiba and HP speakers suck big time! They are very low quality and thin.

- ACER HAS AN AMAZING SOUND SYSTEM FOR A LAPTOP! You don't need a speaker to get crisp sound with enough base.



Thinness/Sleekness/Appearance

- Toshiba is the thinnest and sleekest, the rest are at least 0.25-0.50 inch thicker.

- Toshiba and Asus have a bad case of finger marking! It is so disgusting to look at. The slightest touch leaves finger marks on it. HP and Dell are okay.

- Acer is almost as thin as the Toshiba, which makes it neat looking too.

- Acer repels finger marks, thus no disgusting finger marks on them!



CONS:

- Acer is the heaviest of the lot, adding 0.50 lbs.

- Acer does not have the Caps or Num lock lighting

- Acer does not have an optical drive.

- Acer ports are at the back of the laptop, as opposed to the traditional sides.



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Acer 13 CB5-311-T9B0 Chromebook (13.3-inch Full HD, NVIDIA Tegra K1, 2GB)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Acer has been dominating the Chromebook market by releasing high-quality, affordable, and reliable Chromebooks that stifle the competition--but does the new Acer Chromebook 13 really offer improvements worth ditching you old Chromebook for this newer one? Let's look at what upgrades have been made and let you decide if it's worth taking the plunge into this new Chromebook.



I'm going to focus a lot on the new processor as it is the first Chromebook to use the NVIDIA Tegra based K1 processor.



THE NEW NVIDIA TEGRA K1 CPU:



Switching to the NVIDIA Tegra based K1 CPU has given the newest Acer Chromebook 13 a peppier power plant while retaining the same 2GB RAM, 16GB on-board storage as its predecessor. The Chromebook c720 was the best Chromebook you could buy until the introduction of the Chromebook 13 although since it's so new, only time will tell if it truly outshines the Acer c720.



While the more powerful NVIDIA CPU may seem like a major upgrade, in reality and actual use-case scenarios, the difference will be virtually unnoticeable to the user. Why? Because the Acer c720, running a lower end Intel Celeron processor packed enough power to do literally everything you needed to do on a Chromebook.



The problem with the new Tegra K1 based processor from NVIDIA is that during extensive testing, it is having problems running some apps because of compatibility issues. Why does that matter? Well, since the Acer Chromebook 13 is the only Chromebook on the market right now using the NVIDIA Tegra based K1 processor, many Chrome app developers haven't built their apps to run on these CPU's and as a result, some apps simply won't run on this new model. While this won't affect everyone, especially those of us who only use the core Chrome apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Drive, and so forth, it will affect users who heavily use other niche apps available on the Chrome App Store.



These app developers will likely not be in a hurry to make their apps cross compatible when only one Chromebook model is utilizing the processor, at least not until other manufacturers start using the ARM based processors. And again, there's no guarantee any other manufacturer will. Intel, although known to be the sleepy giant when it comes to introducing new processors, has gotten the hint and is working on a new Intel Core M processor to be used in Chromebook devices and is due to be available in late 2014.



I'm pretty partial to the Intel x86 based CPU's as they're the type you'd typically find in typical laptops and desktop computers and have a proven track record of success in mobile devices such as tablets and Chromebooks. Only time will tell if Acer's switch to NVIDIA Tegra based processors was a good move for the company, or a premature one.



As an avid Linux user who has Ubuntu Linux installed on my Acer 720, I'm also a bit concerned on how the new processor will work with Linux and its apps. Some more detailed testing (which I will update you on) should give us an idea of how well they play together. I know this doesn't apply to most people, however, many of us do use Linux for various reasons and switching processors from x86 to NVIDIA Tegra, could be deal breakers for us.



Since I'm partial to the Intel x86 based processors, I'm personally waiting until later in 2014 when Intel releases its Core M processor before ditching my trusty Acer c720 Chromebook. While the Intel Core M processor based Chromebooks will likely cost a bit more, I personally feel the benefits will definitely be worth it. We should also see the same screen or a slightly upgraded one, perhaps offering touch-screen, or glossy finish versus the current matte finish. Since the NVIDIA Tegra processor is so new to Chromebooks, I want to wait to see how they work in the real-world as people's comments begins rolling in. Will it really be all it claims to be or will the drastic change in processor type be a deal breaker?



BUILD QUALITY:



Like most Chromebooks, with the exception of the outrageously overpriced Google Pixel (top of line model costing nearly $1,500 for a Chromebook,) the new Chromebook 13 sticks to the trend of a plastic body with decent build quality and durability, not much different than you'd find on your typical Windows based laptop.



SCREEN UPGRADE:



Going from the 11" screen to the 13.3 inch screen is a pretty noticeable upgrade especially since it addressed repeated complaints from users of the Acer c720 Chromebook, for example. With this new, larger, and more vivid screen comes a full 1080p resolution, something Acer users have been asking for, for a while now. The new screen is noticeably "clearer" and less muddy looking than the c720's screen and is more on par with your average laptop than your average Chromebook (again, with the exception of Google's overpriced Pixel.) For about $50 more than the Acer 720 Chromebook, this upgrade alone may be the clincher for users to make the switch.



BATTERY LIFE:



The battery life upgrade from the Acer 720 is HUGE. Going from 7-8 hours to 13 hours is an amazing feat. I was expecting to see at most a 2 hour battery life upgrade, maybe no upgrade at all considering the full-HD screen size, but somehow Acer has been able to do it!

In an actual use-case scenario, using not only Google Docs, Sheets, Calendar and so forth, but also streaming YouTube and Netflix, Pandora, etc., I actually only got about 8 hours of battery life out of the Chromebook 13. That's still very impressive but as is usually discovered when using a laptop from any manufacturer, the advertised battery life versus the actual battery life based on real-world usage, is vastly lower, in this case by a huge margin of 5 hours!



CHROME APP TESTING:



When testing the new NVIDIA Tegra based processor on various apps in the Google app store, I noticed that several apps simply refused to run with the new processor and as I mentioned above, it is highly unlikely that the various app developers will be in any hurry to make their apps cross-compatible, at least until more Tegra based CPU's are introduced into the Chromebook lineup. Several popular games refused to run not only for me, but also for another reviewer so this is obviously a problem both Acer and Google are aware of.



OTHER MENTIONABLE UPGRADES:



Besides the faster processor, which as I said before, will be virtually transparent to the user, the larger, more vivid, full-HD screen, and longer battery life, the Chromebook 13 gets some other small upgrades, or maybe I should say, "changes."

The Chromebook 13 moves to a fanless design due to the power-friendly Tegra based processor, but also manages to only gain a little weight, coming in at 3.3 lbs. (and a mere 0.71 inches thick.)



CONCLUSION:



I really feel that the Acer Chromebook 13 is an amazing machine that has addressed upgrade requests from Acer users, specifically in regards to the display. Although I'm extremely impressed with the upgrades to the display and battery life, I'm still hesitant to jump on the bandwagon and make a drastic switch from x86 based Intel processors to Tegra based processors. No other Chromebook utilizes this processor and I feel there may be some hiccups with this processor until Google and its various app developers address them. I'd personally recommend waiting for the next model Acer Chromebook to hit the market and see what it offers before making the switch. As many people will tell you, you never want to be the guinnea pig for a brand new piece of technology... it's best to let the manufacturers and developers work out the bugs and buy a product with all of the issues resolved.



However, if you feel the upgrades Acer is offering in this latest Chromebook lineup is worth it, go ahead and take the jump. Acer has consistently impressed me with every new Chromebook model they release and I have confidence the new Chromebook 13 won't let us down.



I'll update my review as I continue to use the Chromebook 13 and post any mentionable issues I discover.



*** If this review has helped you in any way with your research into a new Chromebook, please let me know [...]. I really love helping others when they're looking at upgrading their computers and other technology and I do my best to provide you with as much information as possible along with my own professional experience in working with these products. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and good luck on your search for your new Chromebook! ***



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Acer Aspire E 11 ES1-111M-C40S 11.6-Inch Laptop (Diamond Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



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The Windows assault on Chromebooks continues with the Acer Aspire E 11.



Like the HP Stream 11 I reviewed last week, this new computer from Acer sports an Intel Celeron N2840 processor at 2.16 ghz, 2 gigs of RAM and 32GB of solid state hard drive space.



It is pretty much identical to the HP Stream 11 in performance. Web browsing is responsive and snappy, and it's possible to play some lower end games on it. But there are some differences that make the HP Stream 11 a better value.



1. The HP Stream 11 has a larger battery than the Acer Aspire E 11



2. The HP Stream 11 has a better keyboard



3. SD cards can be inserted flush to the HP Stream 11 but half of the card sticks out on the Acer Aspire E 11.



4. The Acer Aspire E 11 has less available space for the Windows operating system and user files because of the large size of its recovery partition.



5. The HP comes with a one year subscription to Office 365.



The one thing the Acer has that the HP doesn't is an ethernet port.



This is not to say that the Acer is a bad machine - it isn't. But the HP offers more than the Acer does for the same price.



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HP Stream 13 Laptop Includes Office 365 Personal for One Year (Horizon Blue)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



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In many ways the HP Stream 11 is a better buy than the more expensive HP Stream 14.



This 11 inch model costs $100 less, yet has the same overall screen resolution as the larger device. The 11 also has a better performing Intel processor, an N2840 Celeron, that does better with core browsing and computing tasks. And if that's not enough, the 11 comes with a one year subscription to Office 365 so that a full version of Office can be installed on the 11. The 14 does not come with the Office subscription.



Like the 14 there are some limitations. The device is limited to 2 gigs of non-expandable RAM and has a very small 32 gig solid state disk that's also not accessible. Although 32 gigabytes is double the storage available on most Chromebooks, Windows and its applications require much more disk space to operate.



Despite its limitations this is a very capable and VERY affordable Windows PC that is designed to go head-to-head with Chromebooks. In fact it has most of the same guts as a Chromebook but runs Windows 8.1 instead.



I am excited about the current state of the low-end market. We are getting great capable PCs at very low prices. For once it's nice to see some real competition at this end of the market.



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Dell Inspiron 15 i3531-3225BK 15.6-in Laptop (Intel Pentium Processor, 4GB RAM)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Might be one of the best inexpensive gifts. Just bought it for my son and I don't even have to worry about him breaking it. :)



Some information:

No CD/DVD drive - even thought the picture shows it. Need to buy the more expensive version http://amzn.to/1tq7RCe

2x USB ports

1x Ethernet

Webcam

Card Reader port

Upgradable RAM 1333MHz DDR3L

Wifi



Pros

- Affordable

- Fast for regular stuff, like browsing the internet and writing up documents.

- Windows 8.1



Cons

- It's a little on the heavier side with 5 lbs.

- and a little bulky



I'd also highly recommend getting one of the Amazon 15" sleeves to protect it from drops and scratches. http://amzn.to/1pg2h9U



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HP 11-2010nr 11.6-Inch Chromebook (Snow White)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This has been a perfect light, "big version" of my android phone (that I use way more than my HP PC laptop these days)! My only complaint is the browsing speed - it is a lot slower than I would have expected. I have noticed other complaints online too. Perhaps just for an early set? I would suggest checking that out first if important to you ...



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HP Stream 14 Quad Core Laptop with Beats Audio (Natural Silver)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



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It is exciting to see affordable Windows PCs that are now competitive with similar Chromebook devices. This one from HP performs quite well in most applications although its computational performance lags behind its 3D and gaming capabilities.



The Stream has a 14" non-touchscreen display with 2 gigs of RAM and a 32 gig solid state drive. Neither are upgradeable. About half the drive's capacity is taken up by operating system and its recovery partition. So expect only about 16-17 gigabytes of free space. They provide a free two year subscription to Microsoft's cloud service which comes with 100 gigs of cloud storage.



Gaming performance is surprising. The HP Stream scored over 20,000 on the 3DMark tablet game performance test which is very respectable. It also very smoothly played Portal 2 at the Stream's native 1366x768 resolution and with anti aliasing turned on.



Web browsing performance was not as good. The Stream scored lower than most of the Chromebooks I've tested in the Google Octane Javascript test (running on Google Chrome). Web browsing performance is a bit sluggish but usable.



Overall build quality is nice. The machine feels solid and is relatively light weight at just under 4 pounds. The keyboard is comfortable and the keys are full sized. But the trackpad feels squishy and cheap. And there are too many gesture commands that flip windows all over the place that need to be shut off with no obvious way to do it.



But overall this laptop is a good value and well constructed. Without even a cooling fan it is completely solid state.



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ASUS K200MA-DS01T-WH(S) 11.6-Inch HD Touchscreen Laptop (White)

Product Description

Color: White

K200MA-DS01T-WH(S) N2830 4GB 500GB W8 TRAIL-M 11.6IN HD






CUSTOMER REVIEW



Excellent product. if you are looking for a macbookair-like windows alternative this is it! while the resolution is 1366x768 it can output full 1080p via hdmi. I have installed some very demanding software that used to make my old laptop very hot and thus far i cannot get this asus to even get lukewarm. This thing is lightning fast and super light, the touch screen works flawlessly and surprisingly there is almost no bloatware. Why would you pay for a chromebook when you can get this!!! why would you buy a macbook air when you can get this!!!

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ASUS X205TA-DH01 11.6-inch Laptop (Dark Blue)

Product Description

ASUS X205TA-DH01 11.6" Laptop (Dark Blue), Intel Bay Trail-T Z3735F 1.33GHz (Turbo up to 1.83GHz), 2GB DDR3L (1333 MHz) on board, 32GB EMMC, 802.11AGN, Bluetooth, Windows 8.1






CUSTOMER REVIEW



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UPDATE: I shot the video before the price was dropped to $139. This is a great value now.



Asus is joining the sub-$200 Windows PC market with their new X205TA laptop.



This one differs from similar priced offerings from HP and Acer in that it's powered by a quad core Intel Atom processor at 1.3ghz. The Acer and HP both have a faster Intel Celeron N2840 processor. But because the Atom processor uses less power, the Asus is able to put a smaller battery inside their PC that reduces weight and lasts longer than the competition. The result is a PC that can run for approximately 12 hours doing light tasks and weighs only 2.2 pounds.



The Octane javascript benchmark puts the Asus X205TA considerably slower than the HP Stream 11 and Acer E 11. It's also behind most Chromebooks. But it doesn't feel as slow as its benchmark scores indicate. I think that might be because its quad core processor can handle more browser rendering tasks than the N2840's dual core processor can.



The display is the nicest I've seen on one of these sub $200 Windows computers so far. It's crisp and clear and much nicer to look at.



There is a significant design issue with two metal protrusions on the back of the display. When the screen is opened and on a desk the metal can dig into wood, leaving scratches and dents on the desk surface.



Like its competitors it doesn't have much available storage. After the windows installation and recovery partition there's only about 15-17 gigabytes of free space available. This can be supplemented by installing a microSD card to add additional storage. The card sits flush to the case when installed.



I think the HP Stream 11 still remains the best value among the sub $200 Windows PCs, primarily because it's faster and comes with a full year of an Office 365 subscription.



But if portability and weight are a factor the X205TA wins out.

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Lenovo G50 15.6-Inch Laptop (59421807)

Product Description

Product Description

The affordable Lenovo G50 notebook is less than 1" slim, but packed with features like an integrated DVD drive, the latest processor and HD graphics. Plus, stereo speakers coupled with Dolby audio certification make the G50 good for everyday multimedia applications while on the go or at home.






CUSTOMER REVIEW



I purchased the g500 with i3 core processor, 4G ram 17 inch model through Amazon Prime. It's a fantastic laptop. Lenovo laptops come with the one key recovery system which let's you restore the system to its original state or create backups of the system in its current state.



I found this feature useful and initially reinstalled the o/s a few times using one key recovery while trying to set up my system exactly as I wanted it. I uninstalled all the bloat ware and there is alot.



I now have windows 8.1 running. It takes some getting used to but is worth the learning curve.



The only problem I have is a very flaky touch pad. My laptop is still under warranty but I'm just getting around this problem by using a mouse and disabling the touch pad using function key 6. I tried changing the sensitivity of the touch pad which didn't help. I also tried reinstalling the device driver. That didn't resolve the problem either.



I hope lenovo will address the problem with the touch pad. Other than that it's been the most reliable windows laptop I've owned.

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Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-Inch, 2GB)

Product Description

Capacity: 16 GB

Product Description

Acer C720-2848 Chromebook comes with these high level specs: Intel Celeron Processor 2995U, Google Chrome Operating System, 11.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit Display, Intel HD Graphics with 128MB of dedicated system memory, 2048MB DDR3L SDRAM Memory, 16GB SSD Drive, Secure Digital (SD) Card, 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.0, Built-In HD Webcam, 1 - USB 3.0 Port, 1 - USB 2.0 Port, 1 - HDMI Port, 3-Cell Li-Polymer Battery (3950 mAh), Up to 8.5-hours Battery Life, 2.76 lbs. | 1.25 kg (system unit only).






CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have an Acer C720 ($199) and an Acer C720P ($299) and both are amazing machines. If you dont mind plunking down the extra $100 for the touchscreen then go for it but really you will do fine without it and save yourself $100 especially if you are buying these as gifts like I did for others in my family.



Here is a list of the APPS I use on both and it runs them fast and flawlessly:

Facebook, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Chrome Remote Desktop (flawlessly connects to my Windows 7 laptop and I can run any windows program remotely with ease and flawlessly connects to my Office Desktop and I can access all my office records which is key since i am a family doc), Google Cloud Print (easily prints documents to all the printers i have set up), MyBible, Kindle, Twitter, Hootsuite, Weatherbug, Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, Google+ photos (automatically puts all my photos taken on my Iphone over to my chromebook), RUNS ALL WEBSITES INCLUDING BANKING WEBSITES and my mobile hospital app FLAWLESSLY WITH CHROME (including adobe flash player sites which my Ipad and Iphone still wont run)



The only CONS i can find so far are no SKYPE app.....If you want to do video calls then need to use GOOGLE HANGOUTS which is much less intuitive than skype....and you CANNOT hook a printer directly to a chromebook but you can use google cloud print to print easily...needs wifi connection to do most things (this is really not a problem for me as i am always connected and they have developed a number of apps that work when not connected including document writer and email offline



Battery Life Amazing! almost 8hrs of use!

Touchscreen good but not like an Ipad (can't use your fingers to zoom in with pinch)

Touchpad very good! (and really dont need the touchscreen because touchpad works so good)

Keyboard very solid,

Can use any wireless mouse with it. (Ipad still cant utilize a mouse)

Screen brightness great.

Sound adequate but a bit tinny

USB port charges devices and can use flash drives to move and transfer files (another thing I still cant do with my Ipad)

2 years free of 100GB Google Drive (this saves you $120 right there)

12 free wifi passes while on planes (i dont fly much but still a nice convenience and saves you the $10 or so connection fee)

Free virus protection



All in all a great economical way to access the internet with ease and lightning speed and do 95% of what most people use a personal computer for this day and age.

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